RuneFest 2026 ran across October 3rd and 4th at the NEC in Birmingham, drawing more than 6,000 fans to mark 25 years of RuneScape. Across the weekend’s Summit stages, Jagex laid out what is coming to Old School RuneScape, RuneScape, and Dragonwilds, and revealed two projects that reach beyond any single game.
Quick answer: Jagex announced a fourth RuneScape MMO (working title RS4), RuneScape Reignited launching December 2, an October 20 OSRS raid, Hardcore Worlds on November 4, and a RuneScape animated series.
RuneScape 4 (RS4): a fourth MMO built in Unreal Engine
Jagex confirmed a fourth entry in the franchise, carrying the working title RS4. It is a new MMO built in Unreal Engine and set in Gielinor’s Sixth Age, beginning in Ashenfall, years after the events of Dragonwilds. The game does not replace OSRS, RuneScape, or Dragonwilds — it sits alongside them.
The project remains years from launch. It began with work by the Dragonwilds team on Shadows of Ashenfall, a planned 2027 expansion intended to steer Dragonwilds toward a more conventional MMO, featuring bigger worlds and more players. As its scope grew beyond what an expansion could contain, it was made into a standalone game. Jagex plans to bring players into development from an early stage; more details on integrity, permanent progression, and community co-development are expected next year. Visit the official hub at play.runescape.com/4.
RuneScape Reignited launches December 2
Reignited offers a clean slate in RuneScape for newcomers and lapsed players looking to build up again from the beginning. Your character begins at level 3. Starting December 2, Reignited is fully available to you, with members-only content included, and no membership charge applies before December 12. You can spend those ten days exploring all of it before payment becomes necessary.
Reignited characters run on a fresh economy with their own hi-scores and a Hall of Heroes for world-first achievements, and they coexist alongside regular and Iron Man accounts. The mode ships with a Remastered Journey and Adventure Guide, and Treasure Hunter is being removed as part of the shift. The Plugin API arrives in October, with players getting early hands-on access ahead of its official release.
The 2027 content for RuneScape is split into three story arcs:
- Hoard of Dragons — begins January 2027, with a Dragon Slayer II sequel and a full Agility rework that changes how you move around Gielinor.
- City of Gnomes — continues the gnome storyline first set up in 2002.
- Secrets of Karamja — introduces a new end-game raid.
Across those arcs, Jagex also lined up new skilling and solo bosses, new area expansions, and a new Grandmaster Quest, alongside ongoing “Road to Restoration” quality-of-life work.
Old School RuneScape: the 2026–27 roadmap
The OSRS Summit filled out one of the game’s most packed roadmaps, with two dated releases arriving before the end of 2026 and a run of 2027 updates.
| Update | Window | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| The Fractured Archive | Oct 20, 2026 | End-game raid, boss rush, new BIS rewards |
| Hardcore Worlds | Nov 4, 2026 | Permadeath servers with their own economy |
| Dungeons of Gielinor | Spring 2027 | At least five new bosses, new quest |
| Menaphos / Fool’s Gold | Spring 2027 | Master quest, Soul Altar, first Skilling Dungeon |
| Mining & Smithing: Reforged | Summer 2027 | Skill rework, lower rune-crafting reqs |
| Fairytale III: Nexus of Power | Summer 2027 | Master quest finale, new Runecraft method |
| The Tower of Xophoros | Autumn 2027 | Contents not yet revealed |
| The Chosen Commander | Winter 2027 | Master quest, finishes Zanik’s story |
The Fractured Archive raid — October 20
This is Raid 4, set in an ancient vault beneath Lumbridge built around Guthix artefacts. It runs as a Theatre of Blood-style boss rush with demibosses and a large final boss, and no puzzle rooms. The intended requirement is While Guthix Sleeps, with Jagex saying more on other access options later. It is tuned for roughly 2–8 players, hard solos are possible, and at launch it ships at a fixed difficulty with a full wipe on death. Practice mode and softer wipes are planned to follow a few weeks after release.
Hardcore Worlds — November 4
Hardcore Worlds are permanent permadeath servers built on three rules: separate worlds, a separate economy with their own Grand Exchange, and a single life. You start a brand-new character with all the privileges of a main, but these worlds carry no XP or drop-rate boosts, so you progress at the normal pace.
