RuneScape

RuneScape was launched by British studio Jagex in 2001 as a game running directly in a web browser, with no need to install anything - at a time when most MMORPGs required a separate client and a more powerful computer, this was a major accessibility advantage. Compared to the competition, the graphics were simple and low-polygon, which allowed it to run on the modest hardware of the schools and internet cafés of the time, and the game thus appealed especially to a younger audience and players without their own powerful computer or without the ability to install anything on a shared machine.

In terms of gameplay, RuneScape was built on a free, open skill system - mining, smithing, cooking, combat, and dozens of other trades that the player develops at their own discretion with no fixed class, allowing them to freely shift between a combat and a crafting path. The world of Gielinor offered extensive quest lines with their own stories, which were among the game's most elaborate elements and set it apart from the simpler grind-focused MMOs of the time. The game gradually underwent visible graphical and technical updates, changing its engine and interface look, and later also offered a paid version with expanded content alongside the basic free variant.

Its long lifespan and loyal community made RuneScape one of the longest continuously operated MMOs in the world, even though a number of more modern and graphically advanced competitors gradually appeared in its shadow. A key role was also played by the decision to keep an older version of the game running under the name Old School RuneScape, which faithfully recreated the state of the game from 2007 and appealed to players craving the original, simpler experience without later changes and expansions. The game's influence lies above all in proving that even a technically undemanding, browser-based MMO can build an extraordinarily stable and devoted player base for two decades running, and that simplicity of presentation need not hinder the depth of game systems.

Why play: For those who want to see living proof that even a simple browser MMO can hold a loyal community for two decades, with the added choice between a modern version and the nostalgic Old School RuneScape from 2007.