The legendary RuneScape franchise has taken a bold leap into uncharted territory with RuneScape Dragonwilds, with classic skilling, high fantasy lore, and modern survival-crafting gameplay. Set on the forgotten continent of Ashenfall, this Early Access adventure is out now for you to explore solo or with friends. But not all is well in the wilds. Since launch, some players have been hit with a frustrating red screen bug that has been disrupting gameplay and immersion. You’re not alone if you’re one of the unlucky adventurers dealing with this issue. Consider reading this guide if you want to know how to fix this issue for good.
The Red Screen issue in RuneScape Dragonwilds kicks in right after launching the game. Everything seems normal at first, but the moment you enter actual gameplay, the entire screen is flooded with a bright red overlay, making it unplayable. It does not seem to be tied to any specific hardware yet and is affecting a range of systems randomly, which makes it even trickier to pin down.
RuneScape Dragonwilds Red Screen Issue: Is there any fix yet
Interestingly, this red screen bug isn’t entirely new. It’s popped up before in older RuneScape titles, with players on forums like r/runescape reporting similar issues months ago. In RuneScape: Dragonwilds, the devs have already started rolling out hotfixes to tackle early crashes and technical hiccups, with Hotfix 2 focusing heavily on stability improvements. While the red screen hasn’t been directly mentioned in the patch notes just yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t get fixed eventually. With that in mind, in the meantime, we’ve rounded up a few potential workarounds that might just bring your screen back to normal.
Basic Checks
Starting with the basics, sometimes the simplest fixes do the trick. Start by restarting the game and your PC, and make sure to run both Steam and RuneScape: Dragonwilds as an administrator to avoid permission-related issues. Also, double-check that your system is using a dedicated GPU rather than integrated graphics, especially on laptops. Finally, ensure your hardware meets the game’s minimum system requirements—Dragonwilds is a visually rich survival experience, and it won’t run smoothly (or at all) on underpowered setups.
GPU-related fixes
Keeping your GPU drivers up to date is crucial, especially with new Early Access titles like RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Outdated drivers can cause all sorts of visual glitches. So, make sure to check for driver updates frequently on their official websites (AMD/Nvidia’s). You can also enable auto-update through your GPU’s control panel. After the update, type “Graphics” in the Windows search box to open the Graphics Settings menu, and from the list of installed programs that appear, select the game and set it to “High Performance”
Dx11
Some have discovered a workaround that’s been gaining traction, which involves forcing the game to run using DirectX 11 instead of the default DirectX 12. This seems to be the root of the red screen issue for some. To try it yourself, head to your Steam Library, right-click RuneScape: Dragonwilds, go to Properties > General > Launch Options, and type in “-dx11”. This tells the game to launch with DirectX 11, which has helped several players bypass the red screen and get back into the action.
In-game Settings
If you’re still seeing red, try lowering the in-game graphics settings. Especially anything that’s GPU-intensive. Turn off features like ambient occlusion, shadows, post-processing effects, and anything labeled as “ultra” or “high.” Reducing the resolution and disabling V-Sync or anti-aliasing may also help stabilize performance.
Last Resort
Lastly, don’t forget to verify the integrity of the game files through Steam. Right-click on the game from your Steam library. Select Properties, and then head to the Installed Files tab. Here, select the Verify Integrity of Game Files option. After the scan is completed, launch the game and check if the issue persists. Also, double-check that RuneScape: Dragonwilds is fully updated with the latest patches. If none of the above workarounds fixed the issue, consider reinstalling the game entirely, preferably on an SSD if available.
Those are all the potential fixes we have for now. We hope this was helpful. Stay in touch with Android Gram for daily gaming guides and news.
