DnD 6e Release Date & Rumors: What We Know So Far
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Since it was first created in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons has gone through a number of different iterations, with each new edition refining and expanding the rules. The most recent 5th edition (also known as DnD 5e) was released back in 2014, and while there have been a few minor revisions over the past decade, the basic mechanics have remained more or less unchanged.
Now, rumours are circulating that a sixth edition of Dungeons & Dragons is in the works. We take a deeper dive into what we know (and don’t know) about a possible DnD 6e release.
Will there be a D&D 6th Edition?
According to Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast, there are no official plans to release a DnD 6e. What is in the works, however, is a new product which has been codenamed One D&D. This not a new edition, but is rather an expansion of existing rules and will remain backwards compatible with all current 5th edition materials.
What is One D&D?
One D&D is a new system expansion that’s currently in development by Wizards of the Coast and slated for release sometime in 2024. According to Wizards of the Coast, it will consist of three “core pillars”:
- D&D Rules: This will include updates and expansions to the existing 5th edition rules, covering everything from character creation and new backgrounds, to even how information is presented. While release dates for new print and digital materials are still unknown, Wizards of the Coast has stated that they will be releasing new versions of the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide. While much about the new rules remains unknown, the game development team did open up One D&D to playtesting in August 2022, with the first batch of One D&D playtest results revealed in December 2022. Additional playtests will be launched throughout 2023 and likely into 2024.
- D&D Beyond: The popular online gaming platform D&D Beyond was first launched in2017 and allows players to run virtual D&D sessions (something which grew in popularity during the pandemic). While initially Dungeons & Dragons content was licensed by D&D Beyond, in April 2022 Wizards of the Coast purchased the platform for a whopping $140 million dollars. Now, it seems that they’re hoping to recoup this investment and are integrating D&D Beyond heavily into their plans for One D&D. We’ve already seen some of this with Wizards releasing content (such as their Dragonlance Monstrous Compendium) exclusively online for free to D&D Beyond subscribers.
- Digital D&D Play Experience: Announced during the Wizards Presents event in August 2022, D&D Digital will be a virtual tabletop system that allows DMs and players to create interactive environments and 3D models, something that could potentially replace the need for a miniatures and physical D&D battlemat. While this product is still in the early development phase, we do know that it’s being built using the Unreal Engine and will presumably connect with D&D Beyond in some capacity.
You can learn more about all three core pillars of One D&D by watching the reveal trailer below.
Will One D&D eventually become 6th Edition?
It’s not clear yet just how One D&D will play out and whether it will eventually become DnD 6e. Wizards of the Coast, however, has said that the system is designed to evolve over the years, so it’s entirely possible that it may change after (or even before) it’s released in 2024.
In the meantime, the somewhat ambiguous nature of the system has lead some players to dub the rules as “D&D 5.5” – a nod to D&D 3.5, which was released back in 2003 as a significant overhaul of the 3rd edition rules set.
Final Thoughts
For now, Wizards of the Coast’s primary focus is on One D&D rather than launching an entirely new edition. Whether the new system will eventually evolve into a DnD 6e, however, remains to be seen. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this topic for any updates in the days ahead.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massechustes, 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).
