Jagex has announced a fourth RuneScape MMO at RuneFest 2026. It currently goes by the working title RS4, though most people are already calling it RuneScape 4. The game is being built in Unreal Engine, and Jagex hasn't said which version. It's the first numbered follow-up since RuneScape 3 arrived in 2013. A CGI teaser shown at the event has a town in a green valley, floating islands, and a dragon rider being attacked by a three-headed dragon. Jagex says RS4 is in early development with its own dedicated team, and that it is still "a few years away." The studio also isn't ready to talk about platforms.
Interestingly, RS4 didn't start out as a full game. It began as an expansion for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Jagex's Unreal Engine 5 survival game, and apparently grew into its own project after playtesters asked for a more traditional MMO take on that setting. The expansion was reportedly planned for 2027. The story is said to pick up years after Dragonwilds and starts in the same region, Ashenfall.
RuneScape 3, Old School RuneScape, and Dragonwilds will all keep running alongside it. Of course, we don't know yet how monetization will work or whether any progress carries over from RuneScape 3, and I think it'll be a while before we see real gameplay.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing