Tibia is one of the oldest, longest-running graphical online computer role-playing games (MMORPGs). Started as a non-commercial programming experiment by three German computer science students running on a university computer system in 1997, with many of its graphics borrowed from the classical single-player game Ultima VI and heavily relying on volunteers for game administration, creation of game art and level design, it has since become a professional commercial endeavour.

     Changes have been incremental rather than radical over the years. However, Tibia's 2D, faux-isometric sprite graphics that seem quaint by today's standards and the lack of sound effects have had no detrimental effect on the steady growth rate of concurrent players the game is still experiencing. Such shortcomings are offset by the resulting small download size and modest system requirements. A lot of its success can also be attributed to the fact that a large portion of the game, which can be downloaded from the official website, is still playable free of charge. This is in contrast to larger, more recent MMORPGs, which must be bought at a store and only provide short trial periods.

     For a monthly fee players can upgrade to a premium account, unlocking some additional game features and areas. These players also have priority login rights on the often congested game servers. Currently, such servers are located in the United States and Germany.