In Short
- Jagex revealed RuneScape 4 (working title RS4) at RuneFest 2026 in Birmingham: a new Unreal Engine MMORPG set in Gielinor’s Sixth Age.
- It begins in Ashenfall (from Dragonwilds) and is designed as an additional pillar—not a replacement for RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or Dragonwilds.
- The game is still years away; community involvement details come next year. You can register interest tonight on the official page.
RuneScape 4 is real—and it will sit beside the games you already play, not overwrite them. At RuneFest weekend on October 4, 2026, Jagex confirmed a fourth-generation RuneScape MMORPG built in Unreal Engine, with the studio’s own write-up live on the official RuneScape 4 page.
The practical takeaway tonight is simple: OSRS, RuneScape, and Dragonwilds keep dedicated teams and roadmaps, while RS4 opens a long-horizon signup for players who want an early place in the next pillar.
Play free while you wait
Signed up for RS4 updates and still have a spare session? Warm up with free browser games on Gipcus:
- Pac-Man — classic maze chase, no download
- Stick Merge — merge weapons and clear missions free online
RS4 sits beside OSRS, RuneScape, and Dragonwilds
Jagex’s official statement draws a hard line: RS4 is not a replacement for Old School, RuneScape, or Dragonwilds. Those titles keep their own teams, investment, and roadmaps. The new project is framed as an additional way to experience Gielinor—a fourth pillar players can main, rotate through, or enter as a first contact with the universe.
That matters for anyone who feared a forced migration. The studio says different RuneScape experiences can make the family stronger, and it is applying lessons from Dragonwilds’ tech work plus the community co-development habits of RuneScape and Old School. Integrity and permanent progression are listed as core design principles from day one.
Sixth Age Gielinor starts in Ashenfall
Story-wise, RS4 is set in Gielinor during the Sixth Age and opens in Ashenfall—the landmass north-east of Gielinor that players first explored in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The new MMO takes place years after Dragonwilds and the fall of Dragon Queen Kuldra, with Ashenfall changed by that intervening time. Jagex’s ambition is for the adventure to grow beyond Ashenfall into familiar regions and new stories over time.
“RS4” is a working title for the fourth-generation project; the final name may change. Platforms, accounts, membership, combat, and skills remain unanswered because the studio says it is too early. More on the world, the team, and how players can get involved is promised next year. For now, the confirmed facts are early Unreal Engine development, the additional-pillar stance, the Ashenfall start, and a multi-year runway.
Coverage from outlets including Video Games Chronicle and Polygon matches that outline after the Birmingham RuneFest reveal.
What to do tonight
Open play.runescape.com/4, register interest so you sit in the update path for next year’s involvement details, and keep playing OSRS, RuneScape, or Dragonwilds as normal. There is no beta date to chase and no reason to park your current main—RS4 is an extra pillar on a years-long clock.
Sources
- Jagex / RuneScape — official RuneScape 4 page
- Video Games Chronicle — RuneScape 4 announcement
- Polygon — RuneScape 4 RuneFest reveal
Register for RS4 updates on the official page, keep your OSRS or RuneScape session running, and fill a short break with Pac-Man or Stick Merge on Gipcus while you wait for next year’s deeper reveal.
