How to Play RuneScape on Your Chromebook (Complete Tutorial) – Updated for 2023

If you’re a RuneScape fan, you’re probably itching like crazy to play it on your Chromebook.

So, you go to their site, attempt to load RuneScape, and you’ll notice that your Chromebook can’t even run the Java environment required to play the game in the first place.

This is because of the way Chrome OS was built, and you’re about to see why it’s a good thing.

Don’t be disappointed. You’ll soon be able to grind all day and level up your skills in just a bit.

Last updated: 3/4/23. This guide will constantly be updated when needed to provide an accurate installation process. Did you find an error? Is there a missing step? Please leave a comment and I’ll update this page promptly when a solution is found. (You can leave comments after the article.)

Why doesn’t RuneScape work with Chrome OS?

Chrome was built without Java support for a reason- and that reason is security.

Third-party software and installations are disabled. Java is disabled. Flash is disabled. All of these are safety measures to make Chrome OS nearly invulnerable to attacks.

This is why you don’t need antivirus or any other special software. Your laptop is pretty much bulletproof from the start.

But, this is also why Chromebooks can’t play Minecraft or RuneScape out-of-the-box. Chrome OS is locked down for security and this is a contributing factor to why it’s one of the safest operating systems around.

Of course, being so restrictive can be very limiting in terms of functionality such as installing software, compatibility, and in this scenario playing games.

But thankfully, there’s a pretty easy workaround to get the game running on your device. And that’s what this tutorial will help you accomplish.

There’s still a strong player base. It just goes to show how legendary this game truly is. Just look at Twitch. There are thousands of active players/viewers.

So if you’ve been out of the game for a while, the number of players still playing it is still pretty good. No worries about finding a party.

Before we get started, there are a few things you should know:

  • You should know that you need to have some idea of using the command prompt (terminal) to do this. It’s not difficult, but it’s easy to make a mistake. If you’ve never used the command prompt before, it’s okay. Just follow the steps below and make sure you type in each line of code exactly as stated here otherwise your laptop will throw an error.
  • Setting your Chromebook up for RuneScape requires that you enable Developer Mode on your laptop. This is potentially dangerous in the sense that you can screw up your laptop, but you can always do a Powerwash and reset your Chromebook to factory settings.
  • Be sure to backup all your personal files, pictures, data, images, and whatever else you have saved to your laptop before doing this. You can use cloud storage like Google Drive or use an external hard drive to easily save your stuff. The process we’re about to go through involves erasing your local storage, so it’s important you backup all your necessary stuff. Don’t blame me if you don’t. (Yes, you’ll really lose all the data on your disk.)

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re attempting to do this on a device you don’t own (such as a school or work laptop), it may not work if your network has disabled Developer Mode. Chromebooks that are managed or enrolled in a network usually have Dev Mode and other administrative features turned off. You should consult your IT admin.

Okay, are you ready?

Let’s install RuneScape on your Chromebook. Woot.

Here’s how to do it.

Linux will let you run RuneScape

Chromebooks can run RuneScape easily with Linux and Crouton.
Chromebooks can run RuneScape. All you need to do is install Linux via Crouton.

To get around the Java-less environment of Chrome OS, we’ll have to install Linux.

Linux is an operating system (technically, it’s a kernel) just like Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS. If you’ve been playing games for any amount of time, you know what Linux is.

It’s widely used among developers and computer enthusiasts around the world.  It’s secure, free, open-source, and offers a lot of features just like Chrome OS.

For our purpose, Linux can run Java applications- which is exactly what you need to run the game.

To play RuneScape, you’ll need to be able to run Java. Linux runs Java. Therefore, you’ll need Linux. To get Linux, you’ll need Crouton.

You may have come across Linux Beta, which is a breeze to set up. But it has poor performance with games. So sticking with the “crouton” method is ideal for max performance.

This game is definitely dated, but it still requires a decent Chromebook to be playable.

Did you ever notice how free and open-source software happens to always be the savior? Just food for thought.

Hardware requirements

You don’t need that much power to run the game.

The game is already highly-optimized to run on any device- including low-end devices.

A basic Intel Celeron Chromebook with at least 4GB of RAM should do the trick. But that’s not set in stone. I’ve seen people online play the game with even 2GB of RAM. Although it’s noticeably laggier and framerates drop, it’s still playable.

The majority of Chromebooks have Intel HD Graphics as an integrated GPU, so you have some decent power to render the game. If you’re running Intel, you have Intel HD Graphics.

Also, note that this will only work for Intel-powered Chromebooks.

Most are powered by Intel processors, but some are ARM-based or MediaTek-based. You’ll want to avoid these because they’ll just cause headaches and probably won’t work with this tutorial.

You can easily check if you have an Intel-based CPU by just looking at your Chromebook’s stickers- this is the easiest way. If it has an Intel processor, you’ll likely find the infamous blue-and-white Intel sticker somewhere on it. If not, look at the bottom panel. There should be a label with a bunch of information on it. Scan for something that states it has an Intel processor.

With OSRS able to run on a potato, most models should be able to run it without a hitch. If you like old school RS, download the game and get Java.

Another way to check your Chromebooks hardware specifications is to use the built-in function in Chrome OS.

Here’s how:

  • Open Chrome Web Browser
  • Type in “chrome://system” (without the quotations) in the address bar and press Enter.
  • Look for “cpu” on the left and check what you have on the right.

As a last resort, you can just look up your specific model online and check the system specs.

If you don’t have an Intel CPU, don’t waste your time with this guide. It won’t work. Sorry.

