Umbral Sands Brings the Desert to RuneScape: Dragonwilds

We’ve been keeping an eye on RuneScape: Dragonwilds since it shadow-dropped into Steam Early Access last April, when I came away comparing it to Valheim with a magic system layered on top. Jagex has now released Umbral Sands, the last major Early Access update before the crafting survival game reaches its 1.0 launch on PC and consoles on September 15, 2026. The game crossed a million copies sold earlier this year, and Jagex has been steadily expanding its world ever since the surprise launch.

Umbral Sands is Dragonwilds’ take on the RuneScape desert, following the Dowdun Reach fortress region that arrived in March. The dunes come with a dynamic environment system, forcing players to rely on shade, quickly built shelters, and nighttime travel to avoid the draining heat of a corrupted sun. Once that sun sets, a new dragon named Fuzan hunts players through the night alongside his red dragon minions. Taking him down means heading into the Fight Cave to clear waves of enemies and molten lava before facing the dragon himself, and the cave is fully replayable with advanced modes, rare crafting rewards, and powerful Vestiges to claim.

The update also brings a batch of RuneScape staples into Dragonwilds for the first time. New materials Adamant, Red Dragonhide, and Yew let players craft Adamant-tier gear, Red Dragonhide armor, and Yew bows and staffs. Magic carpets arrive as mounts for fast travel across the dunes and their quicksand pools, with new color variants for the carpets and other mounts. On the enemy side, kalphites and the kot-haar join Fuzan’s forces, while Icthlarin, the Menaphite god of the dead, turns up as an ally.

Umbral Sands is the final major Early Access update before the 1.0 release, which launches September 15 on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will get the game as part of their library at launch. The full release also adds the Scorned Wilderness Raid and a boss fight against Kuldra that concludes that storyline. Alongside Umbral Sands, Jagex has rolled out simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language support.

We noted in January that we were watching for the right time to revisit Dragonwilds, and 1.0 arrives September 15. Umbral Sands is available now in Steam Early Access.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds – Umbral Sands Gameplay Trailer