Jagex says nearly three million unique players have tried RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The studio has mapped out years of updates and is working on official mod tools for PC and consoles.
Early Access began in April 2025, giving Jagex room to build the game before its planned release was complete. RuneScape: Dragonwilds reached version 1.0 on September 15, 2026, according to HardZone. Jagex says nearly three million unique players have tried it, and its plans stretch across multiple years.
Reach Beyond RuneScape
Jagex Executive Producer Jesse America and Creative Director Rick Turek shared the player figure with Wccftech during a conversation at RuneFest in Birmingham. It counts unique players, not copies sold or paying customers. The game is available to buy on Steam and consoles. It is also available through Game Pass, though Jagex says Steam and console purchases combined exceed the Game Pass audience.
Jagex described its Game Pass audience as substantial. The studio said Sony and Microsoft were pleased with engagement, which it said exceeded what they normally see. It did not provide a full breakdown.
The audience has also moved beyond the existing MMO community. At the start of Early Access, about 85% of players were active RuneScape players. Jagex says the split has since become roughly even. Some Dragonwilds players have gone on to try RuneScape or Old School RuneScape, bringing new people into the wider franchise.
Survival With a RuneScape Grind
Dragonwilds pairs survival systems with familiar RuneScape skills and progression. A substantial grind remains part of the design. Jagex had first been working on an action RPG, then stopped that project and reconsidered the genre.
The studio surveyed thousands of RuneScape players about possible directions. Action RPG ranked near the top; survival was not far behind. The team also wanted to build through Early Access, using player feedback to shape systems over time. America argued that a survival game offered a more methodical route to a new RuneScape title than a large action RPG.
Magic changes the resource-gathering loop. Players start with familiar jobs such as chopping trees and mining, then unlock spells that speed up repetitive tasks. A magical axe can cut through several trees. Another spell breaks down the resulting resources and moves them into the player's inventory.
Progression changes how the grind feels: early work unlocks abilities that reduce later busywork. Skills have a practical role in the survival loop rather than acting as franchise decoration.
Platform Lessons and Mods
Console development has tested Jagex's update process. Dragonwilds is the studio's first internally shipped console game, and patches must pass through Sony or Microsoft certification. That process can take a few days. During PC Early Access, the team once released 11 patches in 24 hours. Cross-play means Jagex cannot update PC players while leaving console players on an older version.
Jagex staff brought console experience from Ubisoft. Other team members had worked at EA and Activision. Even with that background, America said some practical difficulties proved more pronounced than they had appeared during planning. The result is a slower, more coordinated update cadence than the PC team could manage alone.
After the 1.0 launch, Jagex released update 1.0.0.8 for Xbox, PS5, Epic Games Store, Steam, Jagex Launcher and Nintendo Switch 2. The official Jagex patch notes say it fixes an issue that could make world saves disappear under certain conditions. Restoring saves that had already disappeared was deferred to version 1.0.1, which Jagex planned for the following week.
Jagex is working with CurseForge on official modding tools, an integrated browser and an installer. The aim is to make mods easier to find and install on PC, particularly on consoles. Mods already exist, but installing them currently takes some technical know-how. Jagex plans to release the new feature in the first half of 2027 and says it will be available across platforms, including consoles. Console mods will be moderated and curated rather than accepted without oversight.
A Longer Story Ahead
Jagex says Dragonwilds has a multi-year plan, with more story sagas beyond the next update and the coming year. Its 2026 and 2027 roadmap, reported by WellPlayed, schedules the free Luminance update for December 2026. Elves will arrive with character customization options. The update will also add Prifddinas-inspired building pieces and the Prayer skill.
The teams behind Dragonwilds, Old School RuneScape and RuneScape 3 discuss possible links between their games. Dragonwilds already shares characters and references with RuneScape 3, along with story material. That leaves room for material introduced elsewhere in the franchise to reach the survival game later.
The roadmap also sets out the Blood Crystal Saga, beginning in early 2027 with Song of Rebellion. The chapter is planned to feature elven rebels and a threat from the Nos clan. It will add new areas and quests, along with the Hunter skill. A second chapter, Crown of Night, is slated for later in 2027.
Jagex has also outlined quarterly updates for 2027 with new skills, including Hunter and Slayer. Monthly patches are planned to bring side quests and weapons, along with decorations, rewards and quality-of-life improvements. The studio calls Dragonwilds a new pillar for the franchise while working on a newly revealed fourth MMO project.
The announced roadmap sets out the planned additions; the schedule includes quarterly updates in 2027 and monthly patches.
