Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures is an Online Action RPG. A mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer end-game brings forth the ultimate representation of the Age of Conan Hyborian.

Hyborian Adventures is the first installment in the planned Age of Conan series. Age of Conan Hyborian itself takes place within the continent of the Hyborian kingdoms, a year after the events depicted in Robert E. Howard’s Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon.[8] Hyborian Adventures’ release celebrated the 76th anniversary of the Conan franchise.

Like many other MMO games, there is a monthly subscription fee. The suggested retail price of an Age of Conan Hyborian subscription card is $29.99 (€19.28) for two months. Another available option is a recurring monthly subscription plan paid online by credit card, usually costing $14.99 (€9.63) a month. Discounts can be obtained when subscribing online by purchasing multiple months of play time simultaneously; however, the first month is free.

Characters in Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures are created on a user account on a particular online server. Characters created on one server cannot be played on another. Players create characters which function as their virtual avatars in the online world of Hyboria. When creating a character in Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures, the player may choose from three playable races. The character is one of four archetypes (in bold) and one of three class selections for each archetype.

From an IGN interview with game director Gaute Godager of Funcom:
We call the engine Real Combat, and it is based on six directions, or ways, of attacking an opponent with a sword. First, you can hack down against the head. Second, you can slash diagonally down from the right, while the third is slashing the same way from the left. Fourth, you can thrust against the torso. Fifth, you can slash diagonally up from the left, and sixth, you can slash diagonally up from the right. The point here is that these directions lend themselves naturally to being strung together in combinations. These difficult combos unlock additional damage and faster combat, if done well.