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(Image credit: Jagex) RuneScape: Dragonwilds, the new co-op survival twist on Jagex's iconic 24-year-old fantasy MMO, is out now in early access, and it's off to a "mostly positive" start on Steam. Dragonwilds released in early access yesterday, April 15, and at the time of writing, 79% of its 1,900+ reviews are positive. That's not to be sniffed at – early reviews are praising its "very solid core game mechanics" and overall "potential" of the game, with one player saying that it's "shockingly well done and polished." As for its concurrent player count, Dragonwilds reached a respectable peak of 41,270 in its first day, according to SteamDB. Given that we're currently in the middle of the week, it seems reasonable to say that number could rise even higher over the weekend when people have more time to play, so we'll just have to watch this space. You may like 24 years later, RuneScape gets its own survival game – RuneScape: Dragonwilds turns the MMO into a co-op game with RPG juice and Valheim energy, and it's out this year "Is this going to be Valheim with party hats?": RuneScape: Dragonwilds devs know survival games are competitive and focus on "things that make us unique" in a tree-punching genre Not everyone is completely sold on the survival game, mind you. Others have criticized Dragonwilds for being a "little bit too undercooked at the moment," as well as "rough enough around the edges that it'll benefit a few patches before you should consider spending $30 and jumping in." Being an Early Access game, this isn't entirely unexpected – Jagex will be continually improving things going forward, but it's fair to say that if you want things perfect, you're probably not going to get that experience right now. Given the crafting and survival elements, Valheim comparisons are also very much present, for better and for worse. While one player goes as far as to say that it's "better than Valheim," another notes: "Valheim being the gold standard of this genre means RuneScape: Dragonwilds has some seriously big boots to fill. At the moment, it does fall short in many regards and commits some open-world survival-craft cardinal sins." One Jagex senior community manager, Jake Blunt, previously spoke to PCGamesN about how the team is hoping that the game "isn't just us being like, 'it's Valheim, but…'" The devs are clearly aware that they're entering a "very competitive" genre, but "we want to embrace the fact that we have things that make us unique, rather than that we're doing something better than something that already exists." Only time will tell if RuneScape: Dragonwilds has what it takes to be one of the best survival games like how RuneScape is one of the best MMORPGs. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more PC Gaming News Catherine Lewis Social Links Navigation News Writer I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 24 years later, RuneScape gets its own survival game – RuneScape: Dragonwilds turns the MMO into a co-op game with RPG juice and Valheim energy, and it's out this year "Is this going to be Valheim with party hats?": RuneScape: Dragonwilds devs know survival games are competitive and focus on "things that make us unique" in a tree-punching genre Old School RuneScape gets one of 2025's first Steam review bombs after survey gauges in-game ads and price hikes: "To read this review, please upgrade to the Deluxe package" The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers Monster Hunter Wilds is slowly recovering from a rough PC launch, finally hitting 60% positive reviews on Steam – but some big issues remain Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and now Dota 2 fall to Monster Hunter Wilds as it crosses 1.3 million peak Steam players despite 49% positive reviews Latest in Survival Games New RuneScape co-op survival game debuts to 79% positive Steam reviews in Early Access, but it can't escape Valheim's shadow Survival MMO Dune: Awakening suffers a last-minute, 3-week delay because it's "a beast of a game," and now it's landing right alongside Switch 2 and Summer Game Fest Switch 2 is getting an even more co-op-focused spinoff of a massively popular survival space sim, but it's not replacing the original: "Astroneer will continue to live on" The Switch 2 Direct broke just in time for me to nearly miss a revival of a 26-year-old Konami cult classic I obsessed over in Nintendo Power Atomfall officially reaches “extremely British” status as the survival game surpasses 1.5 million players, who’ve collectively sipped 300,000 cups of tea and executed 3.7 million kills with a cricket bat "Is this going to be Valheim with party hats?": RuneScape: Dragonwilds devs know survival games are competitive and focus on "things that make us unique" in a tree-punching genre Latest in News Andor creator is glad the Star Wars show veered from its original five-season plan: "We had had no idea what we were getting into" Here, have an exclusive reveal of a new Star Wars Lightsaber replica for the most underrated Jedi Nintendo needs to be "super transparent" with potential paid Mario Kart World DLC for Switch 2, former marketing leads say, as "people are already questioning the $80 price tag" New RuneScape co-op survival game debuts to 79% positive Steam reviews in Early Access, but it can't escape Valheim's shadow Andor season 2 makes "every step of Rogue One" feel different says Diego Luna: "Everything becomes way more heavy" Phil Spencer says Fallout season 2 and the Minecraft movie give Xbox "more confidence that we should do more" adaptations, as long as it doesn't become "more like licensing" GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread review -"Manages to give everyone something D&D can't match" Blue Prince review: "Thisexploration roguelike is like nothing else I've played, and became a puzzle obsession I just couldn't shake" Promise Mascot Agency review: "Yakuza management mechanics are messy, but I'm won over by its truly immaculate bizarre vibes" South of Midnight review: "A spellbinding tale that struggles to find its rhythm" Agricola review: "Accurate representation of the highly competitive and often unstable world of agriculture" A Minecraft Movie Review: "Jack Black's irrepressible star turn helps elevate this video game adaptation" The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU" Fight or Flight review: "Slick and silly action sequences garner well-earned John Wick and Bullet train comparisons" Mickey 17 Review: "Bong Joon Ho's best English movie to date and arguably Robert Pattinson's best movie ever" Captain America: Brave New World review: "Anthony Mackie's Cap earns his Stars and Stripes in this uneven, un-MCU thriller" Doctor Who season 2, episode 2 spoiler-free review: 'Lux' is a "bold, bonkers" second episode with an amazing villain Doctor Who season 2, episode 1 spoiler-free review: "'The Robot Revolution' is an impressive first episode for new companion Belinda Chandra" The Last of Us season 2 review: "Brilliant and visceral but fails to capture the magic of season 1" Devil May Cry review: "Netflix's anime adaptation is dated and clunky, but does capture some of the anarchic spirit of the original games" Lazarus review: "Unfortunately Cowboy Bebop director's new sci-fi anime never quite melds into a harmonious whole" GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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