But if you’re a hardcore fan of the game, consider buying an Intel-based laptop. I have a Chromebook buyer’s guide for that. You can pick one up for less than $150 that plays the games you crave.

If you do have an Intel processor, then go ahead proceed to the following steps.

So, if you have an Intel-powered Chromebook and you’re ready to play RuneScape…

Let’s go.

Enable Developer Mode

To install Linux, you’ll need to have Developer Mode switched on.

I wrote a complete step-by-step tutorial on how to enable Developer Mode on your Chromebook.

So check out the tutorial and follow the steps there, then come back here and proceed. This is also where you’ll need to make sure that you’ve backed up your stuff before proceeding (the guide covers it). So, connect that external hard drive or load up that cloud service and start backing up your stuff.

It should be fairly straightforward and easy to switch.

If you have any questions about enabling it, post them here and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Download Crouton on your Chromebook and install Linux

RuneScape can run on Chromebooks by installing Linux OS. You'll need it to play the game.
RuneScape can run on most Chromebooks with Linux installed. You’ll need it to be able to execute Java-based games. Ready for some fun?

Okay, so now you should have Developer Mode enabled.

Next, we’ll download Crouton, which is basically an installer that installs Linux on your Chromebook using a few lines of code (don’t worry, it’s easy).

For simplicity’s sake and to keep things in perspective, Crouton is just a launcher that installs Linux. Don’t get confused over the naming.

But to make things more confusing, we’ll be installing Ubuntu, which is a distro of Linux using Crouton.

And on top of that, we’ll be installing “Xfce,” which is a specific desktop environment of Ubuntu.

And lastly, we’ll be using the “Trusty” version of Xfce.

Is that too much? Don’t worry too much. It’s all pretty much done automatically. And you’ve also got the power of this tutorial to help you on your quest to chop down some trees.

Step 1: Download Crouton from the GitHub page here.

I suggest you also read over Crouton’s FAQ page as it covers important information, such as adding support for touchscreens, encryption, default browsers, and such.

If you decide to add additional features, modify the lines of code below to fit your needs.

To keep things simple, I’ll be supplying just the bare-bones code below.

Note: Be sure to save Crouton to the default “Downloads” folder or else it won’t work with the following steps. If you have a custom folder to save your stuff that you download from the Internet, you’ll have to verify that it’s saved in the default folder.

Step 2: Open up the command terminal by pressing “Ctrl + Alt + T” and you’ll get a popup box ready for your code input. Don’t panic.

At the command line, type the following lines of code (without the quotations) exactly as shown- the code is case sensitive:

Type “shell” and press Enter.

Type “sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t xfce” and press Enter.

What this will do is install “Trusty” on the Xfce desktop environment. If you don’t know what this means, don’t worry about it.

I chose Xfce because it’s a fast and minimalist environment that’s just plain and simple. It’s easy to use as well so people who are new to Linux are less prone to errors and confusion. It’s pretty much like vanilla Linux.

For more advanced users, there are many different desktop environments of Linux and modifiers you can install and play around with.

Note: The “-trusty” command is optional, but it’s recommended to prevent errors from possibly occurring later in the process.

If you need extra help on this step, I wrote a tutorial that covers installing Linux step-by-step you can reference.

Did you get an error? If you’re getting an error that reads:

“sh: Can’t open /home/chronos/user/Downloads/crouton”

Don’t worry. It’s quite common and easily fixed.

All you need to do is delete Crouton from your disk, and then download it again. Then try typing in the code again.

You can refer this guide if you need detailed help.

For some reason, it’ll work automagically on the second try. I have no idea why this is. It’s weird.

Still not working? If Crouton is still throwing errors, there’s another way to get it running. I was informed about this method by an awesome reader (thanks, Seth!).

Here’s how:

  • Install the Crouton Integration extension from the Chrome Web Store. It’s an unlisted extension, so you’ll need to install it through the special link provided.
  • After you install it, run it. It’ll prompt to download the default Crouton file to your hard disk. This should be the basic file (no tar.gz or .zip).
  • When it’s done downloading and saved on your Chromebook, try typing in the code again. Remember to type it exactly as shown.

Step 3: Start up Ubuntu.

After the installation completes, type in:

“sudo startxfce4”

If you’re using a different desktop environment, replace “xfce4” with whatever you chose.

Step 4: Install all updates to make sure you have the newest improvements and patches.

You can do this by booting into Ubuntu, type the following commands:

“sudo apt-get update”

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade”

Then type in:

“sudo apt-get install software-center”

These steps will update your Ubuntu to the newest version, and install the software center which makes installing applications on your Chromebook via Ubuntu much easier.

Tip: You can use “Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Left/Right Arrow” to switch between Chrome OS and Ubuntu easily. So if you have issues looking up how to do something in Ubuntu, you can switch to Chrome and look it up using your familiar browser.

Download the RuneScape installer

Okay, so at this point, you should have a Chromebook with Ubuntu installed.

Next, we’ll actually install RuneScape on your Chromebook.

Step 1: Boot up your Ubuntu installation from Chrome OS.

Open up the terminal by pressing “Ctrl + Alt + T” and type the following lines of code (again, without quotes and with proper casing):

“sudo apt-add-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client”

“sudo apt-get update”

“sudo apt-get install unix-runescape-client”

After that, the game will install on your Chromebook. You’re almost ready to play. Congrats.

Step 2: Type in “runescape” and hit Enter. The game will boot and you’re all set.

The game will start and you’ll be presented with the login screen.

You’re done! You should now be able to play RuneScape on your Chromebook! Congrats again!

