RuneScape 4 (Image: Jagex)
Jagex is taking RuneScape into its next generation.
The British developer announced RuneScape 4, a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game currently in early development under the working title RS4, during its annual RuneFest convention on Saturday. The game is being built in Unreal Engine, marking a major technological shift for the long-running franchise.
The reveal came in front of more than 6,000 fans gathered at the NEC in Birmingham, England. RS4 will be the first numbered entry in the series since RuneScape 3 launched in 2013, and the first RuneScape MMO to be developed in Unreal Engine.
RuneScape Born From A Dragonwilds Expansion
According to Jagex, RS4 did not start out as a new MMO at all. The project began as a planned expansion for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, the studio’s open-world survival game built in Unreal Engine 5 and released in 2025.
Speaking onstage at RuneFest, Jesse America, executive producer of Dragonwilds, explained that playtesters repeatedly asked for a more traditional MMO experience set within that game’s world. The team soon realized the project had grown ambitious enough to stand on its own.
RS4 will be set years after the events of Dragonwilds and will initially bring players back to the same region, Ashenfall, within the RuneScape world of Gielinor.
Jagex said its goal is to bring Gielinor to life in Unreal Engine, combining “the depth, freedom and community-led spirit that have defined RuneScape for 25 years with the technology and game design possibilities of today.”
Jagex quickly reassured longtime players that the new game will not replace any of its existing titles.
RuneScape, Old School RuneScape and Dragonwilds will all keep their own dedicated development teams and roadmaps, and will continue to receive investment. RS4 will instead live alongside them as an independent experience.
“We think having different RuneScape experiences can make the whole family stronger,” the studio said in a blog post.
Jagex made clear that RS4 is still a long way off, saying the game is in early development with a dedicated team and that its release is still a few years away. The studio said it chose to announce the project early so it could develop the game alongside direct feedback from its community, an approach that has long been central to the RuneScape franchise.
Many key details remain under wraps. Jagex has not confirmed which version of Unreal Engine RS4 uses, which platforms it will launch on, how it will be monetized or whether players will be able to carry over progress from RuneScape 3. Beyond a CGI teaser, Jagex has shown no gameplay.
More RuneScape on the way
RS4 was not the only major announcement at RuneFest. Jagex also revealed that it has begun work on a RuneScape animated series, aimed at bringing the world, characters and stories of Gielinor to new audiences.
First launched in 2001, RuneScape remains one of the longest-running MMOs in gaming history, with its classic-style spinoff Old School RuneScape enjoying a large and dedicated player base.
About Author
