RuneScape

Overview

19 years of fantasy have gone into RuneScape, a high fantasy open world MMORPG set in Gielinor. You step into a living world where new challenges, skills, and quests keep appearing, and the game keeps handing you another path to follow. One minute you are taking on a boss, the next you are tending a farm or chasing a profit at The Grand Exchange. It is the sort of world that happily lets you wander off-script.

That freedom is the draw. RuneScape gives you 29 skills to train, from Woodcutting, Fishing, Herblore, and Cooking to Smithing, Construction, Magic, Slayer, and Dungeoneering. You can travel through Burthorpe, Catherby, the Wilderness, and Anachronia, make friends or enemies among a wide cast of NPCs, and choose whether to roam with others or strike out alone. It is fantasy with elbows out, not a guided tour.

The game is free to play and supports cross-platform play on PC and mobile. On Steam, it includes multi-player, MMO, Steam Achievements, in-app purchases, adjustable text size, camera comfort, color alternatives, custom volume controls, and save anytime. If you want a world that keeps expanding without locking you into one style of play, RuneScape leaves the door open and the map rather busy.

Why play it

• Open-world MMORPG with real player freedom
• 29 skills give you many ways to build your character
• Cross-playability on PC and mobile broadens the adventure
• Free to play, with optional membership and in-app purchases

Quick facts

Beginner walkthrough

Pick your pace

RuneScape lets you choose how to play, whether you want to explore with friends or head out as a lone adventurer. The game supports multi-player and cross-platform play, so the social route is always there if you want it. If not, you can keep to yourself and still push through quests, skills, and whatever trouble the world throws your way.

Build the character you want

There are 29 skills to master, so your path is not fixed. You can focus on gathering and crafting skills like Woodcutting, Fishing, Herblore, Cooking, Crafting, Farming, Smithing, and Construction, or move toward action-heavy choices such as Magic, Summoning, Slayer, and Dungeoneering. The game clearly wants you to specialise, then change your mind later if you feel like it.

Use the world as your toolbox

The world is full of places and systems to lean on. You can own a port, run a farm, trade at The Grand Exchange, and keep items safe in the Bank. That mix of travel, management, and combat means there is usually another useful thing to do just around the corner, which is handy in a game that never seems to sit still.

Key characters

• Elder Gods looming deities

  The Elder Gods are still scheming in the background, adding a sense that the world’s problems are far from settled.

• Burthorpe medieval location

  Burthorpe is one of the distinct places you can visit, part of the game’s wide spread of locations.

• Catherby tranquil harbour

  Catherby offers a calmer stop among the many places scattered across Gielinor.

• The Grand Exchange player market

  The Grand Exchange is where you can trade with other players and turn spare goods into a tidy pile of coin.

Our take

RuneScape offers a sprawling fantasy world, a long list of skills, and enough activities to keep you drifting from one obsession to the next. Its freedom is the headline: fight, craft, trade, farm, or simply roam. If you want an online RPG that lets you choose your own pace, this one gives you room to do exactly that.

FAQ