8Realms is a browser-based strategy title from Runescape publishers, Jagex. The game features many similarities to the typical MMORTS title but also adds a few unique aspects too.

At the beginning your settlement is in the Ancient Age, the first age of 7. Each age represents an era of technology and design, as you progress through the game and upgrade the correct buildings, you can advance an age, similar to the Age of Empires system. Everything from soldiers to buildings changes when you age up, to begin with your soldiers are armed with sticks and stones and your buildings are constructed from hay and other easily obtainable materials. As you progress through the ages, all technology evolves so that eventually you're building Clone Laboratories, flying off into space and equipping your soldiers with Rail-guns and Stealth technology.

As with any MMORTS, to be able to progress you need to collect a large amount of resources. Unlike other RTS titles, 8Realms features tiered resources based on the age your settlement is in. At the beginning you'll want to harvest as much food, wood and stone as possible, as you progress into more futuristic eras you will need to collect more coal, aluminum, oil and iron. Certain resources lose their value as you progress to the next age so it's best to spend as much of it as possible before advancing.

Similar to traditional RTS titles, 8Realms allows you to construct several Wonders, buildings that far surpass the technology and design of a certain era. These Wonders come in many shapes and sizes and include The Great Wall, The Colosseum, The Tower of London, Leonardo's Workshop, The Cold Fusion Reactor and many more. Each Wonder requires a large amount of resources to build but rewards your settlement with bonuses such as increased defense or faster training speed for your troops.

The game is available free to play but does offer an item mall for players that wish to purchase Gems to have extra build queues or buy better equipment for your army. The game is currently in closed beta and is expected to be released early 2012.