To pay for an MMO subscription is to unfortunately know that you will eventually have to pay more than you’d like to because prices never go down, now do they. Today, the MMO in question is RuneScape, with Jagex announcing an increase for both monthly and yearly subscriptions, the second price increase in under two years.

Before, you’d be paying $14 a month if you were paying month to month, but that’s now going up by a whole dollar to $15. If you’re someone that opts for a 12 month membership, that’s now gone up from $99.48 to $131.88 a year, a not insignificant jump when you add it all up, even if you are technically still saving money compared to a monthly membership.

Alongside the price increase it’s also been announced that you’ll no longer be able to get a six month membership package, unless you already have one. In that case, it will keep rolling on until you either change it or cancel it. On top of that, anyone that’s on a monthly recurring grandfathered rate will be able to continue paying for that price. For context, this applies to anyone that’s been paying for a subscription since before September 27th, 2024, so those of you newer to the game will have to deal with the increased cost.

Jagex explain the hike in an FAQ by putting it down to three points: that it “better supports the ongoing investment we are making across both games,” it, “supports the cost of infrastructure, upgraded systems, new content, and improvements to player support,” and it, “keeps RuneScape and Old School RuneScape sustainable for the next 25 years, not just the last 25.”

The FAQ also makes a note of how “most major MMOs rely on expansions, battle passes, or increasingly aggressive monetisation to account for increased investment and cost of operation. We believe in a simple subscription-led approach that delivers incredible value while supporting continued improvement for our games and services.”

Not an ideal situation for many I’m sure, so let’s just hope this is the last increase for a while.