Jagex has announced a fourth RuneScape MMO, currently known by the working title RS4, that will bring Gielinor to life in Unreal Engine. Revealed at RuneFest in Birmingham, the project is in early development and at least a few years from release, according to Eurogamer’s report on the announcement.

That engine shift is a notable change for a series that has spent 25 years growing alongside its players. But Jagex has not confirmed an official name for the new game, so RuneScape 4 remains a convenient label rather than a settled title.

A new MMO alongside the existing RuneScape games

The series has had numbered eras before: RuneScape 2 arrived in 2004, followed by RuneScape 3 in 2013. Jagex later dropped the numbering and folded the game back into a single live service. The current RuneScape remains in active development, including a major player-owned housing overhaul.

Old School RuneScape and RuneScape: Dragonwilds also remain active, separate parts of the wider RuneScape stable. Jagex says each existing game will keep its own team and continue to receive investment; RS4 is being developed as another way to experience Gielinor, not as a replacement for the games already running.

The studio also explained that work on Dragonwilds’ engine and tools gave the RS4 team something to build on. Jagex says it wants to involve the community early in development, continuing the collaborative approach it has used with RuneScape and Old School. That makes this a long runway for a project whose eventual shape is still taking form, rather than a sequel due around the corner.

What’s confirmed Details Working title RS4; no official name yet Engine Unreal Engine; version not specified Development status Early development, at least a few years from release Setting Gielinor’s Sixth Age, starting in Ashenfall RS4 starts in Ashenfall as an animated series takes shape

RS4 is set in Gielinor’s Sixth Age and begins in Ashenfall, a region introduced in RuneScape: Dragonwilds to the north-east of the main map. Its story takes place years after Dragonwilds and the defeat of the Dragon Queen Kuldra. Jagex says Ashenfall is only the starting point, with plans to expand into familiar and new parts of Gielinor over time.

The MMO is not the only new RuneScape project in the works. Jagex has also announced an animated adaptation with YouTuber Charlie White, known as MoistCr1TiKaL, and Los Angeles production company Lyrical Media. The project aims to draw on the franchise’s 25-year history and more than 300 million player accounts created since RuneScape launched.

For RS4, the firm details remain limited: Jagex has announced no release date or official name, and says the MMO is still at least a few years away.

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