RuneScape RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2001 by Jagex Ltd. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering. The game has approximately 10 million active accounts per month,[1] and is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world's most popular free MMORPG.[2] RuneScape takes place in the world of Gielinor, a medieval fantasy realm divided into several different kingdoms, regions, and cities.[3][4] Players can travel throughout Gielinor on foot, through use of magical teleportation spells and devices, and via numerous other methods, such as charter ships.[5] Each region offers different types of monsters, resources, and quests to challenge players. The game's fictional universe has also been explored through a tie-in video game, Armies of Gielinor,[6] and a novel, Betrayal at Falador.[7] Players are represented in the game with customizable avatars. RuneScape does not follow a linear storyline; players set their own goals and objectives. Players can choose to fight NPC monsters, complete quests, or increase their experience in any of the available skills.[8] Players interact with each other through trading, chatting, or by participating in any of a variety of minigames and activities, some of which are competitive or combative in nature, while other require cooperative or collaborative play. The first version of RuneScape was released on 4 January 2001 in beta form.[9] As the game's popularity grew, the game engine was rewritten, and its beta was opened to paying players on 1 December 2003 under the name "RuneScape 2". It was renamed RuneScape upon its stable release on 29 March 2004.