Old School RuneScape 2026 Pet Update: Pets Now Join You in Minigames

Old School RuneScape's final Summer Sweep Up patch for 2026 lets players bring their pets into select minigames, most notably the Gauntlet, and take them underwater without banking first. Players asking what changed in this update, why pets couldn't join before, and where pets still aren't allowed will find the answers below. This guide is built for pet collectors, Ironman players, and anyone tracking Old School RuneScape's roadmap toward the upcoming Rune Fest Summit and Raids 4.

What Changed

Pets can now follow you into the Gauntlet and similar content.

The update allows pets to accompany players into the Gauntlet and Corrupted Gauntlet, a request the community had raised for some time. The pet must be actively summoned rather than sitting in the inventory, or it won't appear. Players no longer need to use the summoning whistle when moving between areas — pets automatically hide and reappear as needed. Content that explicitly excludes pets, such as Temple Trekking, remains off-limits because of a past visual bug that let players display multiple pets at once by exploiting the minigame's loading behavior.

Underwater Pets

Pets can join you underwater at Fossil Island with no banking required.

Pets can now stay with players in the Fossil Island underwater area without being banked beforehand, matching how they behave on land. A separate underwater zone at Tortuga Island is expected to receive the same treatment in a future update, since it runs on different underlying code than Fossil Island. Ironman and completionist players who regularly farm underwater content benefit most, since they no longer need to manage pet storage before diving.

Canine Care Rules

The canine companion pet can no longer be fed certain items.

Jagex tightened what players can feed to the canine companion pet. It can no longer be given onion sacks, poison-related sacks, Easter eggs, or colored satchels (green, plain, red, black, gold, and rune). This is a minor quality-of-life correction rather than a major mechanic, but it matters for players who actively interact with their companion pets, including those who buy pet-related supplies with OSRS gold.

Visual Fixes

Several z-buffer rendering issues tied to pets have been resolved.

The patch also addresses a batch of z-buffer-related visual glitches, cleaning up how pets and nearby objects render together. These are cosmetic fixes with no gameplay impact, useful mainly for players who found the layering issues distracting.

The table below summarizes where pets currently stand across different areas.

Fossil Island and the Gauntlet are the clearest wins this patch; Temple Trekking and the newer underwater zone are the areas still worth watching.

What's Next

A gathering efficiency poll and the Rune Fest Summit are both on the way.

A gathering efficiency poll is scheduled for September 30, 2026, covering stackable net traps, celestial sign effects applying to vein mining, crafting deadfall and pitfall traps directly from a log basket, and viewing a farming patch's compost state without inspecting it. Separately, the Rune Fest Summit on October 3, 2026 is expected to reveal a Raids 4 release date, along with a likely Iron Man mode rework and further details on upcoming sailing endgame content. None of the Rune Fest content is officially confirmed yet, so treat release-date predictions—and any OSRS gold for sale offers marketed around them—as community speculation until Jagex announces specifics.

Can You Bring Pets Into the Corrupted Gauntlet in 2026?

Yes, the Corrupted Gauntlet is included in this update alongside the standard Gauntlet. Your pet needs to be summoned before you enter, since pets left in the inventory won't follow you in.

Why Are Pets Not Allowed at Temple Trekking?

Temple Trekking is excluded because of a previous exploit that let players display multiple pets simultaneously by abusing the minigame's loading process. Blocking pets there prevents that bug from resurfacing.

Do You Need to Use the Whistle for Pets Underwater?

No. Pets now automatically hide when you enter an area where they're restricted and reappear once you leave, removing the need to manually summon or dismiss them with the whistle.

When Is the Old School RuneScape Rune Fest Summit 2026?

The Rune Fest Summit is scheduled for October 3, 2026. Jagex is expected to share news on Raids 4 and future content, though full details won't be confirmed until the event itself.

Quick Tips

· Make sure your pet is summoned, not in your inventory, before entering the Gauntlet.

· Fossil Island underwater trips no longer require banking your pet first.

· Watch for the gathering efficiency poll on September 30, 2026.

· Treat any Raids 4 release date discussed before Rune Fest as speculation, not confirmed information.

Who Benefits Most?

· Pet collectors get a clearer picture of exactly which minigames now support pets and which still don't.

· Ironman and completionist players save time on underwater content that no longer requires pre-trip banking.

· Returning players get a heads-up on the September 30 poll and the October 3 Rune Fest Summit before bigger announcements land.

Overall, this patch is a small but welcome quality-of-life update rather than a major overhaul, clearing the way for attention to shift toward the September 30 poll and the Rune Fest Summit's bigger reveals in early October.