RuneScape Dragonwilds shadow-dropped into Early Access on April 15, and early signs point to it having staying power, despite arriving in a climate where it faces fierce competition.
Executive Producer Jesse America revealed to Dexerto in an interview before the game’s release that the spinoff of Jagex’s two MMOs, RuneScape 3 and Old School RuneScape, began development in 2021.
Between then and 2025, numerous survival games have come to call Valve’s Steam home, including one of the most successful, Valheim. Despite the near-total lack of pre-release marketing, it would appear as though Dragonwilds has proven its worth and is here to stay.
RuneScape Dragonwilds’ biggest Steam achievement yet
On April 29, Jagex’s youngest child surpassed the 24-hour player peaks of both Valheim and Ark: Survival Evolved. While concurrent player figures naturally fluctuate constantly, it’s worth noting, too, that on April 20, the genre newcomer surpassed both titles’ live, concurrent player totals, per SteamDB.
All-time peaks tell a wildly different story, of course. Valheim and Ark both reached six-figure totals at the height of their popularity, and Dragonwilds has the honeymoon period to benefit from, but Jagex has a plan.
If the studio can deliver on the promises its roadmap lays out, Dragonwilds will continue to grow, backed by word-of-mouth not just from everyday players, but streamers with huge reach and influence. With the likes of Shroud, Asmongold, and Aztecross all recording positive first impressions, it’s little wonder Dragonwilds, like its namesake, is flying right now.
What remains to be seen is if it can continue that upward momentum. Survival games notoriously live or die based on the level of post-launch support they receive, but with a path ahead already established, the world of Ashenfall, at least for now, should avoid that common mistake.
Still getting your bearings in RuneScape Dragonwilds? Check out our guides on how to get your hands on a bow, as well as how to go about unlocking fast travel.
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