When you die, you choose to reset entirely or transfer to the main game, keeping your progress and gear. The catch is the rule set comes from Hardcore Group Ironman, so places like the Fight Caves, Inferno, and Nightmare Zone count as unsafe deaths.
On a hardcore death, any item that does not fall under the in-game “Items Kept on Death” list is lost for good and will not transfer with you to the main game.
Menaphos and Fool’s Gold
After roughly 20 years behind closed gates, Menaphos opens in 2027. Players who have completed Beneath Cursed Sands can enter the city, and the Master-level quest Fool’s Gold takes the Kharidian storyline deeper, sending you undercover against Amascut’s control over the Puppet Pharaoh Kemesis. It carries a scale similar to Beneath Cursed Sands.
The expansion also adds the true Soul Altar, which requires level 90 Runecraft and offers a faster Soul rune method than the Arceuus altar, plus a new Soul talisman and craftable Soul tiara. Alongside it comes the Vault of the Soul Altar, Old School’s first Skilling Dungeon, a skill-first challenge using Thieving and Agility.
Dungeons of Gielinor and the rest of the roadmap
Dungeons of Gielinor brings back overlooked dungeons alongside brand-new ones, and introduces at least five bosses spanning different difficulty levels. It is billed as the largest group of standalone boss encounters to arrive together in a single release. Two fights have been revealed: the Gemstone Dragons, found in a Varlamore cavern, where Sapphire, Emerald, and Ruby dragons come before a Diamond Dragon; and Ripgut, a goblin boss from Asgarnia designed to teach core combat skills and featuring a hard mode that awards cosmetics.
Later in 2027, Mining & Smithing: Reforged reworks both skills and lowers the requirements to craft rune gear. Fairytale III: Nexus of Power closes the fairy storyline against the Fairy Godfather with a new Runecraft method, fairy ring upgrades, and a repeatable boss. The Chosen Commander brings the RS2/RS3 finale of Zanik’s story into Old School, revisiting Dorgesh-Kaan. The Tower of Xophoros holds an Autumn slot with its contents still kept hidden.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds — Luminance and the Blood Crystal Saga
Dragonwilds gets Luminance in December, a prelude to 2027’s Blood Crystal Saga. Luminance adds Elves to Ashenfall, elven-themed customization for characters and buildings, and the Prayer skill.
The Blood Crystal Saga opens in early 2027 with Song of Rebellion, bringing enemies such as Moss Giants, Kebbits, and Implings, the Hunter skill, new areas, quests, gear, and Prifddinas-inspired decorations. Jagex also committed to quarterly updates with new skills including Hunter and Slayer, monthly updates with side quests and quality-of-life work, and official modding through a CurseForge partnership in 2027 across all platforms, including console. A further Plundered Gods Saga is set for 2028.
A RuneScape animated series
Jagex revealed that work has started on a RuneScape animated adaptation, made in partnership with creator Charlie White (MoistCr1TiKaL) and LA-based production company Lyrical Media, the team associated with Death Stranding and Bloodborne projects. It is early days, with no release date or platform attached yet.
Golden Gnomes and Community Champions winners
The Golden Gnome Awards returned with 44 categories celebrating creators, community contributors, and cosplayers. PortKhazard took Gamer of the Year. On the OSRS side, the Community Champions awards named the following winners.
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Unsung Hero | @ianspam |
| Community Champion | @RsArtCommunity |
| Creator’s Choice | @SoloMission_OSR |
| Best Streamer | @Odablock |
| Best New Streamer | @Sardaco |
| Best Video Creator + Best Video of the Year | @SettledRS |
| Best New Video Creator | @madseason_ |
| Best Artist | @theskulled |
What to watch next
The nearest dates to mark are The Fractured Archive on October 20, Hardcore Worlds on November 4, and RuneScape Reignited on December 2, with Dragonwilds’ Luminance also arriving in December. Everything beyond that — the three RuneScape 2027 arcs, the OSRS roadmap into Winter 2027, Dragonwilds’ Blood Crystal Saga, RS4, and the animated series — is confirmed but still in development, with more detail promised as each one gets closer.
