RuneScape is a fantasy massive online game where many players join together to play different roles. It was created and published by Jagex and first released in January 2001. At first, RuneScape was a game you played in a web browser using Java. In 2016, the game changed to a new version using C++. Over 300 million accounts have been created, and the game was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest and most-updated free massive online game.

RuneScape takes place in a world called Gielinor, a medieval fantasy land divided into kingdoms, regions, and cities. Players can move around Gielinor by walking, using magic spells, or riding ships. Each area has different monsters, resources, and challenges for players. The game’s story has been explored through other games, such as Armies of Gielinor, and books like Betrayal at Falador and Legacy of Blood.

Players create their own characters in the game. RuneScape does not follow a single story; instead, players set their own goals. Players can fight monsters, complete quests, or improve their skills. They interact with others by trading, chatting, or playing mini-games. Some games are competitive, while others require teamwork.

The first version of RuneScape was released in January 2001 as a test version. Jagex, the company that owns the game, was formed later that year. In 2004, the game’s engine was updated, and a new version called RuneScape 2 was released. The original version was renamed RuneScape Classic. In 2013, a third version called RuneScape 3 was released. A separate older version, called Old School RuneScape, was also released in 2013 and is still available. In 2018, mobile versions of RuneScape were planned for Android and iOS devices. RuneScape was added to Steam on October 14, 2020.

Gameplay

Players start in a private area called Tutorial Island, where they follow a tutorial. This tutorial teaches them the basic skills needed to play RuneScape. After completing the tutorial, players can visit tutors and advisors in the towns they explore. These helpers provide information about different skills. Originally, players were sent to the town of Lumbridge, but now the main starting area is Burthorpe. Other important cities include Varrock, Falador, Ardougne (and West Ardougne), and smaller villages.

Players decide their own goals and activities as they play. They can practice skills, fight non-player characters (NPCs) and other players, or complete quests. They can also trade items, chat with others, or join mini-games.

RuneScape has 29 skills. Free-to-play players can access 17 of these, while members can use all 29. These skills let players interact with NPCs, the environment, and other players. When players use a skill, they earn experience points. For example, mining ore improves the mining skill. When enough experience is earned, the player "levels up." Higher skill levels allow players to find better materials, create better items, and earn more experience. A player’s total skill level shows their progress in the game. Members who reach level 99 (the highest real level) or level 120 (a virtual level) can buy a special cape to celebrate their achievement.

Some skills, like Woodcutting and Fishing, help players gather materials used in other skills, such as Fletching and Cooking. These items can be used by the player or sold to shops and other players. Other skills let players fight NPCs, build homes, move around the game world, steal items, cook food, make potions, craft weapons and armor, grow crops, hunt animals, explore dungeons, and summon helpers for combat and training.

RuneScape uses a semi-real-time combat system. Combat is important for defeating monsters to get items or finish quests. A combat level shows how strong a player or NPC is in battle. For players, this level is calculated using a math formula based on their combat skills. With the Necromancy skill, the highest combat level a player can reach is 152. Players attack enemies by clicking on them, and their character will keep fighting until the enemy is defeated, the player dies, or they stop. Most weapons are medieval or fantasy-style and have different strengths and weaknesses. Players can use the Summoning skill to bring helpers, use special attacks called "abilities," and use potions or the Prayer skill to improve their fighting ability.

Combat is divided into four types: Melee, Magic, Ranged, and Necromancy. Melee attacks are close-range and use Attack, Strength, and Defence skills. Magic attacks use runestones to cast spells. Ranged attacks use weapons like arrows or throwing knives. Necromancy uses undead creatures to fight alongside the player. The first three types form a "combat triangle," where each style has an advantage and disadvantage over the others, like rock-paper-scissors. Necromancy, introduced in 2023, is a separate combat style and is not affected by the triangle. Players can switch between combat styles or combine them by changing weapons and armor.

Combat uses a life points system. Every player and NPC has a maximum number of life points. When life points reach zero, the character dies. Life points can be restored by eating food, drinking drinks, or using abilities. If a player dies, they return to an area called "Death's Office" with their life and skill points restored. However, they lose most of their items, except for three chosen ones and common items. Players can pay in-game money to retrieve lost items or leave them behind, which creates a gravestone that holds the items for a short time. If no items were carried, the player can respawn at a chosen location with their life and skill points restored.

