OSRS Needs an Account-Wide Membership – The Current Model Is Outdated

OSRS has evolved, but its membership system is stuck in 2002.

As OSRS continues to evolve and expand, it's clear that the game has grown in many ways. From Ironman mode to Group Ironman, Hardcore modes, and diverse builds for PvP, PvM, and skilling—there’s never been more variety. However, one aspect of the game has remained stuck in the past: the membership system. Many of us love the game and are happy to support it, but the current membership model just doesn’t fit with how people actually play today. It feels outdated and limits the player experience in ways that other MMOs have long since moved past.

Other MMOs Get It Right—Why Can’t OSRS?

Games like WoW and FFXIV let players explore different classes and builds under one subscription. OSRS, a game that thrives on alt accounts, still forces players to pay separately for each one. Instead of encouraging people to engage with more content, the current model makes you choose what’s "worth" subscribing.

The Problem Isn’t the Price—It’s the Model

Most of us want to support the game, but the outdated membership structure doesn’t reflect how players actually engage with OSRS today. Back in the day, players would likely keep one account subscribed, mainly because there wasn’t as much game knowledge and the options were limited. Now, players maintain multiple alts to enjoy the different modes and activities OSRS offers, from Ironman to PvP builds and everything in between. Not everyone has the resources to upkeep multiple accounts, and a game-wide membership would relieve a lot of players from this burden. It would let us explore everything OSRS has to offer without being locked into a single account or deciding which “build” is worth the membership.

OSRS Needs an Account-Wide Membership – The Current Model Is Outdated.
Would you rather pay to play OSRS or pay just to access one character at a time? It’s time for Jagex to rethink this model—because right now, it’s holding the game back.
But at the end of the day this is just my opinion, hopefully there are more players who want this kind of change.

EDIT: I’d love to hear all the ideas on how we could improve the current membership model without harming the game.

EDIT2: I appreciate all the feedback, even the negative. This idea is not even close to being something that could be submitted as a proposal to Jagex, but we can all see how much we care about this game and its future. I don't want to believe it, but I think a price increase might be inevitable and I really believe that there are a lot of bright minds in this community who could combine ideas to create a mutually beneficial solution for both us and Jagex.