Jagex has announced a new RuneScape MMORPG under the working title RuneScape 4, or RS4, at RuneFest 2026. The Unreal Engine project is still several years away and will begin in Ashenfall before expanding across Gielinor.
The studio stressed that RS4 is a separate experience rather than a replacement for RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Each existing game will retain its own team, roadmap, and investment while the new MMO is developed by a separate team.
What Jagex has confirmed about RuneScape 4
RS4 is the project’s working title, not necessarily its final name. Jagex describes it as its fourth MMO and an independent RuneScape experience built in Unreal Engine. It will be set in Gielinor during the Sixth Age, beginning in Ashenfall—the landmass introduced in Dragonwilds.
The story takes place years after Dragonwilds and the destruction of the Dragon Queen Kuldra. Ashenfall has changed in that time, but Jagex says it is only the starting point. The studio’s long-term ambition is to move beyond the region into both familiar and new parts of Gielinor.
Jagex also identified integrity, permanent progression, and community-driven development as central design principles. The company revealed the project unusually early so players can be involved through future ideas, testing, and feedback.
RuneScape 4 grew beyond a Dragonwilds expansion
PC Gamer’s report from RuneFest says the project began as a planned expansion for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. According to the report, playtesters repeatedly asked for a more traditional MMO built around the survival game’s setting and visual foundation, leading Jagex to expand the idea into a standalone game.
That origin helps explain why RS4 starts in Ashenfall and why Jagex says it will build on technology developed for Dragonwilds. It does not mean RS4 is replacing Dragonwilds; Jagex explicitly places the two games alongside one another.
Dragonwilds recently reached more players through Xbox Game Pass, and our earlier coverage has the details on RuneScape: Dragonwilds joining the September Game Pass lineup.
No release date or platforms yet
Jagex says RuneScape 4 is still a few years away, but it has not announced a release date or launch window. The company plans to share more in 2027 about the world, the game itself, the development team, and how players can get involved.
Platforms, account connections, membership, combat, skills, and progression details also remain unconfirmed. Unreal Engine support alone should not be treated as confirmation of a PC, console, or mobile version.
Existing RuneScape and Old School RuneScape players should also avoid assuming their characters or progress will transfer. Jagex lists accounts and progression among the questions it is not ready to answer, while its reference to permanent progression describes a design principle for the new MMO.
What the reveal showed
The short RuneFest teaser presented a colorful medieval settlement beneath floating islands. An adventurer riding a dragon is attacked by a three-headed dragon before a wizard welcomes a new arrival to the city. The footage establishes the project’s tone and visual direction, but Jagex is treating this as the beginning of development rather than a full gameplay reveal.
The official RuneScape 4 announcement page lets players register their interest for future updates. Jagex has not described that mailing-list registration as a beta or playtest sign-up.
What would you most want RuneScape 4 to carry forward from RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or Dragonwilds?
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