RuneScape 3 player count: How big is the playerbase in 2025?

Modified Apr 15, 2025 05:22 IST

How big is RS3 playerbase in 2025 (Image via Jagex)

Even though MMORPG titles like World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online are easily accessible, the RuneScape 3 player count remains good even in 2025. RuneScape 3 has over 26,000 live players as of April 14, 2025, according to misplaceditems.com.

It's been almost 12 years since Jagex released the title with the updated HTML client, brand-new community and hiscores, and many features to provide a new type of experience to the RuneScape enjoyers.

Keeping that in mind, this article will explore the size of RuneScape 3's player base in 2025.

Why is RuneScape 3 lagging behind Oldschool RuneScape in player count?

Runescape players aren't tied to a linear narrative and are free to chart their own stories, which is perhaps the most enjoyable thing about the game. This is likely what kept Runescape well-populated after all these years.

The player count for RS3 seems decent enough until you see Old School RuneScape's (OSRS) numbers, which are around 124,863. So, the main question arises: Why does a recently released game featuring advanced mechanics have such a low player count compared to its old-school edition?

RS3 player count in 2025 (Image via misplaceditems.com)

Well, one can find multiple answers for that on several RuneScape Reddit threads. However, to simplify the fact, RuneScape 3 contains too many complex factors when it comes to any boss fights.

You might be interested in: Runescape Combat Update overview: What are the major changes?

Players must dive into too much detail, such as the bolt type, excalibur level, summoning familiar, and more, before getting involved in those boss fights. OSRS, on the other hand, only focuses on simple mechanics like the usage of the right gear.

Secondly, RS3 contains too many microtransactions to equip the right gear or any in-game items, along with a complex UI compared to OSRS.

While several MMORPG players are aware of RunScape via Steam, RS3 hasn't been marketed much. Hence, only very few players got to explore the fantasy world of Gielinor. It'll be interesting to see whether the RS3 player count rises in the future.

Also read: Jagex to enter the survival-MMO trade with RuneScape: Dragonwilds, coming this spring

For more information on games like RuneScape, check out more articles on Sportskeeda's MMO page.

About the author

SoumyaKanti Saha is an Esports and Gaming writer at Sportskeeda, primarily covering first-person shooter titles. Though he comes from a BCA background, his decision to get into journalism stems from his love for video games. He started his gaming journalism journey at Sportskeeda after serving as a Scholar Trainee at WIPRO for two years and continues producing exceptional articles on games like Overwatch, Call Of Duty, Apex Legends, and Counter-Strike 2. Simply put, he’s capable of covering every FPS title he’s assigned.

He believes in thorough research when covering a story. For this, he turns to not just his trusted sources but scours the annals of various social media channels to deliver any additional useful information to his readers.

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Multiplayer games fuel his constant need for action while playing. That said, in a Jumanji-esque scenario, he’d love nothing more than diving into the Red Dead Redemption universe for its the intense storyline and detailed world and characters.

In his free time, SoumyaKanti loves listening to metal, playing video games (Duh!), and watching movies.

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Edited by Adarsh J Kumar