Methodologies
How aggrgtr collects, stores, summarizes, and displays the data behind each dashboard, including the sources, how often each one updates, and the maths behind each metric.
aggrgtr is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Jagex Ltd. The site uses public data sources, public APIs, public web pages, and stored snapshots.
The population tracker uses frequent snapshots from official RuneScape sources to show live counts, recent movement, and long-term population trends.
Where the live numbers come from
Live totals come from two public Jagex sources.-Combined RuneScape and Old School RuneScape total count uses Jagex's player_count.js endpoint, following the approach documented by the RuneScape Wiki API page.-Old School RuneScape count comes from the official OSRS world-select page.Snapshots are collected every 3 minutes.RuneScape 3 counts are calculated as the combined total minus Old School RuneScape.
Steam counts
Steam counts use Valve's public Steam Web API.-Current player counts use the ISteamUserStats/GetNumberOfCurrentPlayers endpoint for the RS3, OSRS, and Dragonwilds Steam IDs where shown.-Steam values refresh every 15 minutes.Steam appears only as an overlay on the population charts, and it is kept separate from the RuneScape totals because those players are already counted in them.
KPI cards
The large cards at the top of the page summarize a population snapshot for each game.-Latest snapshots are the newest observed OSRS, RS3, and Dragonwilds counts.-Recent averages are the 30-day and 1-year average player counts for OSRS and RS3.-The arrow under each average compares it with the period immediately before it: the previous 30 days, or the preceding rolling 365 days. Green is up, red is down, grey is flat, and the percentage is the size of the change.-Peaks are the highest OSRS and RS3 counts within the time frame selected on the chart (Hour, Week, Month, Year, or All Time), with the dates they occurred.
Time-of-day chart
The time-of-day chart groups population snapshots by hour in Central time. Four comparisons can be selected above the chart.-30 Day compares today with the average hourly pattern from the last 30 days.-3 Month compares today with the average hourly pattern from the last 3 months.-Day of Week (1M) compares today with the same weekday over the last 30 days.-Day of Week (3M) compares today with the same weekday over the last 3 months.
Historical data
Data aggrgtr uses has been reconstructed from public sources.-2001 to February 2013: web archive crawls of the RuneScape site.-February 2013 to October 2025: misplaceditems.com, until it went offline. For 15-minute averages, data was collected every 5 minutes and averaged. I also retained daily results.-October 19 to December 2025: PlayerCount.dev, which picked up after MisplacedItems went offline and filled that gap.-December 26, 2025 onward: aggrgtr started collecting at a 3-minute interval.-2022 to 2025: restored some missing misplaceditems.com data points from public archives.Data points were pulled from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, Archive-It, WebCite, Vefsafn (Iceland), Arquivo.pt (Portugal), and the Australian Web Archive.Most archived data used 15-minute intervals; archived data (e.g., Wayback) were point-in-time.-Wayback data is used as a single snapshot unless there are enough captures in a day to create an average.-Daily averages are more consistent in the recent data.-Some gaps remain where no usable coverage exists.
The trends page shows RS3 and OSRS population history separately across comparable days, weeks, months, and years. It shows year-over-year movement, directionality, highs and lows, and RS3 hiscores counts.
Year-over-year views
Year-over-year views compare like periods across years.-Daily compares the same calendar dates across years.-Day of Week compares the same weekday across years, such as Monday to Monday of the same week.-Weekly compares ISO-week averages across years, such as Week 20 with Week 20.-Monthly compares monthly averages across years.
Trendlines
Population trendlines are fitted from the chart window.-The model controls for weekly rhythms.-Yearly ranges account for seasonality.-Short windows will still move quickly around updates, holidays, and Double XP.
Peaks and lows
Peaks and troughs summarize the extremes in a selected range.-Peaks are the highest counts in the selected range.-Troughs are the lowest counts after filtering out lows of less than 1,000 players.
