RuneScape: Dragonwilds

Only about two weeks passed between the announcement and the release of RuneScape: Dragonwilds - and the peak CCU of 52,641 on Steam speaks for itself. What is so special about this open-world survival game from Jagex?

Jagex from the UK is taking the well-known RuneScape franchise, best known for the MMORPG of the same name released in early 2001 and later for Old School RuneScape, into new territory, namely the open-world survival crafting genre, which is very popular and also very crowded on the PC. Players can explore and survive the dragon-threatened world of Ashenfall (a new location in the RuneScape universe) alone or with up to four players. Players explore an Anima-ravaged, handcrafted landscape in an adventure that blends high fantasy, light RPG elements and RuneScape lore.

Players will follow the familiar formula of survival games: they explore a colourful and contrasting fantasy world powered by Unreal Engine 5 from a third-person perspective, collecting whatever they can find and using it to make tools, weapons, equipment, and components - first simple things, then increasingly complex ones. This includes collecting stones, cutting down trees and so on. The more the player does a certain activity, the better they become at it - in other words, learning by doing, which is also reminiscent of Valheim. These skills are currently Attack, Magic, Ranged, Mining, Woodcutting, Artisan, Construction, Cooking, and Runecrafting - reminiscent of similar skills in RuneScape. Skills are trained, with each level unlocking a bonus or new spell related to that discipline. So if you chop down a lot of trees, you will get better at it, and at level 11 you will unlock the spell Axtral Projection, which allows you to chop down several trees at once if you aim well. Later on, there is another spell that allows you to turn felled trees into wooden beams. Quite handy. This is a good way for players to specialise, especially in co-op mode.

The magic system is something that sets RuneScape: Dragonwilds from other games in the genre - spells require runes, which can be mined from rune essences and crafted into different runes at a rune altar. Players are introduced to all this (via an optional tutorial) by NPCs before setting off to hunt dragons and do other things. The combat system is inspired by classic role-playing games, but is action-oriented and direct, even with dodging. It includes melee, ranged and magic combat against typical fantasy creatures, from giant rats and goblins to the eponymous dragons, which are more complex battles that require more preparation and planning, even in a group. What made the developers particularly successful is the modular system for small to large buildings, as the components can be quickly and easily assembled into structures.

"RuneScape: Dragonwilds is an entirely new RuneScape experience set within the iconic world of Gielinor and is a game which is worthy of wearing the RuneScape name. From the very beginning, community feedback has been at the heart of RuneScape: Dragonwilds. We’ve already conducted closed alpha tests with some of our closest community members, and we'll be listening to player feedback when building the game throughout Early Access. We’ve built an entirely new team filled with industry veterans who are focussed on making sure that RuneScape: Dragonwilds  sits naturally within the RuneScape franchise, and a game that is loved by both our biggest RuneScape fans and entirely new players alike." Jon Bellamy, Jagex CEO

With years of experience with RuneScape, Jagex is committed to a community-focused approach to development, which is why the game has been released into Early Access. During this time, players will experience several regions of Ashenfall and can look forward to the addition of a new region, Fellhollow, a place between life and death ruled by a dragon overlord and opposed by a well-known character from the RuneScape franchise. There will also be new quests, NPCs, lore, music, equipment, ongoing quality of life improvements, masterwork weapons, hardcore mode, creative mode, higher skill caps, new vaults and much more.

"We've been working hard to develop an entirely new type of RuneScape experience that ignites fans' passion, creativity and love for questing, and provide them with an all-new RuneScape adventure to discover. And this is just the start of our development journey. Throughout Early Access, we'll be updating the game regularly with new content and features, while listening closely to the community to deliver an iconic open world survival crafting game that is loved equally by our biggest RuneScape fans and new players alike. Our community is at the heart of everything we do at Jagex and we look forward to seeing how they shape RuneScape: Dragonwilds throughout our Early Access journey." - Jesse America, Executive Producer

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is developed by Jagex, a British video game company and developer. The company's flagship MMORPG, RuneScape (and Old School RuneScape), has over 300 million player accounts and is a franchise with lifetime revenues in excess of $1 billion. In 2022, Jagex expanded with the acquisition of Gamepires and it's game SCUM, a multi-million selling open-world survival title on Steam Early Access, and other unannounced titles. Jagex employs over 600 people worldwide and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. From March 2025, the company is led by Jon Bellamy as Chief Executive Officer.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is available on Steam Early Access for €29.99, which puts it in the typical price range of open-world survival games such as Enshrouded, Palworld, Soulmask and Nightingale. The game launched on Early Access on 15 April 2025 and sold over 600,000 copies in its first week - a strong performance considering how competitive the market segment is, but in this case the well-known franchise name certainly acted as an additional incentive to buy.

Conclusion

With RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Jagex has created a compelling cooperative survival game that stands out from the crowd thanks to its magic system and the power of the franchise name. The game will only get bigger and better with the help of the community.

Features

• Spin-off of a well-known and long-established MMORPG franchise
• Open-world survival in a fantasy world with light RPG elements and magic
• Comparatively accessible and designed for co-op multiplayer