The New 2025 DnD Monster Manual (First Look)
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We dig into Wizards of the Coast’s plans for the new Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual launching in 2025.
First published in 2014, the fifth edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual (often referred to simply as the MM) is an essential book for Dungeon Masters, containing over 300 unique creatures of all types and challenge ratings. The book, however, isn’t without its detractors, with many veteran players complaining about a lack of more difficult monsters, and certain elements growing somewhat stale as the game has evolved over the past decade.
Now a brand new version of the Monster Manual will be coming out on February 18th, 2025, but is available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
So just what can we expect to find in this new and improved MM? Read on to find out.
Table of Contents
- What is the New Monster Manual?
- Is the New Monster Manual Fifth Edition?
- How is the new MM different from the old one?
- When will the new Monster Manual be released?
- How much will the new Monster Manual be?
- Is there a variant Monster Manual cover?
What is the New Monster Manual?
The new Monster Manual is being released as part of the larger One D&D update, which is Wizards of the Coast’s internal code name for updates being made to the D&D fifth edition rules set. Within this framework, the primary purpose of the new Monster Manual will be to introduce a number of new creatures, address player concerns, and compliment some of the new One D&D changes. Additionally, the book will integrate with content from other related publication, including Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes and Volo’s Guide to Monsters.
Notably, the new Monster Manual was originally supposed to be be part of the Dungeons & Dragons 50th anniversary celebration in the core of 2024. During that time a new Dungeon Masters Guide and new Player’s Handbook will also be released, with the three books collectively referred to as the new “2024 Core Rules” by Wizards of the Coast. Unfortunately, it looks like the Monster Manual won’t quite make it to 2024 as it is scheduled for release in 2025.
Is the new Monster Manual still 5th edition?
Yes. The new 2025 Monster Manual will still use the DnD 5e core rule set. According to Wizards of the Coast, the new MM will remain compatible with all previously published 5e materials. It will not fall under DnD 6e, nor will it be a “5.5” edition (something which happened with the 3rd edition of DnD, which released a “3.5” version). Notably, both players and Wizards of the Coast seem to be divided on what to call this new version. Wizards of the Coast is referring to it simply as “Dungeons & Dragons,” (avoiding any mention of “One D&D”), while players on social media have suggested various other names, including “DnD 5.1” and “DnD 5.24.”
Regardless of what the new update of DnD fifth edition will be called (either officially or unofficially), there may be some changes to the stat blocks and features of existing monsters found in the 2014 Monster Manual. It’s also possible that while new monsters are introduced in the 2025 edition, while some existing monsters may be removed entirely.
How is the 2025 Monster Manual different from the 2014 version?
While the new Monster Manual is still in development, over the past year Wizards of the Coast lead D&D designers Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins have provided some information on what we can expect to see in the updated book.
More Monsters
The new Monster Manual will have over 500 monsters. This is a significant increase over the 300 monsters featured in the 2014 Monster Manual. It’s unclear, however, how many of these are completely new monsters and how many are taken from existing DnD 5e materials. Wizards of the Coast has also indicated that the book will be much larger in length than the previous edition, with more tables for random encounters and more in-depth details on the monsters’ ecology and background to accompany their stat blocks.
Changes to Challenge Ratings
According to Wizards of the Coast, much of the new Monster Manual will focus on creatures of Challenge Rating (CR) of 10 and above. This essentially means more monsters to face high-level parties and fewer monsters that can be easily defeated by overpowered characters. In fact, Jeremy Crawford has noted in recent interviews that “the CR Calculation Guide in the DMG is wrong and does not match our internal CR calculation method.” So this means that new calculations will be corrected and players can expected to see updated monsters.
New Lore & Backgrounds
The new Monster Manual will also look beyond just stat blocks to include more updated lore and background information on various monsters. Additionally, there will be an inclusion of more information on the ecology and lairs of various creatures. This is something that hasn’t been covered in-depth in the 2014 edition of the book, but is appearing in similar books such as Flee, Mortals from MCDM.
New Artwork
Wizards of the Coast has indicated that the book will feature a wide range of new illustrations from several different artists. Notably, Wizard of the Coast has come under fire recently after it was reported that one of their artists had – unbeknownst to WotC – used AI to touch up in an illustration Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. The company has since released an official policy that bans any AI-generated artwork in their products.
New Monster “Families”
One of the most interesting new concepts that Wizards of the Coast has discussed is including “families” of monsters. This will be a similar approach to how a variety of monsters fit under the banner of the dragon family (i.e. dragonborn, wyrmlings, ancient wyrms etc.). It’s not entirely clear what the new families will be or how this will impact stats and CR, but there’s a ton of potential here both in terms of storytelling and gameplay.
When will the new Monster Manual be released?
The new Monster Manual will be released on February 18th, 2025. As with other current D&D 5e books, it will also be available for pre-order as a physical and digital bundle on D&D Beyond, which will users to access the digital version on February 4th, 2025. If you pre-order a copy from your local game store, you’ll also be able to receive an early copy on February 4th.
Wizards of the Coast has also noted that users who have purchased digital versions of the existing Monster Manual on D&D Beyond will not automatically receive an updated version of the new book. Instead they will be required to purchase the new 2025 version separately.
How much in the new Monster Manual going for?
The new 2025 Monster Manual will retail for $49.99 USD for the physical print version and $29.99 USD for the digital version on D&D Beyond.
As with other DnD 5e books, there is also a physical-digital bundle, which in this case is all three Core Rulebooks, which will retail for $179.97 if you purchase it on D&D Beyond. This represents a savings of $60 (given that all three books would otherwise retail for $240 USD).
Is there a variant Monster Manual cover?
Yes, there is an alternate cover that’s also available for purchase. This version features original artwork from longtime Wizards of the Coast illustrator Lena Richards with gold framing by Simen Meyer. The alternate Monster Manual cover features a single mind flayer holding out a tadpole.
The back of the alternate cover also features the 50th anniversary logo in a stylized format. Notably, the alternate cover will be the same price as the primary cover version.
Final Thoughts
Monsters remain a critical component of Dungeons & Dragons and one that’s often been expanded by a number of third-party DnD monster books. The new 2025 DnD Monster Manual seeks to evolve the vast menagerie of creatures to not only work with the updated DnD 5e rules, but also add new challenges, more options and more background to bring these beings to life.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the updated Monster Manual in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, the book is available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
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