Jagex announces new RuneScape MMO built in Unreal Engine

Jagex announced on October 3, 2026, that it is developing a new RuneScape MMORPG in Unreal Engine. Revealed during RuneFest, the project currently carries the working title RS4, referring to the company’s fourth MMO in the franchise’s universe. The studio stresses that this may not be the final name.

The game remains several years away. Jagex has not announced platforms, a release date, combat systems, skills, a membership model, account integration, or a window for initial testing. The company plans to share more information in 2027, including how the community can become involved in development.

RS4 begins in Ashenfall after Dragonwilds

The new MMO is set in Gielinor during the Sixth Age. Its first region is Ashenfall, a landmass northeast of the main continent that was first explored in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. According to the official description, the story takes place years after the defeat of Dragon Queen Kuldra, with the territory changed by the passage of time.

Jagex intends to take the adventure beyond Ashenfall over the game’s lifetime, returning to familiar locations while adding new regions and stories. That creates narrative continuity with Dragonwilds, but it does not make RS4 an expansion: the company describes it as an independent MMORPG.

An MMORPG.com report based on a press briefing with developer Jesse America adds that the project originated as a planned Dragonwilds expansion. Its scope reportedly grew after players asked for persistent servers, larger player counts, social features, and a trading hub. That origin is attributed to the publication’s briefing; Jagex’s public page confirms the technical and narrative connection without describing the entire internal process.

The new game will coexist with three current experiences

The announcement came with an unusual but important qualification: RS4 will not replace RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or RuneScape: Dragonwilds. All three will retain dedicated teams, independent roadmaps, and continued investment. Jagex is therefore preparing four distinct ways to enter the same universe instead of treating the new project as a direct client upgrade.

Unreal Engine is the clearest technical change confirmed so far. Jagex says it will apply lessons learned from Dragonwilds technology and from community co-development across RuneScape and Old School. Game integrity, permanent progression, and community-driven development were presented as principles rather than completed systems.

Announcing an MMO this early creates room for testing and revision, but it also limits the conclusions that can be drawn. There is no confirmation that RS4 will reproduce the combat, economy, skills, or progression structure of any existing version. The announcement establishes the world, engine, and the project’s place in the franchise; the actual game design remains open.

The strategic point is coexistence. Rather than moving the entire community to a successor, Jagex is trying to expand its audience without shutting down products that have evolved separately for decades. The outcome will depend on how the company distinguishes RS4 from those games while preserving the qualities that make players recognize an experience as RuneScape.