RuneScape's open world survival game adds a new twist to chopping down trees and smashing up rocks: magic

If you're a RuneScape lifer who's ever thought that it might be nice to have some RuneScape in a game that isn't RuneScape, then Jagex has, maybe, just the thing. RuneScape: Dragonwilds is an open world survival crafting game for 1-4 players that's set to launch into early access this spring.

This isn't actually the first we've ever heard of Dragonwilds. Jagex revealed it was developing an open world survival game in October 2024, when it put out a call for alpha testers. But now we have a proper title, and a better idea of what it's all about: It seems that a group of dragons, led by a "Dragon Queen," is causing trouble on the continent of Ashenfall, and so a team of heavy-hitters was dispatched to clean house.

But oh no! The expedition ran into trouble and only you, and maybe a few pals, actually showed up for the party, and now you've got to start from square one to get ready for the big fight. That means the usual: Chopping down trees, discovering recipes, crafting stuff, leveling up, exploring the rugged landscape, and every now and then throwing down with your unfriendly new neighbors.

It sounds familiar, but the new Steam listing claims Runescape: Dragonwilds is "Runescape at its core," set in a "hand-crafted landscape ravaged by Anima" (that's the "living energy of the universe" that gives magic its kick) and blending "high fantasy, light RPG elements, and iconic RuneScape lore into a never-before-seen continent."

So instead of whomping on trees and rocks with Flintstones-flavored tools, for instance, you'll be able to "explode ore veins with a snap of your fingers [or] conjure a spectral axe to chop down a line of trees in an instant." Cutting down trees is very formulaic, yes, but I have to admit this looks pretty nifty:

"We’ve already conducted closed alpha tests with some of our closest community members, and we’ll be listening to player feedback when building the game throughout early access," Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy said. "We’ve built an entirely new team filled with industry veterans who are focussed on making sure that RuneScape: Dragonwilds sits naturally within the RuneScape franchise, and a game that is loved by both our biggest RuneScape fans and entirely new players alike."

That alludes to the big questions. Will RuneScape fans be attracted to Dragonwilds, which, setting and lore aside, is a fundamentally different sort of experience? And beyond that, will it be able to make an impression on survival fans who are already well served by games like Valheim and Enshrouded? Name recognition may drive initial curiosity but it's a crowded landscape, and keeping players coming back for more will be a challenge. Not to go all doomsayer here, but Nightingale comes quickly to mind as a survival game with cool ideas and an impressive pedigree that's nonetheless struggled to find an audience.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is set to launch into early access on Steam sometime this spring. Jagex currently estimates that full release will happen in early 2026, but isn't committing to anything, which given what we know about early access development (these things always take longer than expected) is probably wise. A "deep dive reveal" will take place on April 15 on Twitch.