Old School Runescape casually surpasses all-time player peak on a sleepy Sunday

'90's pop group D:Ream once sang "things can only get better," and it certainly has for Jagex. Old School Runscape mania is running wild, with the legendary MMO enjoying its well-deserved time in the sun. Now, just eight months after setting the all-time concurrent player record, there are more players chopping Willows in Draynor Village than ever before.

Last month, Old School Runescape came tantalizingly close to beating its all-time peak of 231,719 players, which was recorded in December 2024. I praised Jagex's "patient gamecraft" and "respectful design philosophy" as core tenets for its recent renaissance, which has seen waves of new players, big-name streamers, and seasoned veterans turn to one of the best MMOs of all time.

It's also why seeing that a brand new record has been set elicits an enormous sense of elation. As I penned in that piece, Runescape holds a very special place in my heart. While it lacks the visual fidelity of something like Final Fantasy 14 or Destiny 2, it more than makes up for it in character, and then some.

On Sunday August 3, OSRS player count tracker 'misplaceditems' recorded a concurrent peak of 240,756 players grinding away at their clue scrolls, slaying Zulrah, or thwacking the latest in-game hotness, the Gemstone Crab (praise the crab). Jagex took to socials to confirm the record had indeed been broken, thanking players for their time spent in Gielinor.

Though it's hardly a 'blown out of the water' moment, it's still a substantial shift in the right direction. At the end of July, Jagex opened up 18 new worlds, with plenty more on the way in the "near future." It's the largest ascension in popularity for an existing MMO I've seen since FF14's Covid-era explosion, and hopefully it can sustain its pace for a while. New skill Sailing is set to drop in the coming months, so we'll see.

For more top-tier games with magical worlds that'll keep you and your pals entertained for hours, check out our guide to the best multiplayer games. Or, if you're after something a bit more current, our list of upcoming PC games will help you out.

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