Play RuneScape on Chromebook.
This is the victory screen. Your mission was to play RuneScape on your Chromebook. You did it. Congrats.

Improving the performance of RuneScape on your Chromebook

Adjust game settings

If you have a cheap Chromebook, you may notice that the game chugs and doesn’t run too smoothly.

When I first launched RuneScape, I was getting about 12FPS on my Acer Chromebook CB3-131 (Intel Celeron, 2GB RAM).

If you’re a gamer, you know that playing at anything under 30FPS is less-than-optimal.

So what I did was switch the game over to Legacy mode, which is made to run on weaker and older computers. This alone boosted me up to about 22FPS. It’s not even close to ideal, but it’s playable.

You can also change the graphics settings within the game. Change the resolution to the lowest playable resolution for another performance boost.

You can disable any background applications you may have running to squeeze out some more performance. Playing in a smaller window also seems to help as well, along with lowering all the in-game settings.

I’ve also read that disabling audio boosts performance, but I haven’t really seen any improvement by doing so. I’d rather lose a few frames for audio. That sweet, sweet music.

I could play the game averaging about 20-22FPS. But when I enter populated towns, it drops down to a chuggable 10-12FPS. This is the only drawback. That’s why I spent most of my time questing with a friend in lower-population areas.

My friend also has this installed on his laptop. He’s running an Intel Core CPU with 4GB of RAM. He’s averaging about 50FPS with dips down to about 40FPS in populated areas. The game runs smoothly and looks amazing. His game settings are just about low-medium, so it’s still palatable enough to play.

It’s a huge world of difference. Running the game on a faster CPU with double the RAM is like night and day.

If you’re seriously a hardcore gamer and you need to play this on your Chromebook, you may want to consider getting a more powerful laptop.

Upgrade your device

If you’re thinking about upgrading your rig, there are a ton of models out now that sport plenty of power.

Modern Chromebooks often have at least 4GB of RAM and are often running newer processors, such as Intel Core CPUs.

This provides plenty of power for you to run the game like butter. A lot of them also have touchscreen support and convertible bodies. This makes playing games, in general, a lot more pleasant.

(Thinking about upgrading? Check out this list of the newest Chromebooks on the market.)

Use an extension

Some users have also suggested getting a Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store to improve performance.

This works, but it depends on your usage habits.

For instance, you can download The Great Suspender which will automatically suspend idle Chrome tabs. This, in turn, will reduce RAM usage and free it up for Runescape.

But then again, if you don’t have multiple tabs open, it won’t really boost game performance.

Update your Java version

If you’re running an older version of JRE, this could result in some serious lag when you play RS.

You should double-check that you have the latest version (JRE 8+) by typing the following commands:

Launch the command prompt (“CTRL + ALT + T”)

Type “java -version” and hit Enter.

You’ll see some text show up on your screen that displays all the Java installs you have on your device. This is the current default version you’re running. If you have a lot of them, you can select your default Java installation to run with RS.

If you’re having difficulty updating Java, check out this tutorial to install and update JRE.

Install OS Buddy

You can easily run OS Buddy alongside the game on Linux.

If you haven’t heard of OS Buddy, it’s basically an old-school toolkit for running the game with some awesome features implemented. Hardcore fans of the game see it as a must-have toolkit.

Their site is called, confusingly, RSBuddy. But don’t fret- they’re pretty much used interchangeably.

You can get all this and more with just a single download. OS Buddy runs alongside your RuneScape client on Linux and doesn’t require any changes. It comes in both a free version and a premium version. If you’ve never used it before and you’re looking to increase your gameplay experience, you should definitely install the free version.

If you like it enough, you can upgrade to OS Buddy Pro. OS Buddy Pro improves your game experience by adding a ton of nice little trackers, taggers, helpers, and even graphics options.

Some of the most useful functions include the following:

  • Use OpenGL graphics
  • Adds a combat tracker
  • Adds a clue scroll solver
  • Use bank tagging
  • Use screen markers
  • Adds skilling helpers
  • Adds a bank evaluator

If you’re interested, you can check out the full feature list here.

Personally, I just use the free version as I don’t play the game enough (too many games, too little time) to get my money’s worth of the pro features. However, I can see a hardcore fan totally taking advantage of these trackers.

Anyway, you can easily download and install OS Buddy on your Chromebook.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Download the Debian package of OS Buddy from their official site.

Be sure you download the right package or else it won’t launch!

Step 2: Launch the command terminal (“CTRL + ALT + T”).

Step 3: Navigate to the directory where you installed OS Buddy (use “cd” to change the directory).

If you’re not familiar with Linux commands, you use “cd” to change the directory. You need to navigate and specify the exact directory where you downloaded OS Buddy in.

For example, if you downloaded it to your “Downloads” folder, you’d type in something like “cd /home/user/downloads/…” in order to run it properly.

If you get an error while trying to install it, you probably have the wrong directory specified. Linux is very picky!

Step 4: Launch OS Buddy using the following command:
“Java -jar OSBuddy.jar”

The game should launch with OS Buddy as well.

If not, leave a comment and let me know and I’ll try to help you out =].

Looking for Old-School RuneScape (OSRS)?

You can choose between the two games, OSRS and RS3 at the launcher window.

This thing has changed so many times that it’s hard to keep updated on it, so you may have to do some research in order to play OSRS. It used to be available in the “Options” or “Settings” tab, but some readers have reported that it’s gone missing or that you need to punch in a few commands to switch from RS3 to OSRS.

