Choose Old School RuneScape
Choose Old School RuneScape if you want an Adventure experience. 17,676 Steam reviews back the pick.
Old School RuneScape vs RuneScape ®
Old School RuneScape and RuneScape ® both land in Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play on Steam. RuneScape ® (2020) is 1 year older than Old School RuneScape (2021). Both sit near 82% positive on Steam (Old School RuneScape: 17,676 reviews, RuneScape ®: 21,515). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose RuneScape ®
Choose RuneScape ® if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Subtitle Options, and Color Alternatives side of the pairing. 21,515 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Old School RuneScape and RuneScape ® sit in Massively Multiplayer, RPG, and Free To Play on Steam and both list Multi-player and MMO, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (82.1% vs 81.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Old School RuneScape |  RuneScape ® | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Genres | Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play | Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | Free to play | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 82.1% positive (17,676 reviews) | 81.6% positive (21,515 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Jagex Ltd | Jagex Ltd |
Side by side
- Both share Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play on Steam.
- RuneScape ® (2020) is 1 year older than Old School RuneScape (2021).
- Both sit near 82% positive on Steam (Old School RuneScape: 17,676 reviews, RuneScape ®: 21,515).
- Both are free to play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Old School RuneScape vs RuneScape ® — FAQ
- Which is better, Old School RuneScape or RuneScape ®?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Old School RuneScape sits at 82.1% positive (17,676 reviews), RuneScape ® at 81.6% (21,515). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Old School RuneScape or RuneScape ® first?
- If you want chronology, RuneScape ® (2020) came out before Old School RuneScape (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Old School RuneScape and RuneScape ® similar?
- They overlap on Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.