Jagex has a new plan for RuneScape, and it starts with a survival game that nobody expected to become a full MMO. The company announced RuneScape 4 at its annual RuneFest convention, a sequel that began life as a planned expansion to Dragonwilds, the recently released survival game.
The announcement came with a teaser trailer showing a real Dragon Quest-looking medieval town in a verdant valley beneath floating islands. An adventurer rides a dragon into battle against a three-headed monster while a wizard watches from below. The wizard closes the scene by welcoming a new adventurer to the city.
How RuneScape 4 Got Its Number
The “4” in the title is a bit odd, because the series skipped a number in the middle. Here’s how Jagex counts the releases:
- Runescape, 2001: The Reason for the Season.
- Runescape 2, 2004: Introduced full 3D rendering. Old School is based on RS2 circa 2007.
- Runescape 3, 2013: Overhauled the art and systems, the current main fork of the game.
Old School RuneScape remains a major version of the game, and it will continue running alongside the new release. The question is whether Jagex will preserve RuneScape 3 in any way during the transition, or if RuneScape 4 will simply pick up where 3 left off with character progression intact.
From Survival Expansion to Full MMO
The twist is that RuneScape 4 didn’t start as a standalone project. The game emerged out of a planned expansion for Dragonwilds. Playtesters kept asking for a more traditional, MMO-style take on the survival game’s setting and aesthetic.
The art style in the trailer draws on both the latest Jagex MMO, Runescape 3, and the ascendant Old School RuneScape, which harks back to the series’ 2000s heyday. The result is a hybrid look that feels familiar to longtime players while still pushing forward.
“Playtesters kept asking for a more traditional, MMO take on the survival game’s setting and aesthetic.”
What We Know So Far
The MMO is being built on Unreal Engine, though it’s unclear whether that means version 5 or the upcoming version 6. The original, Dragonwilds expansion version of the game was targeting release in 2027, and scaling up to a full new game has almost certainly pushed that back.
The trailer’s art direction leans heavily on the Dragon Quest style, with a quest-looking medieval town set in a green valley below floating islands. The three-headed monster fight adds a dash of fantasy action to the mix.
The Future of RuneScape 3
The biggest unknown is what happens to RuneScape 3. Jagex has not confirmed whether the older version will be preserved or phased out. If RuneScape 4 continues character progression from 3, longtime players won’t need to start over completely.
There’s no confirmation either way yet.
Why This Matters
RuneScape has been around for nearly two decades, and its longevity is a major factor in Jagex’s position as a leading developer of MMOs. The move from a survival expansion to a full MMO shows the company is willing to pivot when player demand shifts.
The 2027 target for the original version suggests the full-scale MMO will arrive later, but Jagex has not announced a new release date for RuneScape 4.
Key Facts Box
- Game: RuneScape 4, previously a planned expansion for Dragonwilds
- Announced: At RuneFest, Jagex’s yearly convention
- Target release: 2027 for the original version
- Engine: Unreal Engine (version 5 or upcoming 6)
- Previous numbered releases: Runescape (2001), Runescape 2 (2004), Runescape 3 (2013)
The Verdict on RuneScape 4
The announcement is a clever pivot. Jagex took a survival expansion that players wanted to see as a full MMO, and turned it into a sequel that preserves the franchise’s identity while moving it forward. The Dragon Quest-style art direction is a bold choice, and the teaser trailer shows a game that knows exactly what it wants to be.
Whether RuneScape 4 can match the success of Old School remains to be seen. But the fact that Jagex is building on a foundation that already exists is a strong starting point.
Stay tuned for more coverage from this year’s RuneFest from PCG features producer Mollie Taylor, who is on the ground at the event.
Source material: “RuneScape 4 announced at RuneFest, full MMO sequel started as expansion to survival game Dragonwilds,” PC Gamer.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.