In June 2012, players tested a new combat system called "Evolution of Combat." This system changed the combat triangle to balance the styles and replaced special weapon attacks with abilities that have different effects. The system was added to the game in November 2012. Players could also vote on future updates through in-game polls. In 2014, a separate system called "Legacy Mode" was tested, later renamed "Classic Mode" in 2026. This mode lets players use the older combat system and interface from before 2012.

On March 3, 2026, Jagex updated combat to modernize Melee, Ranged, and Magic, aligning them with the Necromancy system. They also raised the maximum level for all offensive skills to 120 and fixed animations for special attacks.

Player versus player (PvP) combat happens in controlled mini-games and an area called the Wilderness. In the Wilderness, players can fight only if their combat levels are similar. If a player defeats another, they can take the defeated player’s items.

Before December 2007, the Wilderness allowed players to fight others for items, but this was changed to stop players from trading in-game items for real money. PvP was moved to mini-games like Bounty Hunter and Clan Wars. Bounty Hunter was replaced by Bounty Worlds in 2009, where players hunted specific targets in the Wilderness. "PvP Worlds" let players fight anywhere in Gielinor in 2008, but these were removed when PvP was restored in the Wilderness in 2011.

Non-player characters (NPCs) live in Gielinor. Some NPCs, like shopkeepers and quest characters, cannot be fought. Most NPCs are called monsters and can be attacked.

Development

Andrew Gower created RuneScape with help from his brother, Paul Gower. The game was first planned as a text-based game called a MUD, but graphics were added early in development, making it part of a group of games known as "graphical MUDs." The first public version of the game used a mix of three-dimensional and two-dimensional images. It was released as a beta version on January 4, 2001, and was initially run from the Gower family's home in Nottingham. In December 2001, Andrew, Paul, and Constant Tedder formed a company called Jagex to manage RuneScape's business operations. Jagex created a special programming language called RuneScript, which the game's server uses to handle events. In February 2002, a monthly membership service was introduced, giving players access to extra features like new areas, quests, and items not available to free users.

As the game grew in popularity, Jagex planned major changes. The developers redesigned the game engine, creating a new version with fully three-dimensional graphics called RuneScape 2. A beta version of RuneScape 2 was tested by paying members from December 1, 2003, to March 2004. When RuneScape 2 officially launched, it was renamed simply RuneScape, while the older version remained online as RuneScape Classic. On January 12, 2006, Jagex banned over 5,000 Classic accounts for cheating. To stop cheating, access to RuneScape Classic was limited to players who had used the game between August 3, 2005, and January 12, 2006. RuneScape Classic was later reopened in November 2009, June 2010, and September 2011.

To support free content in RuneScape, advertisements appear on a banner above the playing screen on free-to-play servers. Because some users use tools to block ads, Jagex made a rule that players cannot block these advertisements. On July 13, 2006, Jagex signed a contract with WildTangent Games, giving WildTangent the right to manage advertising in RuneScape in the United States and to distribute the game through WildTangent's network, which reached over 20 million computers.

On May 16, 2006, Jagex improved RuneScape's game engine, making the game load faster and use less memory. On July 1, 2008, Jagex released a beta version of a feature called "High Detail" mode for members, which was later made available to free players. Jagex said this feature would be shown at the 2008 E3 trade show before its launch.

On February 14, 2007, RuneScape was translated into German. A French version followed on December 11, 2008, a Brazilian Portuguese version on July 24, 2009, and a Latin American Spanish version on April 25, 2013. In May 2008, former Jagex CEO Geoff Iddison said the company planned to expand RuneScape to Asian and Eastern European markets. He noted that RuneScape might work well in countries like Malaysia and India. RuneScape was later released in India through Zapak on October 8, 2009, and in France and Germany through Bigpoint Games on May 27, 2010.

On August 30, 2012, Jagex announced work on an HTML5 version of RuneScape, which would allow the game to be played on tablets, smart TVs, and other devices. A video released on March 22, 2013, said the new version would be called RuneScape 3 and would use WebGL, include a customizable user interface, and improve audio. A closed beta of the HTML5 version started on April 17, 2013, followed by an alpha version of the new interface on April 24. RuneScape 3 was officially released on July 22, 2013.

