RuneFest 2025 Highlights: RuneScape Largest Ever Celebration

Fans of the almost quarter of a century old MMO RuneScape have a lot to look forward to with a bevy of announcements during RuneFest 2025. Finally returning after a six year hiatus this celebration of all things RuneScape, Old School RuneScape and it’s associated fandom showed off a exciting first looks, and premiere reveals of brand-new content.

With tickets selling out within minutes of going on-sale, RuneFest 2025 has been the biggest RuneFest yet. It welcomed thousands of RuneScape fans to a jam-packed event at the NEC, Birmingham. The show opened with a surprise musical performance by accomplished guitarist, producer, and RuneScape mega-fan Cole Rolland. Rolland performed a ten-minute medley rock cover of classic RuneScape tracks accompanied by Jagex staff member, Mod Ash, on violin. Check out the track below:

Fans were also able to meet their favorite J-Mods and community creators, get hands-on with the latest playable content. Most importantly to be amongst the first to hear about exciting new announcements and updates coming to RuneScape and Old School RuneScape.

RuneFest 2025 Announcement Highlights

• Old School RuneScape’s first ever new skill Sailing heads to the high seas with first alpha test this month.
• RuneScape Leagues brings fan-favoriteOld School RuneScape game mode to RuneScape later this year.
• Playtest sign-ups now open forOld School RuneScape community worlds programProject Zanaris. 
• Major RuneScape area expansion Havenhythe revealed for 2026.
• Golden Gnomes Awards celebrate RuneScape and Old School RuneScape community heroes.

Runefest 2025: Old School RuneScape Announcements

Sailing

Set sail across the lands of Gielinor with Old School RuneScape’s first ever new skill, Sailing. This update is playable for the first time at RuneFest 2025 and will be available for everybody to play in alpha later this month. Take to the seas starting off on a teeny tiny raft, and level up your skill as a sailor to become an experienced captain capable of commanding a crew and traversing hazardous waters. Dive with mermaids, salvage resources, and explore the far reaches of the ocean to defeat krakens, leviathans and cutthroat pirates in action-packed naval combat on the high seas of Gielinor.

New Endgame Bosses

For endgame players, take on an all-new challenge with a duo of new bosses, including Yama, coming to Old School RuneScape this spring. Then up follow up with the Delve boss, the Doom of Mokhaiotl. Later this summer, prepare to travel to the wilder reaches of Auburnvale, Custodia Pass, and the Tlati Rainforest as Varlamore: The Final Dawn comes to Old School RuneScape with all-new quests for players to sink their teeth into.

HD Mode

Also this summer, Old School RuneScape’s long-awaited HD Mode will revamp the classic MMO with enhanced graphical features. This will however retain OSRS’s iconic visual identity. This will arrive as a completely optional new mode with visuals optimized for a range of devices. Experience Old School RuneScape in an all-new light when HD Mode launches later this year.

Project Zanaris

Jagex also announced the opening of the playtest sign-ups for Project Zanaris, the highly-requested and eagerly-anticipated community world program. This project will let players tweak and modify their own worlds, set their own rules, and create entirely new ways to play and experience Old School RuneScape. Players can sign up to register their interest in participating in theProject Zanaris playtests here or via the Old School RuneScape Discord.  The first wave of closed tests looking to start in April.

 

RuneFest 2025: RuneScape Announcements

RuneScape Leagues

Revealed during the RuneScape Ahead keynote, Jagex announced that RuneScape Leagues, the fan-favorite game mode first introduced in Old School RuneScape, is coming to RuneScape. Arriving later this year, Leagues is a limited-time game mode where players start again from the beginning experiencing accelerated XP and rare drop rates. Traveling through the land they will discover tasks to complete which unlock overpowered new items and passives to really change how you play the game.

Havenhythe

Coming to RuneScape in early 2026, Havenhythe introduces a new area expansion. Featuring new locations, bosses, skilling activities, and a new storyline as players take the fight to the Vampyres. Located on the East of Morytania, Havenhythe is a mysterious and isolated land. The new expansions is filled with lost history, bountiful resources, and multiple biomes that players will get to explore in a series of new quests throughout 2026. Uncover ancient mysteries and face a new threat feared by Gielinor’s most lethal predators. You will also be able to level up your Hunter skill beyond 99 with the Hunter 110 update.  As the Havenhythe story enters its second year in 2027, prepare to journey into one of the most dangerous places in the RuneScape universe: Vampyrium.

Pharaoh’s Folly

Arriving later this year, Jagex confirmed that Pharaoh’s Folly, the second part of the Return to the Desert trilogy of quests, will release April 7. This is followed by the launch of the final chapter Eclipse of the Heart on July 28. Players can look forward to the epic conclusion to this 24 year-old storyline with new rewards and a monumental showdown with the goddess of destruction herself, Amascut. This is a new group battle designed to challenge up to five players with multiple difficulty modes.

110 Runecrafting

110 Runecrafting also launches in RuneScape today alongside a brand-new rune, the Time Rune. The launch of 110 Crafting in June will let players get their hands on new craftable high-tier Mage armor. In May, new augmentable tools will let players train Invention, through Runecrafting and Thieving. They will also discover new components to create new skilling perks for skills like Mining, Archaeology and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Gnomes Awards 

The much-loved Golden Gnomes Awards returned at RuneFest 2025 to celebrate RuneScape and Old School RuneScape’s incredible community of players. Twenty-six awards recognized the efforts of content creators, community contributors and cosplayers. Earning the ultimate two awards: Crystal was presented with the RuneScape Creators Choice award, and SoloMission as OSRS Creators Choice award. These awards commemorate them both as superstars of the RuneScape community.

Beatstar x Old School RuneScape

Jagex announced that it had partnered with Beatstar to bring Amascut’s Promise (Remix) to the hit mobile music rhythm game. Available today (3/3/25), this exciting collaboration marks the very first song from a video game soundtrack appearing in Beatstar as a playable track. Players will be able to experience this fan-favorite Old School RuneScape track in a whole new way.

From the Gaming Outsider

Congratulations to the organizers of RuneFest 2025! To come back after a six year break and have your convention sold out in a matter of minutes speaks volumes to the never ending fandom and community that continues to support and grow your game. What you have shown in your roadmaps and announcements will have your fans eating well for years to come. Kudos to you and your fans!

RuneScape is available now on PC, Steam, iOS, and Android, complete with cross-platform progression and play on PC and mobile. Old School RuneScape is available now on PC, Steam, iOS, and Android, complete with cross-platform progression and play on PC and mobile.