RuneScape 4 announced: what Jagex's new MMO actually is

RuneScape 4 is real, but you won't be playing it soon. Jagex revealed a brand-new RuneScape MMO at RuneFest 2026 on October 3, built in Unreal Engine and going by the working title RS4, and the studio says it is still in early development and "a few years away." It began life as an expansion for the survival game RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and Jagex says it won't replace any of its current games.

Key takeaways

• Jagex announced a new MMORPG with the working title RS4, short for "fourth generation RuneScape". The studio says the name may change.
• It's built in Unreal Engine, starts in Ashenfall (the continent from Dragonwilds) and is set years after that game's story.
• There's no release date, platform list or price. Jagex says the game is "a few years away" and promises more details next year.
• RuneScape (RS3), Old School RuneScape and Dragonwilds all keep running alongside it, according to Jagex.

What Jagex announced at RuneFest

The details come from Jagex's official RS4 page, published with the RuneFest reveal. Jagex calls the project "an entirely new RuneScape MMORPG" and says RS4 is only a working title that "isn't necessarily the name we'll eventually settle on." Most coverage is already calling it RuneScape 4.

Here's what the studio has confirmed so far:

• Engine: Unreal Engine. Jagex hasn't said which version.
• Setting: Gielinor in the Sixth Age, starting in Ashenfall, the landmass north-east of the main continent that Dragonwilds players already know. It takes place years after Dragonwilds and the defeat of the Dragon Queen Kuldra.
• Scope: Jagex says it wants the game to grow beyond Ashenfall over time, into familiar places and new ones across Gielinor.
• Design: "Integrity and permanent progression will be central to our design principles," the page says.
• Stage: Jagex describes the project as "still right at the beginning."

What it hasn't confirmed is just as important. Platforms, accounts, membership, progression and combat are all open questions, and Jagex says it's "simply not the right time, or just too early" to answer them.

How RuneScape 4 grew out of Dragonwilds

RS4 didn't start as an MMO. Jagex's survival game RuneScape: Dragonwilds launched its 1.0 version on September 15, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S, after selling 1.5 million copies in Steam Early Access, the studio says. Its team had a larger expansion, codenamed Shadows of Ashenfall, planned next.

According to MMORPG.com, that expansion was aimed at 2027, and Dragonwilds executive producer Jesse America said players wanted persistent servers, higher player counts, social features and a trade hub. PC Gamer's report sums it up as playtesters repeatedly asking for a more traditional MMO take on the game's world. As PCGamesN tells it, the team concluded that what it was designing was essentially an MMO and deserved to be its own game.

What the trailer shows

Jagex showed a short teaser alongside the announcement. PC Gamer describes a medieval town in a green valley under floating islands, and a dragon rider attacked by a three-headed dragon. It reads the art style as building on Dragonwilds, a mix of RuneScape 3 and Old School. PCGamesN calls it bright and cartoony like Dragonwilds, but more realistic than RS3. Treat both as first impressions of a teaser, not a look at final gameplay.

What RuneScape 4 means for RS3, OSRS and Dragonwilds players

If you play any of Jagex's current games, nothing changes for now. Jagex says RS4 is "not a replacement for any of our games, be it Old School, RuneScape or Dragonwilds," and that it's meant to sit alongside them as another way to play.

Two things stay unclear. Jagex hasn't said whether accounts or progress will carry over in any form. And it hasn't said what now happens to the 2027 Dragonwilds expansion that turned into RS4; PC Gamer expects the bigger scope has pushed that timeline back, which is a reasonable inference, not something Jagex has said. RuneFest also had news for players of the existing games: PCGamesN reports a remaster of the 2001 world, RuneScape Reignited, due December 2, 2026.

RuneScape 4 release date and what happens next

Jagex says it will share more about RS4 next year and is inviting players to sign up on the RS4 page to follow development. Until then, expect no release window, no platform list and no pricing or membership model.

Bottom line

RuneScape 4 is a confirmed project, not a game you can plan around yet: an early-stage Unreal Engine MMO with a working title and no date, which Jagex says is a few years out. If you play RS3, Old School or Dragonwilds, keep playing; Jagex says all three continue. The next real milestone is the fuller look Jagex promises for 2027. For more on the games around it, see our video games coverage.

FAQ

Is RuneScape 4 the official name?

No. Jagex calls it RS4, a working title for "fourth generation RuneScape," and says it may not be the final name.

When does RuneScape 4 come out?

There's no release date or window. As of October 4, 2026, Jagex only says the game is "a few years away" and that more details come next year.

Will RuneScape 4 replace Old School RuneScape or RS3?

No. Jagex says RS4 doesn't replace Old School, RuneScape or Dragonwilds, and is designed to run alongside them.

What platforms will RuneScape 4 be on?

Jagex hasn't said. It lists platforms among the questions it says are too early to answer.