RuneFest 2026 is almost here, bringing the RuneScape community together in Birmingham for a weekend of game updates, celebrations, awards and creator appearances. The in-person event will take place at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, across October 3 and October 4, and it has already sold out. More than 6,000 players are expected to attend.
For everyone unable to make the trip, the important news is that the major official presentations will be available to watch online. Talks, announcements and updates covering RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds will be streamed through Twitch and YouTube. That makes RuneFest a substantial date for players across all three branches of the long-running franchise, rather than only for the fans inside the venue.
The streamed festivities begin on Saturday, October 3 at 2:00 PM BST. That is 1:00 PM UTC, 9:00 AM EDT, and 6:00 AM PDT. The first day includes the debut RuneScape: Dragonwilds Summit, the Golden Gnome Awards, a forward-looking RuneScape Summit, and a dedicated Old School RuneScape presentation later in the evening.
A packed Saturday schedule for the RuneScape community
RuneFest has long been built around direct interaction between the game teams and their players, and the 2026 schedule puts major presentations at the center of its opening day. Attendees will also have community-focused activities and creator meet-and-greets to look forward to, but the online program ensures the headline game news will reach a much wider audience.
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The first featured broadcast is the Dragonwilds Summit, scheduled for 4:00 PM BST on Saturday, October 3. It will be the first dedicated summit for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The presentation is set to cover the game's roadmap and look beyond version 1.0, giving players an indication of the areas the team intends to explore after that milestone. Since the summit is specifically framed as a look ahead, viewers should expect discussion of the game's continuing direction rather than a presentation limited to its current build.
One hour later, at 5:00 PM BST, RuneFest will host the Golden Gnome Awards. The awards are a community celebration and a familiar part of RuneFest programming, recognizing the people and creations that have helped sustain the wider RuneScape scene. Between player achievements, community projects, video makers and other fan contributions, the awards provide a reminder that these games extend far beyond the updates delivered by their development teams.
The main RuneScape Summit begins at 7:00 PM BST. This is positioned as a look toward 2027 and will include major reveals. With that stated timeframe, the presentation should be especially relevant to players who want a longer-term picture of what lies ahead for the modern version of RuneScape. Exactly what those reveals will be has not been detailed ahead of the event, so it remains best to treat the summit as the place where the team will set out its next major plans.
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The Saturday program concludes with the OSRS Summit at 8:00 PM BST. Old School RuneScape has its own distinct identity, development priorities and player-led relationship with future content, making a dedicated presentation essential. The summit will be the key broadcast for anyone following the future of OSRS and its upcoming updates.
Three games, three different audiences, one shared event
RuneFest 2026's programming reflects the breadth of the current RuneScape lineup. RuneScape and Old School RuneScape share a history and a world, but each continues to serve a different kind of player. One is the evolving modern MMO experience, while the other preserves and develops a version rooted in the game's earlier era. Their communities overlap, but their updates and expectations are not interchangeable.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds, meanwhile, represents another path for the franchise. Its first summit is therefore a notable addition to the event. A roadmap discussion and post-1.0 outlook give the game a prominent place alongside the two established online titles, and the presentation will help define how its future fits into the broader RuneScape landscape.
For fans, bringing all three under the RuneFest umbrella makes the weekend a useful snapshot of where the franchise stands in 2026. The event is not solely focused on nostalgia, nor is it centered on a single game's next patch. It is designed to address the ongoing future of RuneScape across its different forms, while preserving the community-focused atmosphere that makes RuneFest more than a conventional announcement showcase.
How to watch the RuneFest streams
Official RuneFest talks, updates and announcements will be broadcast via Twitch and YouTube. Viewers should be ready from 2:00 PM BST on October 3, when the streamed festivities begin. The announced highlights are concentrated on Saturday, though RuneFest itself continues through October 4.
Anyone arranging their viewing around a particular game can focus on the relevant summit time:
- RuneFest streams begin: October 3, 2:00 PM BST / 1:00 PM UTC / 9:00 AM EDT / 6:00 AM PDT
- Dragonwilds Summit: October 3, 4:00 PM BST
- Golden Gnome Awards: October 3, 5:00 PM BST
- RuneScape Summit: October 3, 7:00 PM BST
- OSRS Summit: October 3, 8:00 PM BST
Because these broadcasts include official announcements, players who want to avoid learning reveals through community discussion may want to watch live or keep an eye on the official channels once each presentation concludes. The schedule makes it possible to tune in for one game's segment, but the sequence also gives fans of the entire franchise a full evening of news.
Current platforms for RuneScape, OSRS and Dragonwilds
The event also brings together games available across a broad mix of devices. RuneScape and Old School RuneScape are available now on PC, Steam, iOS and Android. Both support cross-platform play and progression between PC and mobile, allowing players to continue with the same account whether they are at a desktop setup or playing on a phone or tablet.
That cross-platform structure remains one of the most practical strengths of the two MMOs. A player can handle a task on mobile, return to a PC later, and retain their progression without splitting their time between separate versions. For communities with long-established routines, clans and ongoing goals, that flexibility helps keep the games accessible even when a full desktop session is not possible.
RuneScape: Dragonwilds is available now on PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Jagex Launcher. It is also available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its presence on PC and current console hardware gives the RuneFest audience another way to engage with the RuneScape universe, while its scheduled summit should clarify more of its path after 1.0.
Why RuneFest remains a major date on the calendar
A sold-out audience of more than 6,000 people illustrates the continuing pull of RuneFest as a physical gathering. Online games can unite players every day, but a live event creates a different kind of moment: an opportunity to meet fellow players, see creators in person, celebrate community accomplishments and react to announcements together.
For those watching remotely, the streams are the bridge between that in-person energy and the much larger worldwide player base. RuneFest 2026 is set to deliver news across modern RuneScape, OSRS and Dragonwilds in a concentrated window, with the biggest presentations arriving on October 3. Whether viewers are interested in 2027 plans for RuneScape, the next direction for Old School RuneScape, or Dragonwilds' roadmap beyond 1.0, Saturday's summits are the broadcasts to watch.
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