RuneScape 4 Announced: Jagex Builds New MMO in Unreal Engine

Jagex confirmed at RuneFest 2026 that it is building a new mainline RuneScape massively multiplayer online game using Unreal Engine, marking the franchise’s first numbered sequel since RuneScape 3 launched in 2013. The project, operating under the working title RS4 and already referred to by the community as RuneScape 4, remains in early development with a dedicated internal team and is several years away from release.

The studio has not specified which version of Unreal Engine powers the new MMO, though its recent work provides a strong indicator. Jagex built RuneScape: Dragonwilds, an open-world survival game, on Unreal Engine 5. RS4 directly evolved from that project. Originally conceived as a 2027 expansion for Dragonwilds, the concept shifted after playtesters pushed for a traditional MMO experience set within the same world rather than another survival-focused add-on. Jagex ultimately spun the effort into a standalone game.

The narrative will pick up years after the events of Dragonwilds, returning players to Ashenfall, the region introduced in the survival title. Beyond that shared geography, Jagex has not detailed how closely the two games will connect mechanically or narratively.

Publicly, the only visual material available is a CGI teaser trailer rather than captured in-engine footage. The cinematic sequence depicts a town situated in a green valley beneath floating islands, alongside a dragon rider engaged in combat with a three-headed dragon. The footage establishes a high-fantasy tone but reveals nothing about the game’s underlying systems, scale, or online architecture.

Transitioning a legacy franchise to Unreal Engine represents a significant technical pivot for Jagex. Historically, RuneScape operated on proprietary technology. The original browser-based Java client defined the game for over a decade before RuneScape 3 introduced a custom C++ engine in 2013 to support modern graphics and interfaces. Adopting Epic Games’ commercial engine places the franchise on the same foundational technology used by major competitors like Amazon Games’ New World, which transitioned to a modified engine structure, and upcoming titles leveraging Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite geometry and Lumen lighting systems. However, rendering advanced environments differs vastly from sustaining persistent online worlds. MMOs require robust server meshing, seamless zone transitions, and infrastructure capable of supporting thousands of concurrent players without latency spikes—challenges that standard Unreal Engine implementations do not solve out of the box without heavy customization.

None of those backend systems have been addressed yet. Jagex has remained silent on server architecture, world design, combat models, player economies, or social frameworks. Crucially, the studio has not confirmed whether RS4 will retain the classless, skill-driven progression system that has defined RuneScape since 2001, where players level individual abilities like Woodcutting, Smithing, and Magic rather than selecting a fixed character class.

The launch of a fourth mainline entry introduces complex portfolio management challenges. Jagex currently operates RuneScape 3 and Old School RuneScape (OSRS) simultaneously. OSRS, which branched off from a 2007 backup of the original game’s code in 2013 to preserve classic mechanics, frequently surpasses RuneScape 3 in active concurrent players. Adding Dragonwilds and eventually RS4 means Jagex must sustain four distinct live-service products targeting overlapping audiences. The company has not explained how it intends to monetize the new MMO, whether through subscriptions, microtransactions, or cosmetic storefronts, nor has it clarified if players can transfer accounts, characters, cosmetics, or progress from existing RuneScape 3 profiles.

RuneScape 3, Old School RuneScape, and Dragonwilds will all continue operating after RS4 releases. No gameplay demonstrations or platform targets have been scheduled for public reveal.