What is the New DnD Edition Actually Called?

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It’s a glorious time to be a Dungeons & Dragons fan, with the game hitting new peaks of popularity and a new set of 2024 DnD Core Books now upon us. Yet one question remains: what exactly are we supposed to call the new DnD edition? For that matter should we even refer to it as a new edition at all given that it’s really an update of the existing 5e rules?

Fans and Wizards of the Coast are surprisingly divided on this issue, with a number of different names being touted both officially and unofficially. Some have already given the new rules the moniker of “DnD 5.5,” while others prefer “DnD 2024” and still a small but vocal faction even suggests going with “DnD 6e” to reflect the significant changes to the rules.

So just what is the new DnD edition called? Below, we play the name game and try to find out.

Is the new edition DnD 2024?

In almost all of their official marketing materials, Wizards of the Coast uses the term “Dungeons & Dragons 2024” or “D&D 2024” (this has since been abbreviated to “DnD 2024” by fans online). This is also how Roll20 refers to the updated edition in their official marketing (which was likely vetted by WotC as part of their agreement to feature the new content on their platform).

This is probably a smart approach from a business perspective on WotC’s part. It avoids confusing any new players who might be wondering what a “5.5” version entails and whether their existing books are still compatible. And for veteran players it makes it clear the content is building on existing 5e rules and not taking the same approach as either DnD 3.5 or DnD 4e.

Additionally, it opens up the door for future updates either annually or every few years and you could easily see a DnD 2026 or DnD 2028 coming down the pipeline (something familiar to Warhammer 40K fans, who have new rules tweaks and sourcebooks every few years).

Is the new edition DnD 5.5?

What Wizards of the Coast wants and want DnD fans want are often at odds (you need only look to the OGL scandal to see that). Despite WotC’s marketing efforts and push for the term “D&D 2024,” many fans and online pundits have given the update the name “DnD 5.5.”

In fact, Fandom.com (which has a massive online presence for numerous hobbies, genres and fanbases) has already created a dedicated DnD 5.5 wiki that lists out the various rules changes from the One D&D Playtest. So this is probably going to be a term that’s still used by a number of players.

Is the new edition DnD 5.24?

A small number of users are also going with the name “DnD 5.24.” This may catch on as it does allow some flexibility for future updates, given that everything will fall under the fifth edition rules (at least for the foreseeable future).

For example, we could see a “DnD 5.26” appear if the rules are updated again in a few years time, while still retaining the core rules of DnD 5e.

Is the new edition DnD 6e?

While this is a term that has grown in use over the past few years, it’s really not correct to call the updated rules a true “sixth edition.” In fact, Wizards of the Coast has emphatically stated that the updated edition is not a DnD 6e and is instead an update of the existing of the DnD 5e rules, which they plan to continue to support for the foreseeable future.

So while some may use this term to refer the rules updates, it’s probably not something that many existing fans are going to be embracing and certainly not a term that WotC will be promoting.

What are people calling the new DnD edition online?

One way to gauge what people think about any given topic is by looking at search data via tools like Google Trends. If we look at search interest over the past 90 days, we can see that the term “DnD 2024” has indeed come out on top among users worldwide. It stands to reason that if more people are searching for the name, that’s probably how it’s going to be referred to by the larger community.

Final Thoughts

So just what is the new edition of DnD called? The likely name is “DnD 2024,” which is something Wizards of the Coast is pushing towards and something that users appear to have adopted as well.

Of course, in the end, it doesn’t really matter what it’s called. What matters is whether or not it’s something you’ll be bringing to your table.

You can pre-order the 2024 Player’s Handbook now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.

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