# RuneScape
**RuneScape** is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by the British studio Jagex, in which players create a hero and explore the world of Gielinor by training skills, completing quests, and fighting monsters. Development began in 1999, the free-to-play version launched in January 2001, and the franchise has since welcomed over 300 million player accounts.[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) • [2](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and setting | Fantasy MMORPG set in Gielinor; classless progression through skills, quests, and combat[3](https://www.runescape.com/game-info) |
| First release | Free-to-play version launched January 2001; developed by Jagex, founded in Cambridge, UK, by Andrew Gower[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) |
| Current versions | RuneScape 3 (29 skills) and Old School RuneScape (23 skills, based on the 2007 game)[3](https://www.runescape.com/game-info) • [4](https://www.runescape.com/oldschool/join) |
| Skill system | Skills run from level 1 to 99, with experience earned by performing skill-related actions[5](https://www.runescape.com/game-guide/skills) |
| Scale | Over 300 million player accounts; over 200 story-driven quests in RuneScape[2](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary) • [6](https://www.runescape.com/) |
| Monetization change | Treasure Hunter microtransaction mechanic removed January 19, 2026, after a community vote of nearly 125,000 players[2](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary) |
| Franchise expansion | RuneScape: Dragonwilds, an open-world survival game, entered Steam Early Access in April 2025 and sold 1 million copies in 8 months[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) |
## History
Jagex was founded in 2000 in Cambridge, UK, by Andrew Gower, with the idea of an online fantasy game playable directly in a web browser that would evolve continuously alongside its players. Development of the MMORPG began in 1999, and the free-to-play version launched in January 2001, growing into one of the world's most recognizable and enduring MMORPGs.[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) A membership option was added in February 2002 and attracted 5,000 subscribers during its first week.[7](https://repository.gatech.edu/bitstreams/f43fcd32-1ed9-40c4-909e-417c53095d11/download)
**Major revisions.** The game has had several incarnations, each replacing the last. RuneScape 2, launched between 2004 and 2007, introduced 3D graphics and expanded gameplay. A later round of major graphical and feature upgrades, dated 2012 in Jagex's own timeline, shaped the game known today as RuneScape 3.[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) • [8](https://www.mmorpg.com/runescape)
**Old School RuneScape.** When the main game was overhauled into RuneScape 3, Jagex polled players on whether they wanted independent servers running the game as it was in 2007. The result was [Old School RuneScape](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-school-runescape), launched in 2013 and driven directly by player demand and community voting.[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) • [9](https://www.pcgamer.com/old-school-runescape-review/) The game is based on RuneScape's 2007 source code.[10](https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/92235/1/URN%3ANBN%3Afi%3Ajyu-202312118235.pdf) Old School RuneScape has since become the more popular of the two versions, recently passing 250,000 concurrent players as the franchise approached its 25th anniversary.[11](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/runescape-turns-25-years-old)
## Gameplay
RuneScape is classless: rather than choosing a character class, players advance a set of individual skills. Performing actions associated with a skill earns experience points (XP), and higher levels unlock new equipment to make, locations to explore, and quests to complete.[5](https://www.runescape.com/game-guide/skills) Skills range from level 1 to 99 on a sliding scale of experience.[9](https://www.pcgamer.com/old-school-runescape-review/) RuneScape 3 currently offers 29 skills, including Fishing, Magic, Farming, Herblore, Summoning, and the elite skill [Invention](https://www.edgepedia.org/invention), which requires level 80 in Smithing, Crafting, and [Divination](https://www.edgepedia.org/divination) to begin training.[3](https://www.runescape.com/game-info) • [5](https://www.runescape.com/game-guide/skills) Old School RuneScape offers 23 skills, hundreds of quests, and dozens of raids and bosses.[4](https://www.runescape.com/oldschool/join)
Quests are central to the game's lore and progression, and the game is known for a player-driven economy built around the Grand Exchange trading system.[3](https://www.runescape.com/game-info) • [12](https://officiallinerider.com/runescape-vs/) Combat in Old School RuneScape runs on a notably slow tick rate of 0.6 Hz, which shapes the game's high-level techniques rather than preventing them.[13](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/in-defense-of-tab-targeting-mmo-devs-have-been-trying-to-put-dodge-rolls-in-their-games-for-10-years-to-avoid-wow-and-its-never-worked/)
## Community-led development
Old School RuneScape is a community-led game in which the community controls the developmental direction by voting on which updates it receives.[4](https://www.runescape.com/oldschool/join) • [14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOC4etuyk2Q) This model has produced both content and reversals: in November 2025, nearly 125,000 players voted on the future of Treasure Hunter, a daily activity that handed out random prizes ranging from cosmetic overrides to experience lamps that could add large amounts of XP directly to a chosen skill. Jagex removed the mechanic from RuneScape on January 19, 2026, describing its elimination as a major step toward player-first design and transparency.[2](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary) • [15](https://www.leetdom.com/reviews/runescape)