At RuneFest 2014, Jagex announced plans to develop a new client called NXT to replace the HTML5 version, which had not been fully released due to performance issues. The NXT client would improve loading times, add new graphical effects, and enhance performance. Closed betas took place in February and March 2016, and the public version was released on April 18, 2016.

On May 23, 2018, Jagex announced that RuneScape Classic servers would permanently close on August 6, 2018, due to technical issues. RuneScape was later released on Steam on October 14, 2020.

On February 28, 2012, Jagex introduced a feature called "Squeal of Fortune," allowing players to win in-game items by spinning a wheel daily. On April 2, 2012, players could spend real money for extra spins, introducing microtransactions to the game. Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard called microtransactions a "stealth tax," and some players complained about the change. In July 2012, Jagex launched Solomon's General Store, letting players buy "RuneCoins" with real money to purchase cosmetic rewards. Gerhard later explained that microtransactions help fund the game's development and growth. On February 4, 2014, "Squeal of Fortune" was replaced with "Treasure Hunter," which gave players keys to open chests instead of spinning a wheel. On March 26, 2014, Gerhard reaffirmed his support for microtransactions and announced a partnership with Supersonic ads, allowing players to earn RuneCoins by watching advertisements or sampling products.

On February 4, 2014, "Squeal of Fortune" was replaced with "Treasure Hunter," which gave players keys to open chests instead of spinning a wheel. On April 2, 2012, players could spend real money for extra spins, introducing microtransactions to the game.

In late 2025, Jagex held an in-game poll asking players if "Treasure Hunter" should be removed. The proposal passed after receiving more than 100,000 votes. "Treasure Hunter" was removed on January 19, 2026, along with other options to buy experience directly. Jagex described this change as the start of a year-long "Integrity Roadmap" of updates.

RuneScape can be played with different levels of graphical detail. High-detail settings improve textures and designs, while low-detail settings reduce lag on less powerful computers. During early development as DeviousMUD, RuneScape used a graphics engine called RuneTek 1. RuneTek 2 was introduced with the original RuneScape version and was later replaced by RuneTek 3 and its high-detail version, RuneTek 4, with the RuneScape 2 update in 2003–2004. From 2009–2013, RuneScape used Rune

Community

Jagex provided a set of forums on the RuneScape website. On the forums, players could join discussions, arrange to buy or sell items, share game improvement ideas, vote in polls, and interact with others. Users could choose an avatar, use a different display name, and set an automatic signature. Profiles showed recent posts made by users and allowed users to disable smiley images. Only paying members and free players with a total level over 350 could post on the forums. The forums were closed on 28 March 2024.

Between 24 September 2002 and 9 December 2004, players could send questions to the RuneScape gods via email. These questions were published as letters. On 26 September 2005, a new feature called Postbag from the Hedge was added, allowing players to send questions to a non-player character in the game via email. Players could also submit original artwork related to RuneScape, such as sculptures, comics, drawings, and paintings. Some of this artwork was displayed in a gallery on the RuneScape website.

During holidays like Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, Jagex hosted events in specific locations in Gielinor. Players who completed tasks during these events received rewards, such as items or emotes, which are gestures showing emotions. Items from events before 2002 could be traded between players and were valuable due to their rarity. Items from events after Christmas 2002 could not be traded, were limited to one per player, and could be retrieved if lost.

Many RuneScape fansites were created by players to share game information. Jagex discouraged discussing fansites within the game and banned sharing web addresses. In April 2005, players created the RuneScape Wikipedia, which stated it was not affiliated with Jagex. A major fansite criticized Jagex for not recognizing fansites' contributions to the game. However, Jagex promised to improve communication with fansites after announcements in 2009.

On 28 July 2014, Twitch functionality was added to the game, allowing players to stream their gameplay or watch others’ streams within the game.

Jagex has rules for player behavior, such as bans for using offensive language, scamming, or exploiting game bugs. Players could report rule-breaking behavior to Jagex through an in-game feature. Four types of moderators exist: Jagex Moderators (Jagex employees), Local Moderators (employees of Jagex’s partners), Player Moderators (trusted players enforcing rules), and Forum Moderators (trusted players monitoring forums). Players who repeatedly break rules may be temporarily or permanently banned.

