D&D 2024 rules revision explained: Player’s Handbook, DMG & Monster Manual

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, and to mark the occasion, Wizards of the Coast is celebrating the trailblazing roleplaying game’s past, present, and future.

In addition to various 2024 D&D releases featuring adventures, villains, and stories from the game’s past, Wizards is looking ahead with a massive rules overhaul coming this year. This project has been in the works for a while now, with public playtests of new material starting back in August 2022.

With more information coming out about the new books, here’s everything you should know about Dungeons & Dragons‘ 2024 rules revision.

Table of Contents

• What is D&D’s 2024 rules revision?
• D&D’s 2024 rules revision release date & price
• Player’s Handbook (2024) changes
• Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) changes
• Monster Manual (2025) changes

What is D&D’s 2024 rules revision?

Wizards of the Coast

The 2024 rules revision is comprised of new overhauled versions of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual that are meant to improve both the gameplay experience and the usefulness of these resources.

Dungeons & Dragons has grown a lot during the ten years since the Fifth Edition was released. The game finally found mainstream success thanks to a mix of actual play shows like Critical Role, greater pop culture exposure through shows like Stranger Things and last year’s film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and (of course) 5e’s incredibly approachable rules.

Still, the designers of D&D will be the first to tell you that they’ve learned a lot in that time. But rather than closing the door on 5e entirely, they chose to update the core game in a way that’s backward compatible with all those expansions, supplements, and adventures players have been enjoying for the past decade.

D&D’s 2024 rules revision release date & price

The three books comprising the 2024 rules revision will be released between late 2024 and early 2025.

Note that these books will be available two weeks early if you pre-order on D&D Beyond or at participating local game stores. These dates are listed in parentheses after the bolded wide release date.

• Player’s Handbook (2024) – September 17, 2024 (September 3, 2024)
• Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) – November 12, 2024 (October 29, 2024)
• Monster Manual (2025) – February 18, 2025 (February 4, 2025)

All three of the revised Core Rulebooks will be available to preorder from the D&D Beyond Marketplace starting on June 18, 2024.

While these books will be larger to account for the additional artwork and larger typeface, the price will remain the same as the 2014 books at $49.95 each.

Though the 2024 rulebooks are not yet available for pre-order, we’ve included links to where you can find the current Fifth Edition rulebooks for any newcomers who can’t wait to get started with their Dungeons & Dragons adventures!

D&D Game Design Architect Chris Perkins explained the staggered release schedule to us during Gary Con 2024. He called releasing the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual all at once in 2014 “punishing” both in terms of development and getting the massive final product to retailers.

Player’s Handbook (2024) changes

Wizards of the Coast

Arguably the most important book, the revised Player’s Handbook is the first new core rulebook players will be able to get their hands on. This new rulebook includes everything veteran players and newcomers need to get started, from an explanation of the rules to character options.

The cover, pictured above, shows a party of adventurers facing off against a red dragon with the help of a gold dragon – a subtle reference to the game’s 50th (or “golden) anniversary.

One major change to the PHB is how its chapters are ordered. Rather than opening up with character creation, the revised book will start by explaining gameplay to teach new players how to play without overwhelming them with other information. There are also more character options and artwork for all subclasses, the latter of which wasn’t possible the first time around due to budget constraints.

To make the book easier to use, the PHB will have a rules glossary as a helpful reference tool.

The Player’s Handbook (2024) also makes changes based on player feedback. For example, criticism of 5e’s weapon system and backgrounds have led to new rules that make both mechanics more interesting.

Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) changes

Wizards of the Coast

Similar to the PHB, the Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) will shift the chapter order around. Instead of starting with worldbuilding and how to create a campaign, the new DMG will open with the basics. Then, after giving readers a clear idea of what the game is and what the DM’s responsibilities are, it gets into how to create your own content.

There are also some new rules, such as Bastions, which were playtested late last year.

The book will also contain sample adventures and a campaign setting said to be highly customizable. More info on that will be revealed this summer.

Finally, the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide will include a lore glossary. This will help those who are unfamiliar with staple characters and locations like Orcus and Ravenloft, the glossary makes the DMG a great resource for this information.

D&D Design Architects Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford have been discussing what they would change about the 2014 DM’s Guide since just after it shipped. For example, the current DMG does not explain what a DM screen is or how to use one.

Monster Manual (2025) changes

Wizards of the Coast

Last but not least is the Monster Manual (2025). Like the other revised books, this will be a new and improved resource that adjusts current monsters and fills some missing gaps in terms of challenge rating (CR) and creature type. This includes the Blob of Annihilation and Arch Hag, which are a CR 20 Ooze and Fey, respectively.

Importantly, no monsters will have their CR changed, as doing so would create balance issues that interfere with Wizards’ backward compatibility promise. However, the designers are rechecking the “monster math” to ensure creatures really reflect their CR.

The new Monster Manual will also include more NPC stat blocks, as the current ones are frequently used but stop being useful at middle and high-level play.

D&D head of art Josh Herman also told us about what to expect from the Monster Manual’s artwork. He estimates there are at least 300 new pieces in the book, which are meant to help players and DMs better visualize these creatures and how they function in-game.

We’ll update this page when more information becomes available, so stay tuned for more details on the future of Dungeons & Dragons!

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