You're standing at the Grand Exchange. You see some guy in full Torva, a Scythe of Vitur slung over his shoulder like it’s nothing, and a Zuk pet following him around. You check your bank. You’ve got about 400k and a stack of lobsters. It feels bad. Honestly, making money on OSRS isn't about some "secret" method that nobody knows about. It’s usually just about stopping the constant "bankstanding" and actually understanding how the economy shifts.
Most players think they need to grind Vorkath for 2,000 kills to get rich. They aren't necessarily wrong, but they're bored. Boredom is the biggest profit-killer in Gielinor. If you hate what you’re doing, you’ll log off. If you log off, you aren't making GP. Simple as that.
The Reality of Making Money on OSRS in 2026
The economy is weird right now. We've seen massive fluctuations because of the new gear sets and the way the Grand Exchange tax removes items from the game. That tax is actually your best friend. It keeps item prices stable-ish. But if you want to actually see your gold stack grow, you have to stop thinking about hourly rates and start thinking about efficiency.
A lot of people look at the OSRS Wiki and see "5M per hour" for a specific boss. They go there, die three times, take ten minutes to re-gear, and realize they actually made about 200k. You’ve gotta be honest with yourself about your skill level.
Low Level Strategies That Aren't Total Trash
If you're just starting out or playing an alt, don't touch cows. Please. It’s 2026. If I see one more person suggesting cowhides, I'll lose it.
Instead, look at things that high-level players are too lazy to do. Casting Tan Leather is still surprisingly decent if you've finished the Fremennik Hard Diary. It’s click-intensive, sure, but the profit is consistent because crafters always need leather for those 99 grinds. Or look at Bird House runs. It takes ninety seconds. If you aren't doing your Bird House runs, you're basically throwing away free Hunter XP and bird nests that sell for a ridiculous amount because of Saradomin Brew demand.
Do them. Every hour. No excuses.
The Slayer Trap
People say "Slayer is how you make money."
That’s a half-truth.
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Low-level Slayer is a money pit. You spend more on cannonballs and prayer potions than you ever make back from steel longswords and chaos runes. It only starts becoming a viable way of making money on OSRS once you hit level 75 for Gargoyles, 80 for Nechryael, and 85 for Abyssal Demons. Even then, the real money is at level 95 with Alchemical Hydra. If you're level 40 Slayer and wondering why you're poor, it's because you're in the "investment" phase. You have to pay the tax of leveling up before the game starts paying you back.
Mid-Tier Bossing and the "Consistent GP" Myth
Everyone talks about Zulrah and Vorkath. They’re the "money snek" and the "money dragon."
Vorkath is great because the loot is predictable. You get your superior dragon bones, your hides, and your alchables. It’s steady. But Zulrah? Zulrah is a different beast. With the price of Zul-andra teleports and scales fluctuating, sometimes Zulrah feels like a waste of time unless you’re hitting that unique table.
If you’ve got a decent Ranged level and a Dragon Hunter Crossbow, Vorkath is probably the most "chill" way to build a 100M bank. But don't sleep on the Wilderness bosses. Callisto and Artio can be absolute gold mines if you can handle the occasional PKer. The risk-to-reward ratio in the Wildy is actually tilted in the player's favor right now, especially with the updated drop tables for the Voidwaker pieces. One lucky drop and your bank doubles.
The Rise of High-Level Raiding
If you want the "megarares," you have to raid. There’s no way around it.
- Chambers of Xeric (CoX): The oldest raid, still relevant because of the Twisted Bow. It’s a bit of a lottery. You can go 100 raids with nothing but arcane scrolls, or you can get a T-bow and never worry about GP again.
- Theatre of Blood (ToB): This is the "skill" raid. It’s hard to learn, but the Scythe of Vitur is currently sitting at a massive price point. If you have a consistent team, this is arguably the best GP in the game, but the barrier to entry is high. People can be elitist. You’ll get kicked from teams if you don't know the mechanics. It sucks, but that’s the reality.
- Tombs of Amascut (ToA): This changed everything. Because of the "Invocation" system, almost anyone can do it. You can run it solo. You can scale the difficulty. The Tumeken's Shadow is the ultimate prize here. Even at lower invocations, the common loot keeps you afloat.
Honestly, if you aren't doing ToA, you're missing out on the most accessible high-end making money on OSRS method ever created.
Flipping: Making GP While You Sleep
Flipping isn't just for the guys with 10 billion GP.
You can flip with 5M. The trick is finding high-volume items with a decent spread. Think about things people use constantly: runes, potions, food, and ammunition. You buy for 1 GP less than the market price and sell for 1 GP more. It sounds tiny, but when you're moving 50,000 Zul's scales, that adds up.
Don't try to "market manipulate." You'll get burned. Just look for items that have a "gap." Check the 24-hour price graphs. If an item usually sells for 400 but it's currently 380, buy it. Wait four hours. Sell it for 398. You just made a profit while you were at work or school.
The Mental Game of Wealth Building
Why are most players poor? They buy gear they don't need.
They buy a Bandos Chestplate when they should be using a Fighter Torso. They buy a Ghrazi Rapier when an Abyssal Whip is fine for what they're doing. They "liquidate" their bank every time they want to try a new boss, losing 1% to the GE tax every single time. That tax adds up. If you flip-flop between gear sets five times a week, you’ve basically deleted millions of GP for no reason.
Pick a goal. If your goal is a Bowfa (Bow of Faerdhinen), don't buy a bunch of cosmetic junk. Keep your gold in your gear or in your stacks.
Surprising Methods You’ve Probably Ignored
- Hallowed Sepulchre: If you have high Agility, this is actually incredible money. Most people hate Agility, so they don't do it. That means the rewards—like the Ring of Endurance—stay expensive.
- Pickpocketing Elves: Requires Song of the Elves, but the Enhanced Crystal Teleport Seed drops are frequent enough to make this a very high-effort, high-reward skilling method.
- Revenants: Yeah, you'll get PKed. Probably a lot. But even with the deaths, the raw GP per hour at Revs is often better than most mid-tier bosses. Use a Craw's Bow or a Viggora's Chainmace and just accept that death is part of the process.
Real Steps to Increase Your Bank Value
Stop looking for a shortcut. There isn't a "glitch." There’s just the grind. If you want to actually start making money on OSRS today, here is exactly what you should do:
First, look at your daily tasks. Are you doing your herb runs? Snapdragons and Ranarrs are almost always profitable. If you do five herb runs a day, you’re covering your bond and then some. It’s passive income. Treat your OSRS account like a business.
Second, pick ONE boss and learn it perfectly. Don't jump from boss to boss. If you learn the mechanics of the Phantom Muspah, you can farm ancient essence and frozen caches with zero effort. Mastery equals speed, and speed equals more kills per hour.
Third, stop selling your gear. Once you buy a piece of "Best in Slot" (BiS) gear, keep it. Every time you sell it back to the GE, you're losing money. Build a "permanent" kit.
Lastly, use the tools available. The OSRS Wiki's "Money Making Guide" is updated constantly with real-time GE prices. Use it to check if your favorite method is still worth it. Prices change. Sometimes blood runes tank; sometimes they skyrocket. Stay informed.
Go get those gains. The gold isn't going to farm itself, and that Scythe isn't getting any cheaper. Focus on the long game and stop worrying about the 20-minute profit window. Consistency wins every single time.