Twitch has its finger on the pulse of gaming, and this month, livestreaming has decided to catapult RuneScape to the top of the charts. RuneScape is an MMO published by Jagex in 2001, and it’s currently experiencing a resurgence at the top of Twitch charts.

There have been several iterations of the game (some of which are no longer playable), and there are currently two main versions of the game, but both current titles owe their existence to the 2001 original. Despite its old age, the game continues to draw impressive numbers, pulling an average of 2,000 players daily and roughly 1,500 daily players in the Old School RuneScape version.

This month, many more watched others play the classic multiplayer RPG than played it themselves. According to Steam Charts, RuneScape was the sixth most-watched game on Twitch in the past 30 days. Viewers spent over 1 million hours watching streamers take on the classic game, drastically increasing the total from 220,000 and topping the charts alongside more recent titles.

RuneScape Tops Twitch Charts After Record-Breaking Month

Over 1.2 Million Hours Watched

Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the most-watched game on Twitch in the past 30 days, since the game launched into beta ahead of its fast-approaching release date.

Other games at the top of the streaming charts include Arena Breakout: Infinite and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, both of which launched in September, Dark and Darker, a 2023 title that experienced a full wipe last month in anticipation of the next season, and 2023’s Diablo 4, which is always popular.

The inclusion of RuneScape on the same list as all these new games is definitely jarring. Though the MMO has had several upgrades and re-releases in the years since its first launch in 2001, it’s still a much older classic. Last month’s 1.2 million hours of watch time show the game still has a thriving community.

RuneScape Leagues Drives Fans Back To The Game

The Special Event Launched Mid-September

Runescape screenshot featuring a tree creature and some players

So what’s causing fans to rush to Twitch and watch streamers play RuneScape? Most likely, the game has stirred up renewed attention thanks to the special Leagues: Catalyst event.

The event started on September 15 (and will run through November 10), and gives players a chance to experience a limited-time game mode that completely changes the way you play. The special event adds new relics to collect, power-ups to earn, and challenges to complete, giving players a brand-new and exciting way to play the classic title.

Runescape did see a jump from 2000 to 4000 daily players on the day the event launched, indicating some interest in playing through the event. But over 1 million hours watched on Twitch show that, as exciting as it is to play the new limited-time mode, it’s even more exciting to watch someone else play it.