What's the purpose of this project?

Our goal is to recover missing versions of RuneScape from 2001 until 2012. The game went through innumerable changes during this time, but despite being played by millions of people more than 2/3 of versions are lost.

By finding these lost versions we can explore things such as graphical updates, scrapped content, and unused areas. We can ensure these game versions aren't lost forever, and can be used by Jagex if they ever wanted to bring any of this content back.

Why can't you just ask Jagex for these files?

Jagex unfortunately didn't start keeping systemic backups until 2012, with RuneScape Classic and the OSRS source code being the only exceptions.

What about old private servers?

These didn't focus on keeping a historical archive of all versions of the game; only a handful of old game versions were found from these sources. Everything that was available from private servers has already been saved.

What's actually in these files?

They contain all the various raw assets used in the game (e.g. maps, models, sounds) and the definitions of content like NPCs, Items, and scenery objects.

Will sending these files lead to my account being hacked?

No - these files only have the game's assets. They don't contain anything that could compromise your account in any way.

Will these files harm the current versions of OSRS or RS3?

No - both games have evolved a lot over the past few years, so these historical versions of the game are entirely useless for botters or bug abusers.

Is there a list of which versions have already been found?

We're keeping track of all the known recovered and lost versions here. But even if you think you have something that you think is a duplicate, it’s still useful to send. It might have lost music tracks, be a previously unknown lost version, or the timestamp might be wrong.