Rules also prohibit using third-party software to play the game, known as "macroing" or "botting," and selling game items for real money. Jagex made it harder to cheat by limiting client interaction, enforcing rules, and adding events requiring player input. To stop gold farming, Jagex stated it was banning thousands of accounts weekly and seizing billions of in-game gold.

From October to December 2007, Jagex released updates to limit unfair trades. These included limiting duel item values, removing player-versus-player combat in the Wilderness, hiding valuable drops from others, adding gravestones for dead players’ items, systems to help players share loot, and the Grand Exchange, a marketplace for RuneScape goods. These changes aimed to stop real-world trading. Players voted to restore these features on 1 February 2011.

On 25 October 2011, Jagex released an anti-bot system called "ClusterFlutterer," nicknamed the "Bot Nuke." It banned 98% of bot users, resulting in 7.7 million account bans. From 26 September 2012 to 20 August 2018, banned bot users were sent to an isolated area called "Botany Bay" for punishment decided by players.

On 25 September 2013, Jagex introduced "bonds," in-game items bought with real money and traded with others or exchanged for membership, RuneCoins, or game spins. Bonds allowed players to legally use real money for in-game benefits. CEO Mark Gerhard called this move "essential for the future of RuneScape." One week later, Jagex reported a significant drop in real-world trading activity.

The Falador Massacre was a bug on 6 June 2006 that let players attack others outside designated PvP areas. Normally, players could only attack in player

Reception

In December 2003, PC Gamer UK said that while traditional role-playing game features like quests, fighting monsters, and character development in a medieval setting might not impress the biggest game companies, the game’s ability to be played through a web browser made it widely accessible. It also offered free players the chance to upgrade to a paid account, which helped the game become a successful one.

In 2006, Yahoo! Buzz Log noted that although RuneScape’s graphics were not as advanced as those in games like World of Warcraft or EverQuest, it was still a better way to spend time than working with spreadsheets. A 2007 review by JustRPG described RuneScape as fun and addictive, with graphics that were acceptable for a Java-based game. It praised the variety of skills and the community, but warned that players might spend too much time on the game. The review gave it a score of 83%.

In 2008, Developmag.com reported that Jagex, the game’s creator, made changes to stop real-world trading of in-game items, which caused some player complaints. However, the company said the game’s popularity had grown again. The article explained that RuneScape’s appeal comes from its simplicity and low cost, making it accessible to players who cannot afford expensive gaming hardware. It also noted that RuneScape’s gameplay is similar to other popular role-playing games. In August 2008, RuneScape was named the world’s most popular free MMORPG by Guinness World Records. Jagex received a certificate for this achievement at the 2008 Leipzig Games Convention. A 2009 Eurogamer article mentioned that the game’s community was sometimes unfriendly to new players, but the fan forums were more welcoming.

In April 2011, MMORPG.com praised RuneScape for offering a classic gaming experience with many improvements and unique ideas. However, it criticized the combat system and the need for players to repeat tasks (called "grinding") to progress. The article said the combat felt outdated and that the grinding might turn off players looking for a simpler experience. In 2018, RuneScape won the "Role-Playing Game" award at The Independent Game Developers’ Association Awards.

In December 2007, Jagex removed free player-versus-player combat and unbalanced trading to stop real-money trading of in-game items. These changes upset many players, and subscription numbers dropped by 60,000. Jagex admitted the changes were not perfect but promised to improve them in the future. In February 2008, Jagex’s head of content said the company feared losing players but was happy to report that few members left.

In December 2010, players voted in a referendum to decide whether to restore unbalanced trading and player-versus-player combat in the Wilderness. The vote had 1.2 million votes, with 91% supporting the proposal, and the features were added back in February 2011. In February 2013, a second referendum asked whether to run a version of the game from 2007. After 450,000 votes, servers for the 2007 version opened in February 2013 once 50,000 votes were reached.

In 2018, it was reported that RuneScape had earned over US$1 billion in total revenue since its launch. The game makes more than £100 million in revenue and over £50 million in profit each year.