RuneScape Reignited is cancelled, but the Dec. 2 update and a 10-day free trial are still on

RuneScape Reignited won’t happen. Jagex cancelled the fresh-start character type on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, only 12 days after announcing it at RuneFest. The rest of the Dec. 2 update survives: the Adventure Guide, the first part of the Remastered Journey and a 10-day free members' trial for new and returning players.

Why Jagex cancelled RuneScape Reignited

Mod Ryan delivered the news in a video and a post on RuneScape’s news page. Mod Ryan thanked players for their feedback since RuneFest and pointed to the last time Jagex ignored its players, when combat changed for good and the game took more than a decade to recover. Then came the decision, in Mod Ryan’s words: “we have made the decision to cancel Reignited.”

Jagex says it missed the mark. The goal of bringing back old players and pulling in new ones stays, but never at the expense of the existing community. In practice, that means no split worlds: everyone plays the same RuneScape together.

What RuneScape Reignited was supposed to be. Jagex revealed Reignited on Oct. 3 at the RuneFest 2026 Summit as the start of a new chapter for the 25-year-old MMO. It was a new permanent character type, similar to Ironman, with a brand-new economy, its own Grand Exchange and hiscores, and no paid progression.

Reignited characters would have shared worlds with existing ones, which Jagex called Veteran characters, and also had Reignited-only worlds. The two types couldn’t trade with each other or share boss instances, though they could join the same clans and homesteads. A Hall of Legends would have handed out permanent statues for new world-first achievements. One detail drew a lot of criticism: Reignited would have needed its own membership, on top of the one players already paid for.

The backlash came fast. On Oct. 6, Jagex said it was re-evaluating Reignited and apologized for making existing players feel they were no longer its focus. It listed what it had heard: Veteran characters would stop mattering, Veteran worlds would empty out, an already small community would split, and a second membership didn’t feel fair.

On Oct. 9, Mod Ryan floated fixes. Players could turn an existing character into a Reignited one within their current membership, Veterans would get exclusive rewards such as a special Max Cape cosmetic, and the Reignited-only worlds might be dropped. In the same post, Jagex shared a rare look at its numbers: RuneScape has hundreds of thousands of members, not counting Old School players, and has been trending in a slight decline for a long time. Six days later, Jagex scrapped the whole project instead.

The Dec. 2 update stays on the calendar. It brings the Adventure Guide, an optional guide that points players to the best of RuneScape so they don’t have to dig through a wiki, and the first part of the Remastered Journey. That remaster reworks the early game from Tutorial Island through Seers' Village, Camelot and Elvarg’s lair, and Jagex plans to turn bosses in early quests like Demon Slayer and Dragon Slayer into real fights with mechanics and health bars and to declutter the interface.

The free trial survives too, in a new form. From Dec. 2 to Dec. 12, new characters and any character that hasn’t had membership since June 2, 2026, can play on members' worlds for free, with no purchase needed. Old School RuneScape isn’t included, characters with membership since June 2 aren’t eligible, and Jagex still has to confirm exact times.

Mod Ryan says the Reignited debate overshadowed the 2027 roadmap, and that roadmap stays. Spring brings the Hoard of Dragons arc with Grandmaster Clue Scrolls, an Agility rework and the Dragon Slayer II master quest. Summer’s City of Gnomes arc adds the Argento skilling boss, a grandmaster quest called The Curse of Arposandra and the Glouphrie solo boss. In autumn, Secrets of Karamja brings the Temple of Ah Za Rhoon raid.

Something arrives sooner, though. Plugins launch on Monday, Oct. 19, and Jagex will share the details that day.

This page is updated as soon as Jagex confirms exact times for the Dec. 2 update and the free trial.