Hiscores context
The hiscores charts use RS3 hiscores counts.-Charts include any account that gained at least 1,000 XP in the timeframe.-Weekly and monthly charts compare comparable periods for each year.These are not concurrent player counts. They count total accounts active during a weekly or monthly period.
Regression analysis
Regression estimates the direction and magnitude of player counts over a selected period.-Trendlines use Fourier regression with ordinary least squares.-The model fits the trend while accounting for weekly harmonics and annual seasonality.-Shorter windows use weekly harmonics only, because annual seasonality can overfit when the range is less than a full year.-The slope is shown as players per year, month, or day, depending on the chart range.-Hiscores trendlines use Theil-Sen median regression, which is less affected by unusual weeks or months.A positive slope means counts are rising, negative means falling. The slope is meant for directionality.
The hiscores page gives a total count of active players from the public RuneScape 3 weekly and monthly hiscores pages.
Where the data comes from
-Past periods were obtained by adding the URL's timestamp. For example, the weekly table for Wednesday, June 3, 2026 at 00:00 UTC uses date=1780444800000.-The scraper finds the last page, reads the last ranked account, and records that rank as the total count for that period.Accounts need at least 1,000 XP in the relevant period to appear on weekly or monthly hiscores tables.
Weekly and monthly updates
-Current-week snapshots are collected about every 3 minutes.-Monthly figures refresh about every 15 minutes.-Weekly totals are collected on Tuesday evening, when the week turns over.-Monthly totals are collected at the first of the month.After a week or month ends, the accounts are rechecked for accuracy, because the final weekly or monthly numbers can be updated by Jagex after the original end date.
Chart views
The chart views show different slices of the hiscores data.-The live chart shows the current running period.-The Week and Month views show recent snapshots from the running count.-The all-time weekly and monthly views show weekly and monthly totals over time.-The all-time options include older historical rows imported from a third-party source, with dates going back to 2014.
The Maxed page provides estimates of how many accounts have reached levels 99, 110, and 120, and 200M XP, across RS3 and OSRS, including Ironman, Hardcore Ironman, and Ultimate Ironman.
Where the data comes from
The Maxed collectors use public hiscores pages and JSON endpoints.-Mainscape RS3 uses the public RS3 hiscores pages at m=hiscore/a=600/ranking.-Mainscape OSRS uses m=hiscore_oldschool/ranking.json and m=hiscore_oldschool/index_lite.json.-RS3 Ironman and Hardcore Ironman use their ranking.json and index_lite.json endpoints.-OSRS Ironman, Hardcore Ironman, and Ultimate Ironman use the public API.
Method
Maxed totals are boundary estimates from hiscores ranks.-For Overall, the last ranked account still showing the current max level defines the total.-For skills, the last rank still meeting each milestone defines the total.-Skill milestones include level 99, RS3 level 110 and 120 where shown, and 200M XP.-The same method is used for all account types.
Views and timing
-The data is collected at midnight and noon Central.-The KPI cards show the count of ranked players, the count of players at the max total level, the count of players at the Overall XP cap, and the lowest ranked Overall level.-The chart has a filterable time range and can show the latest run, the daily average, or the daily max.The data depends on what the public hiscores show at that point in time, so counts can be affected by inactivity, bans, hiscores bugs, changes, and timing.
The OSRS Worlds page shows public OSRS world population counts, including the latest world list, region and world type filters, activity summaries, and history for individual worlds.
Where the data comes from
World data comes from the official OSRS endpoint.-Each world row includes player count, region, world type, and activity label.-Data is collected every 15 minutes.
Region and type filters
Filters use the latest world list.-Region uses the location listed for each world.-Type uses the world type listed for each world, including free-to-play and members worlds.
Activity summaries
Activity summaries use the activity labels shown on the world-select page.-Blank or dash activity labels are grouped as General.-The page totals players by activity label, such as trade worlds, minigames, PvM, skill-total worlds, and temporary modes.-Activity filters can be combined with region and type filters.
