RuneScape dev reveals Unreal Engine 5 survival game set in the MMO’s universe, accidentally blocks players from signing up due to Steam shenanigans

Old School RuneScape Smite collab
(Image credit: Jagex / Hi-Rez / YouTube via Xbox)

RuneScape developer Jagex is finally back to discussing the open-world survival game it first cryptically announced in 2022, but eager fans who have been waiting years to hear more about the RuneScape spin-off had to climb one final mountain: Steam IDs being too long. 

"Jagex is developing a new survival game set in the RuneScape universe using Unreal Engine 5," the official Old School RuneScape X (Twitter) account posted on October 15. "We know Jagex is at its best when we're working with players, so we're looking to recruit playtesters for our Closed Alpha." 

"This reads like your account got hacked and [is] trying to phish people," said one wary reply

But, no, the announcement is genuine. And, even if it wasn't, any nefarious phishing scheme would have fallen through. For a brief time, the signup sheet Jagex posted was only allowing fans to submit their information if they added their 16-digit Steam ID. The only problem is that Steam IDs are 17 digits. One person took it upon themselves to tag the FBI, just in case.

Jagex quickly resolved the issue without any government intervention. So now, as long as you have a PC, as well as Steam and Discord accounts, you'll be able to sign up for the chance to test out the new survival game, which has barely any details publicly available. The signup sheet reveals that the alpha test will only be available in English, and that Jagex is hoping to have playtesters try their new game for at least 10 hours, but that's all for now. 

RuneScape creator delays his new MMO to November 6 at the last minute: "Apparently there is some sort of election thingy on the 5th - who knew?!"

CATEGORIES
Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

Read more
Old School RuneScape Smite collab
Old School RuneScape gets one of 2025's first Steam review bombs after survey gauges in-game ads and price hikes: "To read this review, please upgrade to the Deluxe package"
A gloved hand holding a compass in a snowy field
PUBG creator’s new project won't just be the hardest survival game ever made - it's aiming to be the hardest survival game anyone could possibly make
Prologue
PUBG creator's nails-hard survival game launches this summer for $20, and its new trailer shows all the ways it'll try and kill you
Best games like Runescape to escape from the world with
Old School RuneScape
Two of the most loyal MMO communities grab pitchforks and cancel subscriptions after RuneScape survey mentions paying $350 a year, in-game ads, and paid player support
Legacy: Steel & Sorcery
A 13-year WoW veteran formed his own studio to make an RPG that plays like "World PvP: The Game" and feels like a mini MMO channeling "early Blizzard"
Latest in Survival
Terraria art showing a short-haired blond man sitting atop a grassy field in metal armor, colorful slimes on either side of him
Terraria is forever: look no further than its go-to mod tool, which just hit an all-time Steam peak ahead of surely, for real, definitely final update 1.4.5
Solarpunk airship interior
The most popular open-world survival game in Steam Next Fest is coming straight for my JRPG-born obsession with floating islands
Cubic Odyssey
This 93% positive Steam Next Fest survival game demo wants to combine Minecraft and No Man's Sky with "RPG-style depth," and so far it's actually pulling it off
Prologue
PUBG creator's nails-hard survival game launches this summer for $20, and its new trailer shows all the ways it'll try and kill you
Project Artemis early render
PUBG creator's goal for his new open-world project is to make "realistic Minecraft" complete with real geology
A campfire in a dark forest at twilight
"We try not to say 'fun'": Meet the devs behind the new survival game that puts the "human element" before letting you be a mountain-leveling demigod
Latest in News
The two characters in Split Fiction holding their hands up in surrender in a futuristic city
Split Fiction director says he'd "really appreciate" winning GOTY again, but if GTA 6 comes out in 2025 "it's going to be really tough" and he's fine with that because he's "a huge fan"
Grand Theft Auto 3
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
Monster Hunter Wilds Nu Udra Palico
Monster Hunter Wilds players are so obsessed with Palico armor that turns your cute cat into a freaky little octopus that even Capcom is sharing fan art of it
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #12
Gwen Stacy and Loki team-up for a cosmic adventure in Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #12
A screenshot shows the cat protagonist of Monster Hunter Puzzles waving a wand while wearing a Cinnamoroll costume.
Monster Hunter gets the collab of the century: Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s resident stalker Cinnamoroll joins Capcom’s puzzle game to stare at you without blinking