If you’re having difficulties, please leave a comment and let me know. OSRS is possible and has been done, but the process of making it happen is extremely tedious.

Troubleshooting

The most common problem readers get is their laptop throwing an “unknown command” error after they type in their first line of code (“sudo”).

This is often because Dev Mode isn’t enabled, or they’ve enabled it but Chrome OS tends to revert back to the default mode.

After you enable it, it’ll stay active until you close the lid, shut down, or restart your Chromebook. The next time you boot it up, you’ll be prompted with a warning screen stating that OS Verification is OFF. (This pretty much means Dev Mode is still on.)

You need to press the right key in order to keep it off. If you press the wrong key, it’ll automatically go back to the system defaults (OS Verification ON). This is good for security but bad for trying to hack a game into Chrome OS.

If you let it revert, you’ll have to do this process all over again every time it resets itself. Be sure to press the right key. Read the warning prompt. It’ll tell you which key to press in order to keep Dev Mode activated.

If you’re having other issues, you can leave a comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Lastly, if you’re a visual learner, here’s a video going over pretty much the same steps (there are slight differences, but the process is nearly identical):

Did you get it working?

Well, that’s about it.

You should now be able to run RuneScape pretty smoothly on your Chromebook, and start training your fire-starting and fishing skills ASAP. If you have any issues, please let me know in the comments below.

Note that this guide doesn’t work for every single model. Strangely enough, some work and some don’t- even if it’s the same operating system. There is no universal guide that works for all Chromebooks.

However, with minor tweaks and such, you can get RuneScape to play on most Chromebooks.

Again, if you’re having issues, leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do.

But first, try to tinker and see if you can figure it out yourself.

It’s always good to learn and become a Chromebook master. If you can grind for hours cutting logs, you can research for hours getting this to work. Though, it should be easy enough to get it running.

Let me know if this guide has helped you. And if it did, consider telling a friend so they can tag along with you on your epic adventure to grind some skills.

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).

252 thoughts on “How to Play RuneScape on Your Chromebook (Complete Tutorial) – Updated for 2023”

  1. i keep getting an error code saying it can’t download a certain line. was working fine last night and tried to reinstall it. any suggestions?

    Reply
  2. hey im not getting any errors but after i type “sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t xfce” it prompts me with a password. but i havent created a password for anything yet

    Reply
  3. I booted up runescape but I can’t play because it says it “could not find or load main class jagexappletviewer”

    Reply
    • I have the same issue as well, no idea how to get around it. I looked around some old forums, tried downloading 7z to extract it (although it seems like I already have it installed). Hope someone can help

      Reply
  4. I made it all the way to type “runescape”. The game opened up and then I got an error. The website itself said it couldn’t open runescape.

    Reply
  5. I ran into an error that said it refused to open it. I did some research and found the fix. github.com/dnschneid/crouton/blob/HEAD/README.md

    This did the trick

    Reply
  6. Mine told me I have to get a USB before anything when I clicked the commands to go into Dev mode.. Also, can’t you install RuneLite once Linux is installed instead of OSBuddy?

    Reply
  7. Im having an issue. I got ubuntu and downloaded runescape but now when i load it from the launcher i get an error in the terminal stating

    Error: could not find or load main class jagexappletviewer

    Reply
  8. I checked the faq for crouton and it had a command that i tried to use to set a password but it wouldn’t let me type anything. So anytime i try a command in Ubuntu it requires a password, i don’t have one, and it won’t let me type a password in anyway

    Reply
  9. I did all the steps but when it came to making a used for Ubuntu it asked for a password and I couldn’t type anything in. Now when it asks for a password it still doesn’t let me type and when I just hit enter it says “Sorry try again”

    Reply
  10. I got all the way to the RuneScape Unix Client Launcher but the game doesn’t actually open/I can’t sign in anywhere. Can anyone help me?

    Reply
  11. Ummm…. When I type in “shell” and press enter it says “unknown command” I’m already in Developer Mode

    Reply
  12. I would just like to say thank you. This helped a lot and it had so much detail. I look forward to reading future updates.

    Reply
  13. I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to code the runescape part onto my linux, that part of the help was really lacking, can you explain it better so i could possibly understand it. thanks!

    Reply
  14. I’ve got everything downloaded but when I go to sign in it to the game it says java support client has ended and to download the latest client. I’ve tried running all the update codes but it still won’t fix it.

    Reply
  15. ‘i’m getting this error

    WARNING: trusty has reached upstream end-of-life.
    That means there will be no package updates available.
    You also have to specify a mirror to crouton (-m) for installation to proceed.

    im not sure what to do

    Reply
  16. im trying to install osbuddy i clearly am typing wrong or somethng cn you do more step by step im new to this

    Reply
    • Hey Joe,

      Are you using the Back/Forward arrows at the top of your keyboard (not the arrow keypad)? With the other keyboard combinations and these two arrows, the switching should work.

      Let me know if you’re still stuck.

      Reply
      • it doesnt work for me because i dont have the playstore only the webstore!!!! )’: such a xp waste rn

        Reply
  17. I keep getting the error “sh: Can’t open /home/chronos/user/Downloads/crouton” and following both fixes for it, but it still is happening. Do you know how to fix it?

    Reply
  18. So when switching between Chrome OS and Ubuntu, my Chrome OS goes whack. I will be doing fine in Ubuntu, but the when I switch back to Chrome OS, the screen is all blurred and looks like a dark theme or something. It is impossible to see and this happens everytime I try to use Ubuntu, and even when I log out of Ubuntu it is the same way until I restart my chromebook. By the way, I am using an HP Chromebook running Intel Celeron n3350 processor. Please help!