World history
History views use previous OSRS world snapshots.-Selecting a world shows that world's player count over time.-Selecting an activity, region, or type shows combined history for matching worlds.-History ranges include day, week, month, quarter, and year.
The anti-cheat page shows Jagex Player Support and Anti-Cheating statistics in a monthly dashboard and table for OSRS and RS3.
Where the data comes from
Anti-cheat data comes from Jagex's two public pages, Player Support Statistics and Anti-Cheating Statistics.-Jagex releases these figures monthly, but not on a consistent day or time.-Jagex frequently changes these pages and their layout.-Each row in the table on the anti-cheat page links to the source used for that month's figures.
Monthly metrics
The monthly table lists the fields Jagex reports.-Anti-cheat fields include macro bans, RWT bans, and GP removed.-Support fields include chat-spam mutes, support queries, live chat queries, support-center views, and report action messages.-Service fields include average response time and ticket satisfaction where and when Jagex reports them.
OSRS and RS3 comparisons
Game versions are compared where applicable, and split by free-to-play and pay-to-play where available.
Archive and timing
-When new statistics are available, the data is saved to the Wayback Machine and updated on the Player Support and Anti-Cheating page.-That data is then revalidated every few days to ensure it has not been changed.-The Wayback snapshot is used as the source record for that month.
Source limits
This page depends on Jagex's public reporting.-If Jagex delays or skips an update, data will be unavailable for that month.-Jagex may change fields or remove them, and can move or remove the pages.-Missing values will stay blank unless a public source supports them.-October 2025 and December 2025 were derived from year-to-date totals, because no source was saved for those individual months.
The closest public RuneScape player count sites I have reviewed, ranked by my grade.
URL: https://osrsplayercount.com/
Strengths
- Preserved historical population data from misplaceditems.com before that source became unreliable.
- Covers live OSRS counts, historical views, world lists, locations, world types, F2P and Members filters, and world level population views.
- Highlights peaks and also offers world level data.
Limitations
- The filter area is visually heavy, and the design feels older and niche.
- The page can feel a little laggy, likely because it is pulling backend data, which might need caching and partitioning.
- World activity context would make the world level views more useful.
- The site is OSRS-focused, so it does not provide RS3 counts.
Note: the ones struck through have been updated.
URL: https://playercount.dev/
Strengths
- Tracks RuneScape player count data on a 15-minute interval.
- Provides downloadable RuneScape player counts going back to October 2025.
- Keeps the experience simple and has become a useful replacement source after misplaceditems.com stopped being reliable.
Limitations
- It does not have a tooltip, which makes the chart harder to read precisely.
- The visual presentation could be stronger.
- The design echoes misplaceditems.com without fully landing a distinctive or polished look.
URL: https://rsplayercount.com/
Strengths
- Simple to understand, with light and dark modes, clear KPIs, multiple granularities, and a responsive tooltip.
- The player counts appear accurate.
- Includes an about page that explains hosting, privacy, and computation choices.
Limitations
- The public data history starts on February 28, 2026.
- Snapshots are collected every 30 minutes, which is useful but less current than many 15-minute trackers.
- The text is small, and the page could use a little more visual emphasis without becoming flashy.
URL: https://runepixels.com/
Strengths
- The day-by-day comparison concept is useful.
- The current player count appears plausibly accurate.
- The tooltip includes max and min values, and the data appears to refresh on a 15-minute interval.
Limitations
- The default comparison by day can be misleading when it compares yesterday against today rather than equivalent weekdays.
- Weekday comparisons or default KPIs would make the chart easier to interpret.
- Some filters appear available when no data exists for the selected period, and the live count can look delayed or unclear.
- Because of these limitations, it is much harder to scan.
URL: https://lawrune.com/
Strengths
- The visuals are appealing, the graph options are useful, and the player count numbers appear accurate.
