New DnD SRD (Systems Reference Document) 5.2 Coming Soon
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In May of 2024, Wizards of the Coast officially announced that the new Dungeons & Dragons Core Rules (as featured in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual) would be included in an updated version of their Systems Reference Document (SRD); the online document which provides the rules of DnD for commercial use by third-party publishers.
Now, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that the DnD SRD 5.2 will be released on April 22nd, 2025 and will be fully available in the Creative Commons. This is huge news for third-party DnD content creators, as it means they can now legally use the updated DnD 2024 rules for free in upcoming publications. It’s also marks a major step forward for Wizards of the Coast following the disastrous fallout from the OGL scandal.
So just how will the release of the DnD SRD 5.2 impact players and publishers? Below, we break out all the details.
What is the DnD SRD (Systems Reference Document)?
The DnD SRD, or System Reference Document, is a free, online document that provides the basic Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition rules, including classes, subclasses, monsters, spells, magic items and combat mechanics. It is available for use under two licensing options: the Open Gaming License (OGL) or the Creative Commons, both of which allow third-party publishers to legally use the SRD to produce their own DnD 5e content without paying any licensing fees.
While in theory, players could run a complete DnD 5e campaign using only what’s presented in the SRD, the primary purpose of the document is to provide a rules framework that third-party publishers can use to create content for past and present versions of DnD. Notably, a key reason why this document is available is because under US trademark law it is not possible to copyright the rules of the game.
It’s worth noting that the SRD is not as in-depth as the Player’s Handbook or other official DnD 5e rule books, and does omit certain elements, such as iconic monsters (i.e. Beholders and Mind Flayers), as well as brand terms like “Dungeon Master” and “Dungeons & Dragons,” which are registered trademarks.
It’s also worth noting that in 2023, Wizards of the Coast caused widespread public backlash when they announced changes to the OGL that would require third-party publishers to pay licensing fees, along with applying certain restrictions on content usage. This was later walked back by Wizards of the Coast and the SRD 5.1 was released into the Creative Commons, meaning anyone could use the SRD without any cost or legal permission, and that it cannot legally be revoked by WotC at any time.
What’s changing in the DnD SRD 5.2?
In late 2024 and early 2025, Wizards of the Coast released new versions of the Player’s Handbook (in September 2024), the Dungeon Master’s Guide (in November 2024) and the new Monster Manual (in February 2025). While all three books are still technically part of the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, they also introduce a number of significant changes.
Given what had happened with the OGL, many fans were worried that these new updates would not enter into the SRD, which would have impacted third-party publishers’ ability to create content that matches the latest edition of the game.
Fortunately, this does not appear to be the case given that Wizards of the Coast has indicated that the 2024 rules will be included in a new document known as SRD 5.2. This will include updates to all DnD 5e classes, new monster stats, magic items and spells. It will include new rules that were featured only in the 2024 rules, including crafting, Weapon Mastery and changes to Backgrounds and Species.
When will the DnD SRD 5.2 Be released?
In a recent blog post on D&D Beyond, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that the DnD SRD 5.2 will be officially released on April 22nd, 2025. They have also confirmed that it will be a living document and will be regularly updated as new rules errata are implemented.
This will be a major milestone for third-party DnD publishers who have been waiting to produce new content that can legally use the updated 2024 content, rather than relying on the SRD 5.1, which still used the 2014 DnD 5e rules.
Why is this change to the SRD important for DnD fans?
While this announcement from Wizards of the Coast might seem like insider news that has little impact on most players, in fact it’s important for several key reasons: First, it shows that Wizards of the Coast is indeed serious about willing to listen to fans and try to repair their reputation following the OGL scandal.
Second, and oore importantly, it means that both large and small third-party publishers will be able to create new content using the most up-to-date versions of the rules. This means more choice for players when it comes to 5e, and more ways for independent creators to grow financially and creatively – both of which will help contribute to the overall health of the DnD and TTRPG community as a whole.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the DnD SRD story in the days ahead and will update this page with new information as it’s made available.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
