Old School RuneScape
Games review
As of Jun 23, 2026, Old School RuneScape is rated 83% positive on Steam (20,425 reviews).
Opens Old School RuneScape's own site, not a review site.
Is Old School RuneScape worth it in 2026?
An 83% positive rating across 20,425 Steam reviews signals a genuinely beloved game, but the praise and the complaints tell the same story from opposite sides: the grind is not a side effect of OSRS, it is the product, and the same mechanic that drives 10 reviewers to call it inescapable drives 5 others to call it punishing. The real catch is the business model: a $15/month membership paywall blocks most of the content, and free-to-play access functions less as a demo than as a pressure funnel toward a subscription for a game built on deliberately dated mechanics. The Steam client itself is widely flagged as inferior, with reviewers consistently pointing newcomers toward RuneLite via the official launcher, a telling sign that the Steam experience is not the intended one. One complaint thread specifically warns off players susceptible to gambling-adjacent mechanics, which belongs on your radar before you commit.
Players who already know they love long-form, goal-driven MMORPG grinding, whether from nostalgia or from genre familiarity, and who are willing to pay a monthly subscription to access the full game; even players with no childhood history with RuneScape report getting hooked, but they need
The $15/month membership gates the majority of content and is the single most-complained-about issue in the review set; the Steam client has recurring technical problems, so use RuneLite through the official launcher instead; and the game contains gambling-adjacent mechanics flagged explicitly by
ReviewPond's conclusion, drawn only from the verified scores and review themes below. Not a paid or editorial opinion.
Pros
- high addictiveness10
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- There is a reason this game is called Run Escape… You can never truly quit. Sure, it might take ten years but you will come back eventually. And if I’m being honest, the gamepla...
- Played it once, had no idea what I was doing. Skipped forward a few years. Played it a second time, everything just fell in place. Plenty to do, almost being too much to do.
- There is a reason why this game is a classic. It's because you know what you are getting into. And you will love it.
- nostalgia and longevity7
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- Thank you jagex. I've been a huge fan since 2002 during my middle school years playing the original Classic version. I wish it could be brought back to life again one day on Steam...
- Not sure if the Steam launched version of the game was fixed but either way you can still change what client gets launched when opening if you want the vanilla client or either of...
- It's cool for OSRS to be on steam but if you're enjoying it on here I highly recommend switching and playing on the Jagex official launcher and using Runelite. Been playing for 2...
- vast content6
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- Played it once, had no idea what I was doing. Skipped forward a few years. Played it a second time, everything just fell in place. Plenty to do, almost being too much to do.
- RuneScape In my opinion its perfect not the new one, Oldschool RuneScape is perfect if you feel lke laying down and want to play a simple mmorpg runesape is for you, and you don't...
- An excellent old-school MMO and a true classic. The quests are amazingly well made and incredibly immersive.
- strong community4
see reviews +-
- There is a reason this game is called Run Escape… You can never truly quit. Sure, it might take ten years but you will come back eventually. And if I’m being honest, the gamepla...
- Thank you jagex. I've been a huge fan since 2002 during my middle school years playing the original Classic version. I wish it could be brought back to life again one day on Steam...
- Been playing since 2017, I recommend anyone who likes RPG's with fruitful stories and interactive, changing worlds to play this game!
- runelite client recommended4
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- A really good mmorpg BUT play it with the official launcher and choose the rune lite, thank me later.
- It's cool for OSRS to be on steam but if you're enjoying it on here I highly recommend switching and playing on the Jagex official launcher and using Runelite. Been playing for 2...
- I actually have something like 6k hours lol. Use the official launcher with runelite client. Your experience will be a 1000x better
Cons
- high membership price7
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- Decent enough game, but I am not paying $15 a month for full access to this dated ♥♥♥♥.
- I mean I was kinda getting into it but then I realized 95% of the game is gated behind a monthly $15 sub. I would pay that money only for FFXIV and maybe WoW, not this old prehisto...
- [h3] Not worth the colossal time (or money) investment it tries to strongarm out of you. [/h3] [b] [u] If you are a gambling addict or dislike gambling-adjacent mechanics, don't ev...
- excessive grind5
see reviews +-
- There is a reason this game is called Run Escape… You can never truly quit. Sure, it might take ten years but you will come back eventually. And if I’m being honest, the gamepla...
- [h3] Not worth the colossal time (or money) investment it tries to strongarm out of you. [/h3] [b] [u] If you are a gambling addict or dislike gambling-adjacent mechanics, don't ev...
- Not an idle game but the gameplay is so mind-numbingly boring you'd wish it was. Monetization is shamelessly shoved down your throat right in the tutorial ($15 a month btw 🤣). If...
- steam client issues5
see reviews +-
- A really good mmorpg BUT play it with the official launcher and choose the rune lite, thank me later.
- I did not agree to be redirected to their useless website everytime I log in. Maybe stop getting interns and ai slop to make your game. When I get an official apology from the CEO...
- It's cool for OSRS to be on steam but if you're enjoying it on here I highly recommend switching and playing on the Jagex official launcher and using Runelite. Been playing for 2...
- outdated mechanics3
see reviews +-
- [h3] Not worth the colossal time (or money) investment it tries to strongarm out of you. [/h3] [b] [u] If you are a gambling addict or dislike gambling-adjacent mechanics, don't ev...
- Not an idle game but the gameplay is so mind-numbingly boring you'd wish it was. Monetization is shamelessly shoved down your throat right in the tutorial ($15 a month btw 🤣). If...
- Might just be my gimped attention span or my dopamine receptors fried or just me being a zoomer, but I find this game to be something in the middle of boring and daunting. Kudos to...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 40 sampled reviews with text; the scores above reflect all 20.4K ratings. Counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.