- Shows snapshots and useful KPIs for Dragonwilds, OSRS, and RS3.
Limitations
- It functions mostly as an Ironman tracker rather than a player count tracker.
- The page is spread out, with too much spacing, scrolling, and some redundant KPI text.
- Several definitions are missing or unclear, including the help icon, recent activity, and typical activity.
- The player count history appears limited compared with older population sources.
- It looks like it was built around the question of what should appear on a dashboard, rather than what useful questions a dashboard can answer.
URL: https://activeplayer.io/runescape/
Strengths
- More polished visually than several other player count pages.
- Steam player counts can still provide some directional context because they correlate loosely with total activity.
Limitations
- Appears to track Steam data only rather than official live RuneScape player counts.
- The page has many ads and a large amount of extra content that is not player count analysis.
- The same underlying data can be obtained directly from Steam.
- It reads as an SEO play built for ad clicks, presence without substance.
URL: https://tracker.gg/population/steam/1343400
Strengths
- Provides Steam metrics such as 24-hour peak, all-time peak, monthly averages, weekday averages, and tracking duration.
- Useful for Steam-specific population context.
Limitations
- Does not provide official RuneScape live player counts.
- Only tracks Steam players and includes premium/ad framing.
- It reads as an SEO play built for ad clicks, presence without substance.
URL: https://playercount.gg/runescape
Strengths
- The monthly Steam table is easy to scan.
- The layout is clean and approachable.
Limitations
- Uses Steam-only data rather than official live RuneScape counts.
- Does not provide much analysis beyond the Steam table.
- It reads as an SEO play built for ad clicks, presence without substance.
URL: https://www.ely.gg/rs_playercounts
Strengths
- Clean, easy to understand, and useful for a high-level monthly view.
- The history goes back to February 2013, likely using misplaceditems.com as a historical source.
Limitations
- Monthly presentation is not useful for live or interval level player count analysis.
- The page stopped working in July 2025, which prevents it from being a current source.
URL: https://www.misplaceditems.com/rs_tools/graph/
Strengths
- Was the leading RuneScape population tracker for more than a decade.
- Tracked RS3 and OSRS population data at roughly 15-minute intervals.
- The design was plain, but the site was simple, accurate, and valuable.
Limitations
- Had outages and data gaps, ranging from small gaps to multi-month gaps.
- Went down sometime in October 2025.
- In March 2026 it was sold to an Indonesian gambling company, so it is no longer a real RuneScape player count tracker.
- As of May 17, 2026, the page appears to generate fake data using the meme seed 42069, so it is no longer reliable as a current source.
URL: https://showmyitems.com/runescape-player-counts
Strengths
- Shows current Steam players, 24-hour peak, all-time peak, and Steam rank in a simple layout.
- The layout and color scheme are clear.
Limitations
- Uses Steam-only data rather than official live RuneScape counts.
- The page is heavily ad-supported.
URL: https://playercounter.com/runescape
Strengths
- Attempts to present RuneScape player counts in table form.
Limitations
- Reported a current live player count around 35,000 without a clear source.
- The numbers appear inaccurate or mixed between different data sources.
- The page is mostly tables and is not useful for reliable player count analysis.
URL: https://mmo-population.com/
Limitations
- Uses indirect estimates based on signals such as social media, Reddit, or other proxy sources.
- Does not use actual live data points from the OSRS website or the main RuneScape website.
- For RuneScape, this is one of the least reliable approaches to population information.
URL: https://igitems.com/runescape/charts
Strengths
- Contains a large amount of information, and the player count section appears to use Steam data.
Limitations
- Appears connected to real-world trading activity.
- Because of that context, it is not a source I would recommend for RuneScape population analysis.
URL: https://www.playerauctions.com/player-count/runescape/
Strengths
- Uses Steam data and separates it from Google Trends.
Limitations
- Operates in a real-world trading marketplace context.
- Because of that context, it is not a source I would recommend for RuneScape population analysis.