RuneScape: Dragonwilds
Jagex: The RuneScape Company
RuneScape: Dragonwilds review
Jagex’s survival spinoff leaves Early Access and becomes the first RuneScape game on console, magic and all.
Editorial review · AI-assisted. Player reviews are by real players. AI-assisted reviewWritten with AI help and checked against the critic, performance and accessibility sources linked on this page. How we work · Player reviews are by real players.
On the forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. RuneScape: Dragonwilds asks you to gather, build, skill and craft your way toward the Dragon Queen, alone or with up to three friends, and its 1.0 launch is the first time a RuneScape game has shipped on console, with crossplay.
As of GameDaily’s Sept 19 roundup, neither Metacritic nor OpenCritic had enough reviews for an aggregate, with individual critic marks ranging from 65 to 90, so we show a single outlet score instead. The Outerhaven (4/5, played on Series X) calls it an entertaining survival RPG that gives the franchise a new identity. It singles out the skill system (levelling through use), magic that’s useful both in and out of combat, and flexible building that works well on a controller.
Gfinity’s 1.0 review is a useful counterweight: breathtaking visuals and a highly rewarding magic system (“the magic system gives it its own flair to stand out”), undercut by vague tutorial quests, punishing enemy aggression and a stingy stamina bar that make solo play overwhelming. Both reviews agree the game is at its best with friends.
One caution: shortly after launch, console players reported corrupted world saves. Jagex acknowledged the issue and said the team was working flat-out to resolve it. Check the latest patch notes before you sink in the hours.
“The magic system gives it its own flair to stand out.”— Gfinity
Hits
- Inventive, rewarding magic
- Satisfying skill progression and base-building
- Strong co-op for 1–4 players with crossplay
Misses
- Vague quests and cumbersome inventory
- Punishing for solo players
- Launch reports of console save corruption
…you’ve got a crew ready for Valheim-style co-op and a soft spot for Gielinor.
Deep dive
Time to beat
Small sample (7 / 6 / 1 players polled), largely from Early Access builds.
Play now or wait?
The co-op fun is real, but check that the console save-corruption fix has landed before you commit a long-term world.
Tonight’s Play’s call Play now or wait?Tonight’s Play’s call, based on the sourced reviews and performance reports on this page.
How it runs
Xbox Series X
Targets 60fps and generally feels responsive, with brief drops in busy areas or around elaborate settlements and some texture pop-in when travelling fast.
Xbox Series S
Not yet reportedPC
Gfinity reports it ran smoothly with no frame drops on an ASUS TUF Gaming A15 laptop.
Also reported
Console save corruption was reported after launch. Jagex acknowledged it (as of Sept 19).
Accessibility
Settings for subtitles, audio, camera behaviour and controller sensitivity, plus custom world options to adjust hunger and thirst. The Outerhaven notes that some small text and icons are hard to read from a distance.
About the game
Read the publisher’s descriptionHide description
On RuneScape's forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. Gather, build, skill and craft in this co-operative survival adventure. Only by mastering survival and uncovering ancient secrets can you hope to face the ferocious Dragon Queen.
RUNESCAPE AT ITS CORE!
Embark on quests, level your skills and explore a beautiful hand-crafted world.
This all-new adventure blends high-fantasy and iconic RuneScape lore on a brand new continent. RPG systems reward you with unique abilities and spells as you progress through each skill. Battle legendary RuneScape creatures like Zogres, challenge Black Knights and the entirely new and fearsome Garou, all set to a sweeping soundtrack of reorchestrated RuneScape classics and hours of brand new music.
GRIND SKILLS, SLAY DRAGONS
Locate them, throw down the gauntlet and carve your path to the Dragon Queen herself.
Your progress will be under constant threat from the looming shadow of the Dragons, as you arm yourself and prepare to rise to face them. Follow the trail of destruction and uncover the mysteries of the continent to learn not just how to confront the dragons, but how to overcome them. Prepare potions, craft gear and push yourself to do battle with the most powerful force on the continent.
The smart money's on the dragon. But we do love an underdog!
SURVIVAL THROUGH SORCERY
Summon a spectral axe to fell trees in an instant! Blink away from danger in a cloud of magic. Turn bones into... peaches?
The Anima-rich landscape of Ashenfall offers you a power unlike any other. Conjure a tornado of fish from a lake! Explode ore veins with a snap of your fingers! Journey through the vibrant regions of Ashenfall, discover why wild magic spills from the fractured lands and harness that power to survive!
COMMUNITY DRIVEN, PLAYER CENTRIC
Description from the publisher’s Microsoft Store listing.
Trailer
Official trailer · XBOX on YouTube · Watch on YouTube ↗ Trailer & privacyLoads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.
Gallery
Tap to expand · swipe to browse · Art: Jagex press kitPlayer reviews
Written by real players. Player reviewsRatings, short reviews and comments from signed-in readers, separate from Tonight’s Play’s editorial review above. Community guidelines
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Details & art: official Microsoft Store listings and press kits; art © the respective publishers. Details & artGame details and art come from each game’s official Microsoft Store listing (cover images are cropped from those official images, or from publisher press kits, with our title overlay; nothing is AI-generated); art © the respective publishers, used for editorial review. Game Pass membership from Microsoft’s public Game Pass catalog, checked Sep 30, 2026. Critic scores appear only where a real aggregate exists; otherwise “Not yet reported”.