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Old School RuneScape

Old School RuneScape

Jagex Ltd · released Feb 24, 2021

AdventureMassively MultiplayerRPGFree To PlayPCiOS (iPhone/iPad)

The best retro fantasy MMORPG on the planet. Old School is RuneScape but… older! This is the open world you know and love, but as it was in 2007. Saying that, it’s even better than that, Old School is shaped by you, its players, with regular new content, fixes and expansions voted for by the fans!

Steam page ↗Metacritic 87 · users 7.2 ↗
78
VGC Score
▲Improvinghigh confidence▼ −10 since launch

scored 88 at launch, has slipped to 78

anchored at patch: “Summer Sweep Up - Hunter & Skilling | August 19th” (13d ago)

88%
At launch
83%
Steam all-time
87%
Press
85%
Player sentiment
92%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 301 sampled Steam reviews (250 positive / 51 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Grind & repetition8% mention it
  • Story & writing4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

Negative reviews don't converge on specific aspects.

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

67%

88 reviews

5-15h

88%

49 reviews

15-40h

88%

52 reviews

40-100h

84%

32 reviews

100h+

94%

80 reviews

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–8714
All-time Steam reviews83%771000
Metacritic user ratings–7419
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)92%86179
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 19, 2026) · 79 reviews sampled · 179 total reviews in window · weighted 56.4 up / 4.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (4)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 90
    Pocket Gamer UK
    trust 66Nov 1, 2018

    “One of the best MMOs comes to mobile with most of its charm and playability intact.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Metro GameCentralMetro GameCentral
    trust 64Nov 7, 2018

    “You wouldn’t know to look at it though, its graphics looking hilariously ropey by today’s standards, but playing it reveals a game that is still in a class of its own. Without a central story or campaign to anchor you, once you’ve completed the grossly insufficient tutorial you’re left to do practically anything you like in a world that contains well over a decade’s worth of gameplay for newcomers.”

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    TouchArcade
    trust 57Oct 31, 2018

    “Old School RuneScape is like a whole king-sized Las Vegas buffet. I’ve been playing for weeks now, and still feel like I’m barely even coming close to knowing what I’m doing, which has been really awesome as so few mobile titles seem to offer anything that even feels like any meaningful discovery or character advancement anymore.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    The Digital FixThe Digital Fix
    trust 52Nov 7, 2018

    “Despite some battery and bug issues, Old School Runescape's port makes it clear that the classic game belongs on mobile devices.”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Summer Sweep Up - Hunter & Skilling | August 19th
    Aug 19, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. Wyrmscraig and Sailing Changes | August 5th
    Aug 5, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  3. Summer Sweep Up - Gear & PvM Changes | July 22nd
    Jul 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  4. The Blood Moon Rises & Bank Tags Tweaks | July 15th
    Jul 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  5. The Blood Moon Rises Tweaks & Fixes | July 8th
    Jul 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  6. Blood Moon Rises Out Now! | June 30th
    Jun 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  7. Bank Tags, Trouver System Rework & More! | June 17th
    Jun 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  8. The Red Reef is Out Today!
    May 20, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  9. Sailing Changes and Gem Bag Expansion | May 13th
    May 13, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  10. Further Leagues VI Changes
    May 6, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  11. Leagues VI Changes | April 23rd
    Apr 23, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  12. Remaining Getting Around Changes | April 1st
    Apr 1, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  13. Easter 2026 & PvP QoL Improvements | March 25th
    Mar 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  14. Boat Combat Improvements | March 18th
    Mar 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  15. Cow Boss is Out Today!
    Feb 25, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  16. 25th Anniversary Event: 25 Years, 25 Mementos | February 18th
    Feb 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  17. Music System Improvements & Deadman Tweaks | February 11th
    Feb 11, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  18. DMM Tweaks, Shellbane Gryphon CAs & More! | February 4th
    Feb 4, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  19. New Player Improvements Round 2 | January 14th
    Jan 14, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  20. QoL Tweaks & Fixes | January 7th
    Jan 7, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  21. More Sailing & Interface Changes | December 17th
    Dec 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  22. Christmas 2025 Event | December 10th
    Dec 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  23. Sailing XP Review & Further Fixes
    Dec 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  24. Sailing Changes & Fixes
    Nov 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  25. Sailing is OUT TODAY! | November 19th
    Nov 19, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  26. Sailing Technical Pre-Release | November 5th
    Nov 5, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  27. Grid Master Rewards, Poll & New Player Improvements | October 22nd
    Oct 22, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  28. Grid Master Out Today! | October 15th
    Oct 15, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  29. Interface Uplift Round II | October 1st
    Oct 1, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  30. Interface Uplift Changes - Batch I | September 24th
    Sep 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  31. More Poll 85 - Bridges, Boots, Ropes & Roots | September 17th
    Sep 17, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  32. Doom Combat Achievements | September 3rd
    Sep 3, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  33. Summer Sweep Up Slayer Changes | August 27th
    Aug 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  34. More Doom Tweaks, Poll 84, & Summer Sweep Up Changes | August 20th
    Aug 20, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  35. POH Recode & More | August 13th
    Aug 13, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  36. Varlamore & Summer Sweep-Up Combat Tweaks
    Aug 6, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  37. Varlamore: The Final Dawn Tweaks | July 30th
    Jul 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  38. Varlamore: The Final Dawn is Out Now!
    Jul 23, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  39. New Renderer Beta is Out Today! | July 9th
    Jul 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  40. Stackable Clues | July 2nd
    Jul 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window

…and 35 earlier patch announcements.