The Guild Wars video game franchise, developed by ArenaNet and published by NCSoft, takes place in the fantasy world of Tyria; all installments so far, except for the Factions and Nightfall campaigns in the original game, take place on the planet's main continent, also named Tyria.
There are two games released in the franchise so far, both in the MMORPG genre:
- Guild Wars consists of three campaigns that can be played independently: Prophecies (traditional Medieval European Fantasy, released in April 2005), Factions (East Asian themed, released in April 2006) and Nightfall (North African/Middle Eastern themed, released in October 2006), as well as Eye of the North (released in August 2007), an expansion that acts more as a teaser to the second game, then in development.
- Guild Wars 2 (released in August 2012) moves the story 250 years later, significantly changing the geography and political situation in Tyria, and features five playable races in contrast to the first game, where only humans were playable.
Both games are notable for their innovation and willingness to experiment with the MMORPG concept, each introducing unique features setting them apart from traditional hallmarks of the genre at the time of their release.
In addition, there are three tie-in novels, bridging the 250-year gap between the two games:
- Ghosts of Ascalon
- Edge of Destiny
- Sea of Sorrows