The community's influence extends to live events. On June 20, 2026, 4,000 people attended Deadman All Stars, a player-versus-player tournament of Old School RuneScape held at the Rosemont Theater in Chicago, with over one million more watching the stream. The tournament ran on a special instanced offline version of the game, even though Old School RuneScape was, in the words of its creative director Kieren Charles, "not built to have a LAN setup at all."[16](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/even-though-old-school-runescape-was-not-built-to-have-a-lan-setup-at-all-it-just-had-a-live-esports-tournament-with-4-000-attendees-we-were-doubting-at-times-whether-we-actually-can-pull-it-off/)
## The 25th anniversary and the franchise
In 2026 RuneScape turned 25, and Jagex marked the year with RS25, a program of record investment in games and services, a dedicated game-integrity roadmap, new game modes, and franchise expansion.[17](https://www.jagex.com/news/jagex-marks-runescape%E2%80%99s-25th-year-with-rs25-delivering-record-investment-a-dedicated-game-integrity-roadmap-new-game-modes-player-first-design-and-franchise-expansion) The anniversary roadmap, unveiled on January 19, 2026, includes Havenhythe, described as the largest area expansion in the game's 25-year history, launching in multiple parts with new quests, early-game bosses, and an increased level cap of 110 for the Hunter skill; a refresh of the player avatar models, animations, hairstyles, and clothing; and the return of the limited-time Leagues game mode.[2](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary)
**Beyond the MMORPG.** The franchise has expanded into other genres. [RuneScape: Dragonwilds](https://www.edgepedia.org/runescape-dragonwilds), an open-world survival game, launched into Steam Early Access on April 7, 2025, and reached 1 million copies sold in 8 months; it came to PC and consoles in September 2026, marking the franchise's first console release.[1](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are) • [18](https://www.jagex.com/news) Old School RuneScape received its first new skill, Sailing, on November 19, 2025.[18](https://www.jagex.com/news) Jagex has also reported record revenues, announcing £120 million in January 2022 and £125 million for 2021.[18](https://www.jagex.com/news) [Monetization](https://www.edgepedia.org/monetization) remains a point of contention for some players: even after Treasure Hunter's removal, the replacement system still sells experience points directly for cash, and membership prices rose twice in under two years, reaching parity with a [World of Warcraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-of-warcraft) subscription.[15](https://www.leetdom.com/reviews/runescape) • [19](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/runescapes-monthly-membership-now-costs-as-much-as-a-world-of-warcraft-subscription-as-jagex-announces-its-second-price-hike-in-less-than-2-years/)
## References
1. [Who We Are, Jagex](https://www.jagex.com/who-we-are)
2. [An Ambitious New Era Dawns For RuneScape, As It Marks Its 25th Anniversary, Jagex](https://www.jagex.com/news/an-ambitious-new-era-dawns-for-runescape-as-it-marks-its-25th-anniversary)
3. [RuneScape Game Info, Jagex](https://www.runescape.com/game-info)
4. [Play Old School Now, Old School RuneScape](https://www.runescape.com/oldschool/join)
5. [Skills, RuneScape Game Guide, Jagex](https://www.runescape.com/game-guide/skills)
6. [The Free MMORPG, RuneScape, Jagex](https://www.runescape.com/)
7. [Brief History of Jagex and RuneScape, Georgia Tech Repository](https://repository.gatech.edu/bitstreams/f43fcd32-1ed9-40c4-909e-417c53095d11/download)
8. [Runescape Overview, MMORPG.com](https://www.mmorpg.com/runescape)
9. [Old School RuneScape review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/old-school-runescape-review/)
10. [Material Package thesis, University of Jyväskylä](https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/92235/1/URN%3ANBN%3Afi%3Ajyu-202312118235.pdf)
11. [RuneScape turns 25 years old, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/pc-gaming/runescape-turns-25-years-old)
12. [RuneScape vs Other MMORPGs, Officiallinerider](https://officiallinerider.com/runescape-vs/)
13. [In defense of tab-targeting, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/in-defense-of-tab-targeting-mmo-devs-have-been-trying-to-put-dodge-rolls-in-their-games-for-10-years-to-avoid-wow-and-its-never-worked/)
14. [Big Updates From Our Player Support Roadmap, Jagex on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOC4etuyk2Q)
15. [RuneScape (RS3) review 2026, Leetdom](https://www.leetdom.com/reviews/runescape)
16. [Old School RuneScape live esports tournament with 4,000 attendees, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/even-though-old-school-runescape-was-not-built-to-have-a-lan-setup-at-all-it-just-had-a-live-esports-tournament-with-4-000-attendees-we-were-doubting-at-times-whether-we-actually-can-pull-it-off/)
17. [Jagex Marks RuneScape's 25th Year With RS25, Jagex](https://www.jagex.com/news/jagex-marks-runescape%E2%80%99s-25th-year-with-rs25-delivering-record-investment-a-dedicated-game-integrity-roadmap-new-game-modes-player-first-design-and-franchise-expansion)
18. [News, Jagex](https://www.jagex.com/news)
19. [RuneScape's monthly membership now costs as much as a World of Warcraft subscription, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/runescapes-monthly-membership-now-costs-as-much-as-a-world-of-warcraft-subscription-as-jagex-announces-its-second-price-hike-in-less-than-2-years/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Puzzle, casual, and multiplayer-structure genres › Massively multiplayer online games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license