Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). Unlike most other MMORPGs, there are a variety of options for installing and setting up the game. This provides some benefit as it allows you to pick what tools or features are most important to you, but this also comes with some drawbacks as there are a lot of websites and clients that will try to scam you out of your account. In this guide, we will walk you through what options exist for playing OSRS and how to install each of them safely.
This is the first assignment for the Technical Writing Certification course I’m currently taking at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
The Clients
As of June 2022¹, there are five officially supported clients for OSRS. These are:
Let’s talk through the pros / cons of each of these as well as how to install them safely.
The Official Jagex CLient
You might think that because Jagex makes the game that their official client is the best choice for playing the game. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case as Jagex hasn’t dedicated many resources to supporting or improving their official client. Many core features such as increased render distance, the ability to utilize your GPU, or even experience tracking simply don’t exist in this client. That being said, some people prefer this client as it has that true rustic experience.
Installation Instructions (Windows)
- Go to: https://www.jagex.com/en-GB/launcher
- Press the button that says:
Download Jagex Launcher. - Open your downloads folder.
- Run the executable called:
Jagex Launcher Installer.exe - Follow the instructions that the executable provides.
- Launch the Jagex Launcher.
- In the top left corner, click on the icon that looks like this.
- Press the
Installbutton in the middle of the launcher. - Press
Download & Installin the popup that appears. - OSRS should now be installed and you can launch it by pressing
Launch.
Installation Instructions (Mac)
- Go to: https://oldschool.runescape.com/download
- Press the button that says:
Download for Mac OS. - Follow the instructions that appear on the web page for how to proceed.
- OSRS should now be installed and you can launch it like any other Mac app (by either dragging the OSRS app to your dock from the application folder or by using Spotlight to search for and run it).
Old School RuneScape on Steam
Jagex also offers OSRS on Steam. Confusingly, it is not the same client as the “official” one we mentioned above. It’s written in an entirely different programming language and has received quite a few updates recently. While it is not as feature-rich as the other third-party clients, it does have many of the core features people look for such as: increased render distance, the ability to utilize your GPU, and experience tracking. Furthermore, by being on Steam, there are a few benefits that no other options have such as achievements and one-click installation. That being said, most users still prefer to play on one of the third-party options mentioned below.
Installation Instructions
OSRS is only available for Windows on Steam
- Go to: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1343370/Old_School_RuneScape/
- Scroll down and press
Play Game. - Steam will install the game and it will then be available to launch at any time in your games library.
RuneLite
RuneLite is the most popular client and is my personal choice for playing the game. It’s a free, open-source client developed by the community, and it offers the most flexibility out of all the options. By default, it comes with over fifty plugins that improve all parts of the game such as swapping menu entries, solving clues for you, or highlighting important items on the ground. There’s also a huge third-party plugin library that you can securely install features like high-definition textures or a quest helper that will walk you through all available quests. There is even an extremely active dev team that ensures the client is up to date after every update.
Installation Instructions (Windows and Mac)
- Navigate to: https://runelite.net/
- Press the
Downloadbutton that appears in the middle of the screen. - Open up your downloads folder.
- Run the file that was downloaded.
- Follow the instructions that appear.
- RuneLite should now be installed and can be opened like any other application.
HDOS
HDOS is a relatively new client whose main aim was to provide high detail graphics while maintaining the original aesthetics of the game. Unlike RuneLite, the high-definition textures and plugins are all enabled by default. While there aren’t quite as many features as RuneLite, it still offers many more features than either of the Jagex clients and all of its features are available for free. I’d encourage you to visit their webpage (https://www.hdos.dev/) to see if the graphics are more to your taste or not as that’s one of the main benefits of this option compared to the others.
Installation Instructions (Windows and Mac)
- Navigate to: https://www.hdos.dev/
- Press the
Downloadbutton that appears in the middle of the screen. - Open up your downloads folder.
- Run the file that was downloaded.
- Follow the instructions that appear.
- HDOS should now be installed and can be opened like any other application.
OSBuddy
OSBuddy is the oldest of the third-party clients. Before RuneLite came to be, it was the most popular client and it introduced many of the core features that every other client sought to emulate. Unfortunately, to get access to most useful features, you have to pay a monthly subscription. No other client charges for access to features and that, combined with a lack of updates compared to the other clients, is the reason why most people don’t use this anymore. Nonetheless, some users still swear by it and prefer supporting the developers of the client through a subscription rather than relying on the generosity of community.
Installation Instructions (Windows and Mac)
- Navigate to: https://rsbuddy.com/osb
- Scroll down on the page until you see a green Download button.
- Press the
Downloadbutton. - Open up your downloads folder.
- Run the file that was downloaded.
- Follow the instructions that appear.
- OSBuddy should now be installed and can be opened like any other application.
Concluding Thoughts
Hopefully this has helped you understand what options exist for playing Old School RuneScape. If someone suggests a client or a website other than the ones mentioned above, DO NOT use it as it not only violates the RuneScape terms of service, but also will more than likely steal your account. Also, please make sure to only navigate to the websites linked above rather than relying on a Google search. Often times sketchy companies will make fake websites that look like the real ones and pay Google to advertise them – which can appear above real websites in the results.
Regardless of which one of the above clients you choose, I hope you enjoy your time playing Old School RuneScape.