RuneScape has 300 million registered users.

RuneScape has its best membership year ever in 2019

RuneScape is a very old online game, but it managed to have its highest player membership ever in 2019.

RuneScape launched back in 2001. It has both a subscription and free-to-play plan. Developer Jagex notes that the game has over 1.1 million subscribers, while “many millions more” play the free version.

The old MMORPG had so much success thanks to 2019 being the first full year that Old School RuneScape was available on both PC and mobile. Old School RuneScape is as the name applies. It’s a version of the game based on its older incarnation, while the modern RuneScape operates simultaneously. This is a model we’re seeing emerge for MMOs that have been around for a long time, as World of Warcraft also has its own old school version with World of Warcraft Classic.

The mobile version of Old School RuneScape alone had 8 million installs in 2019. It is attracting a lot of nostalgic fans.

Jagex is getting ready to launch the modern version of RuneScape for mobile as well, with an early access release coming to Android and iOS later this year.

Mike Minotti

Mike Minotti has been with GamesBeat since 2012, starting as an intern. Based near Youngstown, Ohio, he now manages GamesBeat's editorial team. He's also a prolific podcaster, appearing on multiple shows covering the gaming industry.