Standard RuneScape: Dragonwilds co-op caps at 4 players, and the world only exists while the host is playing. If your clan is bigger than that, there's exactly one supported answer: a dedicated server, which raises the cap to 6 players and keeps Ashenfall online around the clock.
Why 6 and not more?
The 6-player ceiling is enforced by Jagex in the server software itself. The config does have a max-players setting, but it only goes down, handy for locking a world to your duo, and nothing a hosting company can do will raise it past 6. (You may see mods on Nexus that claim to lift the cap; they're third-party, unsupported, and Jagex's modding guidelines draw a hard line at anything that breaks shared multiplayer environments. Run one at your own risk, and expect updates to break it.) Be wary of any host selling "8-slot" or bigger Dragonwilds plans: the game itself won't use them.
What a dedicated server changes
- 4 → 6 players: room for a fifth and sixth clanmate.
- Always online: nobody has to host; people in different time zones play whenever they want.
- One shared world: progress accumulates in one place instead of living on someone's PC.
What it needs
Jagex publishes an exact memory formula: 2 GB base plus 1 GB per player, so a full 6-player server needs 8 GB of RAM. That's the whole hardware story. Details in our server requirements guide. You can self-host with Jagex's free server software (see the setup guide) or rent a managed server that deploys in minutes.
Current as of the 1.0 release (September 15, 2026). Dragonwilds 1.0 left Early Access on that date, adding PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 with full crossplay. Jagex's 1.0 notes say dedicated servers now have a crossplay option. How console players join one is not yet documented, so the steps above are written for PC.
Got a full crew waiting? An always-on Dragonwilds server costs less than a lunch per month and takes minutes to start.