    Reply
  19. first off tysvm for this guide, i can play runescape without a problem. any way you can help me figure out runelite? ive tried and tried and tried and im just stuck. any new angle to try would be greatly appreciate.

    Reply
  20. Hey im getting a error code on chrome os downloading runescape “sudo apt-add-respository “ part, it says error: unknown command:sudo?

    Reply
  21. I am able to play it after following your instructions . I am playing on the Asus Chromebook flip intel core m3 . I’m not really computer savvy. My thing is how do I go back to the regular chrome book look it’s currently playing on the Linux but is there a way to pull up the game without opening the command and typing in the info to pull up Linux or that is the way you have to play ? I’m asking because when opening up external links on Runescape to open the store it tells me to copy link in browser and the browser on Linux is a netsurf and it doesn’t work well let me know ASAP. If I can’t I will look into buying a gaming computer . Also I don’t want to cash out , what other computer would run this game smoothly without going broke ! Lol thanks . This was easy for me to follow and I’m a girl l

    Reply
    • Hey Rosegold,

      Glad you got it working! You can switch between Chrome OS and Linux by using “CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + Forward/Back Arrow.” This is the shortcut so you don’t need to use the command prompt.

      As for a gaming computer, do you mean specific to a Chromebook? If so, you can check out this buyer’s guide. Written for Minecraft, but should work just as well for RuneScape.

      Let me know if you have any other questions.
      Thanks.

      Reply
  22. I am getting this error code after playing for a couple mins, game will crash and leave me with a black screen. Will be waiting to hear back, Thank you.
    Trying to load icon file: /home/humanpopcorn/.config/runescape/share/img/RuneScape3/jagexappletviewer.png
    Loader init
    Init 1
    Init 2
    Init 3
    Init 4
    Init 5
    Init 6
    Init 7
    Init 8
    Loader show
    Loader set message
    Config url:http://www.runescape.com/k=3/l=0/jav_config.ws
    Config URL is http://www.runescape.com/k=3/l=0/jav_config.ws
    # [ timer expired, abort… ]
    Aborted (core dumped)
    Error: client.init:1222 sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0 sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke:62 sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke:43 java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke:498 Rs2Applet.a:24 Rs2Applet.init:485 app.appletviewer.a:846 jagexappletviewer.main:34 | java.lang.RuntimeException |
    sun.awt.image.ImageFormatException: Unsupported color conversion request
    at sun.awt.image.JPEGImageDecoder.readImage(Native Method)
    at sun.awt.image.JPEGImageDecoder.produceImage(JPEGImageDecoder.java:141)
    at sun.awt.image.InputStreamImageSource.doFetch(InputStreamImageSource.java:269)
    at sun.awt.image.ImageFetcher.fetchloop(ImageFetcher.java:205)
    at sun.awt.image.ImageFetcher.run(ImageFetcher.java:169)
    document.cookie=”settings=Ymi9Liy-EKAKnFJQFAKSInGJOJImxJCCdIOg8fq8UUU; version=1; path=/; domain=.runescape.com; Expires=Mon 21-Feb-2022 22:56:07 GMT; Max-Age=94608000″
    Error: k.b() op.a() xa.ig() aiu.iy() aan.hq() xd.ju() xd.ju() hv.jh() xd.ju() xd.ju() xd.ju() xd.ju() hv.jh() akl.jz() fz.hz() client.ar() sb.n() sb.c() | afa.cy:1623 k.b:568 op.a:82 xa.ig:5954 aiu.iy:5596 aan.hq:4557 xd.ju:10388 xd.ju:10472 hv.jh:10314 xd.ju:10476 xd.ju:10472 xd.ju:10472 xd.ju:10472 hv.jh:10314 akl.jz:10299 fz.hz:4402 client.ar:1628 sb.n:598 sb.c:550 sb.run:506 java.lang.Thread.run:748 | java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: | 2808,9520,104,104 0,2861,9575 0 0 2 1366,659 0 0 0 0 0 0 504 19 3865 aZbILvNYP0-CezDNC3*a0-5-x6VEPNL5
    error_game_crash

    Reply
  23. Hello, first off thanks for the amazing guide. I have RS downloaded now but whenever i go to play I only get 190 mins in before the game crashes not sure what to do, Thank you will be waiting for a response

    Reply
  24. When i enter the command sudo apt-get install unix-runescape-client, it gives me this message: E: Unable to locate package unix-runescape-client. Any ideas on how to solve this? I feel so much close to it

    Reply
    • Having the same problem. Tried a million things (spent about 6 hours so far trying to get Runescape to run), and I keep hoping the next one will work.

      Reply
      • Hey Mat Cauthon,

        What errors are you getting in the console when you ran through each method? Could you type them here or post a screenshot? Was it throwing a consistent error or you were getting random strings each time?

        I’ll have to take a look into this to see what broke.

        Thanks.

        Reply
  25. I got stucked after i typed apt-get install software-properties-common, it keeps asking for a password ( [sudo] password for username:) but i never created a password. Thanks for the help

    Reply
  26. im stuck on the sudo apt-add-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client part when i type this command in it ask for password, once entered it says apt-add-repository: command not found. Thanks will be waiting for a response

    Reply
    • Hey there,

      You may have to run this command first:
      “sudo apt-get install software-properties-common”

      Then try running the PPA line again.

      Let me know if you’re still getting an error.
      Thanks.

      Reply
  27. All was going well until I made my password and forgot it. Now I can’t get any further. How do I reset my password or delete the whole thing to start again?

