Old School RuneScape

In 2013, Jagex did something rare in the industry: instead of forcing its community to keep moving forward, it gave them the option to go back. That's how Old School RuneScape was born, a server based on the 2007 version of RuneScape that ended up becoming its own phenomenon, with more active players today than at many points in its original history.

Old School RuneScape is a classic fantasy MMORPG set in Gielinor, with a deliberately retro visual style and a design philosophy built around skill-based progression: there are no fixed classes, your character is defined by how you split time between combat, mining, fishing, smithing, magic, and dozens of other skills, each with its own leveling curve. The world is open from end to end, with dungeons, bosses, group activities, and a player-driven economy. What makes it unique is the "Old School Content Poll": major updates go to a public vote, and if the community doesn't approve them, they don't make it into the game.

Although it started as a nostalgia server, OSRS has had over a decade of steady new content: raids, minigames, entire zones, and progression systems added year after year without breaking its original essence. Since arriving on Steam in 2021 it picked up a new wave of players discovering the game for the first time, and today it coexists with RuneScape 3 as two active versions of the same universe, each with its own loyal community. It's free to play up to a point, with an optional membership that unlocks the vast majority of the content.

It's perfect for anyone who wants an unhurried MMO, where the goal isn't rushing to endgame but enjoying the journey: grinding a skill to the bone, saving gold for that dream item, or just getting lost exploring Gielinor. And if you care about design decisions actually respecting the community instead of being imposed from above, it's hard to find another MMO that does it this literally.

At WickedQuest we track every OSRS Content Poll and major update closely, so if you're the type who votes on every proposal, this is the place to stay on top of it all.