Dungeons and Dragons has big plans for 2025. The popular tabletop role-playing game celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with the release of a revised Fifth Edition ruleset. Although publisher Wizards of the Coast did not want to abandon Fifth Edition, its most popular ruleset of all time, the publisher chose to rebalance several facets of the game. Dungeons and Dragons based on a decade's worth of feedback. Many of these changes first appeared in the new Player Handbook and the new Dungeon Master's Guideboth released this year.
The revised Fifth Edition release will continue next year with the release of a new Monster Manual and several other products designed to bring players to the new ruleset. Wizards have already confirmed their schedule for 2025 D&D products, with a new Starter Set, anthology and a pair of books delving into the classic Forgotten Realms setting. In addition, there are at least several other licensees D&D products planned for next year, including new miniatures and board games to help grow the brand.
The new monster manual arrives in 2025
New Monster Manual updates Statblocks and adds new monsters
The biggest release of 2025 is the new Monster Manual, which will update many of the Dungeons and Dragons'more familiar monsters with new stat blocks and abilities. Wizards has already revealed the visual redesigns for Dungeons and Dragons' iconic chromatic and metallic dragons, which have all been altered to reflect their abilities and game lore. Other monsters are getting rebalanced skills and stats to add more variety to combat and make high CR monsters feel like real threats to players.
Some of these changes have already been previewed in some adventures released for convention and open play this year. For example, the incubus and succubus now have entirely separate abilities and attacks in combat, reflecting their differences within D&DIt is the true tradition. Many statblocks are also receiving updates according to 2023 Monsters of the Multiverse releasewith many monsters receiving magical attacks that cannot be counterspelled, and high-level monsters receiving multiple reactions instead of lair actions and legendary actions.
The goal of these changes is to make combat more exciting and varied for both players and DMs. The new Monster Manual will give DMs more options, with stronger and weaker versions of many monsters and types of monsters. For example, the new Monster Manual will contain weaker vampire variants along with high-level versions of slimes and witches. These were missing from the Monster Manual 2014which limited the use of some types of monsters in campaigns. With the launch of Monster Manual 2025Monsters will appear more varied, more dynamic and more dangerous.
What other D&D books will be released in 2025?
Forgotten Realm Books and Dragon Anthology will also be released in 2025
In addition to Monster Manual 2025Wizards of the Coast has announced three other sourcebook releases. THe First is an untitled adventure anthology focused on dragons. The anthology will contain 10 dragon-focused adventures (one for each metallic or chromatic dragon) that cover all levels of D&D play. This anthology will serve to highlight new D&D dragons, showing off their new looks and stat blocks. No other details have been announced for the new dragon anthology other than that it will be released in 2025.
The other two rulebooks coming in 2025 are focused on the Forgotten Realms, the home of Baldur's Gate 3 and countless others D&D stories and adventures. The first is the Forgotten Realms Player Guidewhich contains new subclasses, new talents, new spells, and information on how to join the main factions of the Forgotten Realms, such as the Harpers or Zhentarim. The other is the Forgotten Realms Campaign Guidewhich contains resources on how to build a campaign in Forgotten Realms. While the Sword Coast was previously covered in a 5E sourcebook, the new campaign guide will feature detailed information on locations like Calimsham and the Dalelands.
Of the three books, the Forgotten Realms Player Guide will probably be the most exciting for most D&D players. There are dozens of unupdated 5E subclasses in the 2024 Player Handbookincluding popular options like the Bladesinger and Cavalier. The subclasses included in this new book are expected to contain some of the "missing" subclasses not used in the Player Handbookalthough we don't have details about details.
Interestingly, Wizards has no plans to release a new D&D campaign book in 2025marking the first time in over 10 years that an “official” campaign will not be released for the game. Of course, D&D players can still use older campaigns with the new rulesets, and this should be easier with the new updated monster stat blocks found in the Monster Manual 2025. Still, it's strange to see Wizards skip what has always been a central part of their annual event. D&D release plans.
What D&D products should we expect in 2025?
Baldur's Gate miniatures, dragon figures, and starter sets are also on the way
While technically not a rulebook, Wizards of the Coast there is another important D&D launch planned for 2025. Wizards is releasing a new Starter Set with the new revised D&D set of rules. In addition to all the material needed to play Dungeons and Dragonsthe starter set will contain a new adventure called Heroes of the Borderlands. This adventure will update the classic module Continue to the Bordersoriginally released in 1979. The Starter Set adventure divides the original module into three independent booklets, each designed to teach players how to play Dungeons and Dragons.
In addition to all official documents D&D rule books and boxed sets, WizKids also announced several new official licensed products. The biggest announcements are the new red and black dragon figures, showcasing the new designs of the Monster Manual. They are designed to be used on the table for grid combat, but they also make excellent display pieces. Miniatures based on characters from Baldur's Gate 3with named characters and monster designs planned for release in 2025.
WizKids also announced two new Dungeons and Dragons board games - the map building game Kingdoms Edge and the area control game Builders of Baldur's Gate. Kingdoms Edge combines tile placement with adventures and cleanup missions, while Builders of Baldur's Gate is an area control game where players compete for influence over the city of Baldur's Gate while working together to protect the city from monster attacks. Both games will also be released in 2025 and are available for pre-order on the WizKids website.