    Reply
    • Hey RagingSamoan,

      You can boot into Grub by holding Shift when you launch Linux.
      Then choose the second option from the list (typically) which is something like (Ubutun, with Linux Recovery Mode).
      Then choose the “root” option.
      Then type “passwd user” where “user” is the username you chose to reset it.

      This requires a small bit of technical knowledge, but if it doesn’t work, you can always just Powerwash your computer and restart. It should be easier the second time around anyway since you’re somewhat familiar with the process.

      Let me know if you have any other problems.
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • One powerwash later and I got it all sorted, the only thing that isn’t working right is the fact that I can’t swap between Ubuntu and Chrome OS with the Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Arrow Keys, any ideas on how to fix this?

        Reply
  28. Hey, thanks for the guide! I managed to get it all downloaded and running thanks to help from my brother, however I only realized after that this was for RS3. How can I get Old School Runescape on my ubuntu instead? Thanks!

    Reply
    • This is why I came and read through all of this. orsrs has a mobile version, but it runs on android. There has to be a way to download old school, and it would run great on the basic chromebooks as well.

      Reply
  29. Hey. I don’t know what I’ve done, but when I put sudo sh~/Downloads/crouton/ – r trusty t- xfce it asks for a password. No username, just password.

    Also, nothing comes up when I type anything ;it stays blank

    Reply
    • OK. Fixed it. Turns out I’m an idiot who didn’t refer back to the guide to make sure I put everything in right (I put ‘… -r trusty t-…’ and not -‘… -r trusty -t’

      Reply
      • Hey Drew,

        Haha, no problem! Linux is extremely precise and doesn’t take anything other than what it wants. You’d be surprised how many times that’s happened to me only to loop around for an hour just because of a missing character!

        Anyway, I’m glad you got it working. Let me know if you need help.
        Thanks.

        Reply
  30. For OSBuddy, when I try the command java -jar OSBuddy.jar it says unable to access jarfile OSBuddy.jar

    Please help

    Reply
  31. when i do this step ‘
    Type “sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t xfce” and press Enter. ‘
    it asks me for a password but i never set one up, what next?

    Reply
    • Hey Malaikai T,

      When you punch in that line, it’ll install the Linux files and prompt you to create a username and password. It should be asking for you to set up a password and user for the first-time account creation. Is it prompting for just the password?

      Thanks.

      Reply
      • I’m currently doing this now and am experiencing the same problem. It’s only asking for what seems to be a pre-existing password, not to create a new one. ANy help would be appreciated!

        Reply
        • Hey Chunks,

          I know this may sound redundant, but could you explain the steps you took so far to replicate the password prompt to trigger? I’m looking into this and any details/diagnosis helps! Will get back to you shortly.

          Thanks.

          Reply
  32. Hey. I’ve installed it and it has been working perfectly fine. Yesterday at exactly midnight, the game crashed and I’ve been getting „error game crash“ everytime I try to run it. Would you be able to help? 🙂

    Reply
    • Hey Lilo,

      You should try doing an update by running the command:

      sudo apt-get update

      Then try restarting your Chromebook and launching RuneScape again.

      Let me know if it still crashes.
      Thanks.

      Reply
  33. Hey man GREAT guide, can’t tell you how much I appreciate it and how easy it was to use. My only question is how can I install Old School Runescape?

    Reply
    • Hey Dennis,

      I believe you can use the launcher to choose between the two clients. There’s some kind of toggle setting on it as reported by readers (it’s been quite a while since I last launched the game on my Chromebook), but I remember seeing a dropdown menu or something like that.

      Did the game successfully install? Try sifting through the options and looking for OSRS. The game may have updated and changed around the UI since then.

      Let me know if you can’t find it. And thanks for the kind words. This is why I write =].

      Reply
      • Hey Andy,
        Thanks for the reply yes I able to install and run Runescape3, however the dropdown menu on the launcher only have options to change the background of the launcher. it seems that the launcher was only to install RS3. if you could help me look into it maybe there is a separate client to download? or a guide to get Java running on Netsufe (the browser on Ubuntu)?

        Reply
        • Hi Dennis,

          Thanks for pointing this out!

          I’ll have to look into it and see if I can find a solution.
          I know there’s a quick fix to this but it may not work anymore. You can try it if you’re up for it. All you need to do is run:

          “sudo gedit /usr/games/runescape”

          Then replace every “https://www.runescape.com…/jav_config.ws” with “https://oldschool.runescape.com/l=en/jav_config.ws”

          Note that if you run the code and you get an error, you’ll need to use whatever notepad application you have installed on your version of Ubuntu. Just replace “gedit” with the proper application name.

          Another option is to use RuneLite, which is a free client for OSRS Linux. You can check out the application here:
          https://runelite.net/

          If you happen to find anything yourself, please post it here and let me (and other readers) know.
          Thanks again.

          Reply
  34. i finally got everything to work, but i still have one problem. when i put in “sudo apt-add-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client” in xfce, it doesnt recognize sudo apt add repository

    sudo: apt-add-repository: command not found

    the other 2 commands work but this one doesnt
    why?

    btw, i think you are doing a great job of getting back to everybody and answering their questions

    Reply
    • Hey again oliver child,

      Props to you for taking the initiative and figuring out the previous problem. That’s what we need more of around here!

      The “command not found” error may be an easy fix.

