RuneScape has a new MMO in the works, but RS4 is still years away

A new fantasy world is exciting. A new fantasy world attached to an account you have spent years building can also raise a very practical question: what happens to everything you already play?

Jagex addressed that question as it revealed a new RuneScape online role-playing game at RuneFest. The project is using the working title RS4, and the studio says it will sit alongside RuneScape, Old School RuneScape and Dragonwilds. Those games will keep their own teams and investment.

The announcement gathered attention over the October 4 weekend, with GamesRadar reporting on the reveal. There is no launch date to circle yet. Jagex says the project remains several years away.

A familiar world, a new starting point

In its official announcement, Jagex says the game is being built in Unreal Engine. The adventure will begin in Ashenfall, within the world of Gielinor, years after the events of Dragonwilds.

The studio wants to expand beyond that starting region over time. It also says player feedback will help shape development from an early stage, with more information coming next year.

That is the outline. The important detail is how much of the picture is still missing.

The trailer is an introduction

TechSpot's October 4 coverage notes that the first teaser is cinematic rather than a demonstration of the game running. Platforms, combat systems, the online structure and the business model remain open questions.

A sweeping valley can make a great trailer. It cannot show whether a busy server stays stable, whether a fight feels satisfying or whether the game gives friends good reasons to keep returning. Those answers need actual gameplay and testing.

Even the name is provisional. RS4 is a convenient label during development, not a promise about what will appear on the finished box or store page.

Your old game is not a cancelled plan

Gematsu also reports that the project is intended as a separate experience. However, a commitment to keep existing games running does not answer whether characters, purchases or progress will transfer. Jagex has not settled those public details.

For players, that distinction is useful. Continuing support for a favourite game and compatibility with a new one are two different promises. Only the first has been made clearly.

There is plenty of room to be curious without filling the gaps with guesses. For now, RuneScape fans have a new project to follow and a long development road ahead. The group chat can get excited. Planning launch-week leave would be slightly premature.