New RuneScape MMO Announced by Jagex

Few games have the legacy that RuneScape does. Developer Jagex has run the game in some form or another for 25 years, constantly shaking things up without abandoning the game’s foundation. Many still associate the game with the early era of browser MMOs, when simply wandering into an unfamiliar area could feel like an adventure. But RuneScape has come so much further, and Jagex is preparing a new era of the MMO. Rather than replacing the games players already know, this new MMORPG is being positioned as another standalone entry in the growing RuneScape universe, with development still several years from completion.

Jagex revealed RuneScape 4, RS4, the working title for its new RuneScape MMO, during RuneFest 2026, which celebrated the game’s 25th anniversary. RS4 is being developed in Unreal Engine and will once again take players into Gielinor, although its story begins in Ashenfall, the continent introduced in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. At this time, details are sparse, including platforms, a release date, its combat system, membership details, and how accounts will work. We do know that the MMO is a few years from release, and we will likely get more information over time leading up to a full reveal.

RS4 Is Expanding RuneScape Rather Than Replacing It

Jagex has already confirmed that RS4 is not replacing RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or even RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Each existing game will continue to have its own development team, roadmap, and investment. Instead, RS4 is to become its own thing, offering yet another way to experience the age-old world of Gielinor. The project should be a great way to draw in new players turned off by RuneScape’s older graphics or survival mechanics.

The setting also creates an interesting bridge between Jagex’s newer projects and its traditional MMORPGs. RS4 takes place during Gielinor’s Sixth Age, beginning in Ashenfall years after the events of RuneScape: Dragonwilds and the destruction of Dragon Queen Kuldra. But this is just the opening, as RS4 will take players beyond Ashenfall and into other familiar locations around Gielinor.

But the biggest change is probably the use of the Unreal Engine, allowing Jagex to build off what it learned through RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The studio has already hinted that integrity and permanent progression are being built into RS4’s foundation, showing a different progression path than RuneScape has shown in the past.

There are still so many questions about RS4, but for now, Jagex is keeping things close to the chest. With several years before the game is released, there is plenty of time for content and gameplay to be drip-fed to players and pique their interest. The studio has earned so much goodwill already from Old School RuneScape and RuneScape: Dragonwilds, so there is a lot of hope surrounding RS4.

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