      First, try updating:
      sudo apt-get update
      sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client

      Or this command if that one fails:
      sudo apt-get install -y software-properties-common
      sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client

      And if that doesn’t work, try this:
      deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/hikariknight/unix-runescape-client/ubuntu trusty main
      deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/hikariknight/unix-runescape-client/ubuntu trusty main

      Let me know if you’re still stuck. Please copy/paste the error output here if so.
      And thanks for the kind words =].

      Reply
  35. hey, after installing crouton and entering in the prompts, after about 15 minutes of code running im asked to put a username, followed by a password. i didnt know what to do so i entered my name as my username, but then discovered that when i tried to type the password in, the keyboard wouldnt register. im going to delete and retry again but im hoping you have a solution for this. Thanks

    Reply
    • Hey EndlessFearz,

      That’s normal =]. When you type in a password, the cursor doesn’t move. This is a security feature of Linux.

      But as you’re typing, it’s actually registering every key press you push! When you try again, just be careful of the password you set, because this type of setup makes it easy to mistakenly set a password you didn’t intend to.

      Let me know if you have any other questions!
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • hey thanks for replying, i was wondering what the code is for osrs instead of rs3? i really only have interest in osrs.
        thanks

        Reply
        • also, just got to the part where i have to put sudo apt-get update. i get an error code saying unknown command: sudo

          Reply
          • Hey again EnlessFearz,

            You can try running these commands for OSRS:

            sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client
            sudo apt-get update
            sudo apt-get install unix-runescape-client

            Be sure that you’re logged in as the root admin or else it’ll throw an error. And make sure Dev Mode is enabled =]. Look for the options to switch to OSRS instead of RS3 when you see the launcher.

            You can then hit the Ubuntu button and search for “runescape” and it should show somewhere in Games > Runescape.

            As for the update command not working, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If something looks weird when you’re playing RuneScape, you could try running this command to update your repositories:

            sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

            If you get weird graphical glitches, it’s likely the issue and you’ll want to update your graphics drivers.

            You can also try using the PaleMoon Browser, as it runs OSRS directly within the browser without requiring additional steps from what I recall (it’s been a while since I used it).

            Let me know if you get stuck again.
            Thanks.

  36. Thanks for the tutorial.
    Everything more or less worked.
    Ubuntu installed, Runescape installed
    BUT… I have a few problems that dont allow me to play immediately

    Im new to the game so i have to create an account BUT the web browser in ubuntu isnt very compatible and doesnt let me see captchas so i couldnt make the account. Currently trying ot download a new browser in ubuntu but its taking like 20 min to download a 50 MB installer. ****** weird. not sure if itll work though

    I cant switch back and forth between ubutuntu and Chrome with the alt+cntrl+shift+arrow.
    I have to log out of ubuntu to return to chrome, and when i do return to chrome the visuals become negative images? all black and hard see/read. So a full reset is neccessary for me to use chrome again.

    &

    When i restart my chromebook it doesnt give me any info on how to stay in dev mode.
    but when I hit control+d it loads up fine

    Other than that it was an interesting process thanks for the efforts OP

    Reply
    • derr i can make a runscape account while in chrome os

      i was playing good. now i just gotta figure out how to properly fullscreen

      Reply
    • Hey Naetyo,

      Glad you got it working! Yeah, there’s bound to be some issues when trying to do this- it never works perfectly, but even with the glitches and bugs galore, at least you’re playing RUNESCAPE =]!

      I think, for the future, I’ll update this guide so that Ubuntu comes downloaded with the Chrome browser by default. This way, downloads may be faster and CAPTCHAS should show without any problems.

      Thanks for pointing out all the issues and detailing your install. This will help future players, and I’ll use this as a reference to update the guide. And thanks once more for taking the initiate! That’s what we need more of.

      If you have any questions, let me know. But I think you’re more than capable of figuring it out.

      Reply
    • Hey Rumatum,

      You’d simply install it with the command prompt, I believe. Just press “CTRL + ALT + T” to launch it and type “shell” followed by the installation fetch.

      And that should do it! Let me know if you have any other questions.
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Ive been trying ever since chrome os added linux support (I think on the 19th). Ive tried as many methods as I could find, and I couldnt get them to work. I came very close with one, but it ended with an authentication error I couldnt figure out how to get around. Using the linux supported chrome os, the command “shell” and “sudo apt-add-repository ppa:hikariknight/unix-runescape-client” could not be recognized.

        I have followed your tutorial before, and it worked fine. Now that chrome os has linux support, I dont think cruton is needed (correct me if I am wrong). And using the command prompts to install runescape just are not working for me, is there some different text line that needs to be used for the linux (penguin??). Sorry if this is all over the place, I hope I provided enough information for you to help.

        Thank you for your quick response earlier!

        Reply
        • FOR ME those commands lines work fine when inside the linux os. But when typing those commands while in chrome os i get a “command could not be found” messge.

          Reply
  37. Just solved my last issue as well (would respond to my own threads, but not allowed to). In order to run the Ubuntu I have to close crosh, re-open it, and:

    crosh> sudo startxfce4

    Then Ubuntu will open (my problem was that I typed this correctly in the wrong place, then typo in the right place)

    Reply
    • Hey Elliander Eldridge,

      Props to you for taking the initiative and solving the issues! That’s what I like to see and what the world needs more of =].
      Sorry about the late reply. Been swamped with work lately.

      Did you happen to get RuneScape working yet?
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Unfortunately not. Sure, I got Runescape installed on Ubuntu and I was able to launch that program, but I haven’t played in years and I’ve been stuck trying to reset my password.

        In Chromebook: I can view the webpages OK, but when it goes to having my password reset I am required to click a google capcha that is not interactable.

