RuneScape: Dragonwilds Unexpectedly Debuts in Early Access Today

Just over two weeks ago, we learned developer Jagex was creating an open-world survival game set in the RuneScape universe with a nebulous “spring” Early Access release date. It turns out fans didn’t have long to wait, as Jagex surprised everyone by surprise-launching RuneScape: Dragonwilds into Early Access today. 

The premise of Dragonwilds is that dragons have awoken on the forgotten continent of Ashenfall, resulting in a survival crafting adventure for one to four players with the mission of slaying the Dragon Queen. As you journey through Ashenfall, you’ll explore and uncover ancient civilizations to learn why the region is so full of transformative magic. This Early Access version of the game features the first few regions, the game’s survival systems, RuneScape skills, magic survival spells, gear crafting, a building system, combat, dungeons, and the first dragon encounter.

The success of your adventure sounds as though it will hinge on your adaptability, as crafting gear and potions will be a critical element to surviving your encounters with the dragons. And though Jagex describes the High-Fantasy adventure as possessing “light RPG elements,” the studio confirms you can level up your skills as you play.

“We’re so excited to surprise players with our Early Access launch today and invite them to discover the magical world of RuneScape: Dragonwilds right now,” executive producer Jesse America said in a press release. “We’ve been working hard to develop an entirely new type of RuneScape experience that ignites fans’ passion, creativity, and love for questing, and provide them with an all-new RuneScape adventure to discover. And this is just the start of our development journey. Throughout Early Access, we’ll be updating the game regularly with new content and features, while listening closely to the community to deliver an iconic open-world survival crafting game that is loved equally by our biggest RuneScape fans and new players alike.”

Jagex promises it will heavily rely on community feedback as it works its way through this Early Access period. According to the Steam page for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, the team hopes to respond to community feedback, add more systems, spells, and skills en route to delivering the 1.0 version of the game in early 2026.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds soars into Steam Early Access today.

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