        In Ubuntu: The web browser is… weird. Every page I go to looks distorted and/or black unless I resize it between every page click, and google capcha doesn’t appear at all so I can’t reset there.

        Additionally, I noticed a MAJOR problem with using the Ubuntu: Because Chrome OS unloads things that use allot of resources when not in active use, Ubuntu will essentially crash at random, but doesn’t do so elegantly. Rather than actually closing, it takes me to a login command prompt that doesn’t actually work. I can usually use ctrl-alt-shift-forward/back to get out of it and then retype “sudo startxfce4” and then it will work again, but it crashed in a way that this wouldn’t work and so I had to reboot the chromebook the hard way and make sure to press ctrl-D to get back in.

        For my own purposes, I’ll probably get to another computer to reset my password, and I’ll be able to work around the quirks, but it still could be improved on.

        This would be much better with the following:

        1.) A way to disable the screen at each reboot, so that you can’t accidentally wipe your data.
        2.) A chrome app wrapper to launch Ubuntu. Sure, in crosh I can just press up for shell and up again for sudo startxfce4, but I’d rather a way to fully click on it.
        3.) A way to prevent Chrome from unloading Ubuntu when not in focus
        4.) That if it crashes, something in Chrome would be smart enough to outright close it to prevent chrome OS from locking up.
        5.) A simple way to manually fully close Ubuntu
        6.) A web browser that works properly out of the box

        P.S. – typo in your instructions. sudo has to be all lowercase, so when you say to type “Sudo startxfce4” that’s wrong 😉

        Reply
        • Hey again Elliander Eldridge,

          I’ve encountered the memory usage crashing a few times here and there, but it was quite rare back then when I had everything set up and going! But I’m pretty sure your experience is a lot more recent and is the current state of affairs. I’ll need to do a fresh install of Ubuntu on my Chromebook and see what’s going on.

          In the meantime, you could try using KDE instead of xfce. They’re both polar opposites in terms of distros, but have similar functionalities. This may just fix a few of the issues you pointed out. You could also try installing it with the Chrome browser and some media kits during the installation to have a more “modern” UI with more functionality to render the web.

          TBH, I haven’t messed around with Ubuntu on my system for a while now. I’ll install it again and see what I can dig up!

          As for java, there’s no possible way right now that allows a fully-functioning JRE to be installed on Chrome OS that I know of. I could be wrong, but Chrome OS seems to be hard-coded to prevent any java from executing (since it’s built for security- no java/.exe/third-party programs).

          The only way is via Crouton and Linux to bypass Chrome OS, which will easily run java within Ubuntu and can be done with a few commands to download/install JRE8. But if you find a way to get it working on just Chrome OS, I’d be all ears to learn! There have been talks in the past, but as you said, it’s well-dated and probably doesn’t work so well anymore nowadays.

          And thanks for pointing out that typo- fixed =]!

          Reply
      • Out of curiosity, since we have to be in dev mode anyway, why not install Java runtime environment directly to not only run Runescape, but also be able to use it’s website and any other website that still uses Java? Granted, the newest guide I can find for that is from 2016 so things have probably changed since then, but what would be the consequence of doing so?

        In my current software engineering class I am required to develop in Java anyway, so being able to install Java runtime environment, IntelliJ IDE, and to run both websites and my own jar files in ChromeOS would be extremely useful.

        Reply
  38. I was able to resolve my previous issue (which I can’t respond to) by using:

    sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t xfce -t touch -u

    Which was for reinstall, but worked to allow everything to essentially resume. However, now I can’t get any further. It’s installed and I see this:
    _______

    Here’s some tips:

    Audio from the chroot will now be forwarded to CRAS (Chromium OS audio server),
    through an ALSA plugin.

    Future Chromium OS upgrades may break compatibility with the installed version
    of CRAS. Should this happen, simply update your chroot.

    You can flip through your running chroot desktops and Chromium OS by hitting
    Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Back and Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Forward.

    You can start Xfce via the startxfce4 host command: sudo startxfce4

    Unmounting /mnt/stateful_partition/crouton/chroots/trusty…
    Done! You can enter the chroot using enter-chroot.
    chronos@localhost / $ Sudo startxfce4
    bash: Sudo: command not found
    chronos@localhost / $ enter-chroot
    enter-chroot must be run as root.
    _______

    and then I open a new crosh like so:

    _______

    crosh> sudo startfxce4
    ERROR: unknown command: sudo
    crosh> enter-chroot
    ERROR: unknown command: enter-chroot
    crosh> shell
    bash: Sudo: command not found
    chronos@localhost / $ sudo startfxce4
    sudo: startfxce4: command not found
    chronos@localhost / $ enter-chroot
    enter-chroot must be run as root.
    _______
    Whatever the issue is, I can’t seem to get to the next step.

    Reply
  39. Problem: My internet connection was briefly interrupted during a step and now I can’t restart it. It tells me to delete the directory or try a different name. I’d rather delete, but can’t seem to:

    chronos@localhost / $ sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -r trusty -t xfce -t touch
    /usr/local/chroots/trusty already has stuff in it!
    Either delete it, specify a different name (-n), or specify -u to update it.
    chronos@localhost / $ sudo delete /usr/local/chroots/trusty
    sudo: delete: command not found

    Do I have to delete the entire install of chroot via:

    sudo delete-chroot chroot

    and start completely over?

    Reply
  40. I’m having difficulty with opening the OSbuddy, I’ve done all the steps and it begins to load, but then it just force closes after it starts. Any ideas to a solution?

    Reply