A new year is upon us, and that means the DnD 2023 release schedule will soon kick off. Wizards of the Coast already whet our appetites in the summer of 2022, so keen RPG fans may already have an inkling of what to expect. The D&D goodies for this year include classic settings, new adventures, and (hopefully) plenty of mechanical goodies to play with.
If you’re looking for the latest news on the next DnD books, our Dungeons and Dragons 2023 release schedule is the place to start. We’ll keep you abreast of specific launch dates, as well as new info on what these books mean for DnD classes, DnD races, and DnD campaigns.
Here’s the core DnD release schedule 2023:
- Keys from the Golden Vault – February 21
- Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants – Q2 2023
- Phandelver Campaign – Q3 2023
- The Book of Many Things – Q4 2023
- Planescape – Q4 2024
Keys from the Golden Vault – February 21
This is a “book of short adventures revolving around heists” that Wizards of the Coast originally said was scheduled to release in the first quarter of 2023. While the publisher hasn’t gotten much more specific, an Amazon listing that was spotted in November 2022 says we can expect Keys from the Golden Vault to release on February 21.
Keys from the Golden Vault sounds like it’s going to be another anthology book in the same vein as Candlekeep Mysteries and Journeys From the Radiant Citadel. Wizards describes it as “Ocean’s Eleven meets D&D”, which gets our hopes up for a glitzy casino-filled book that’s a cross between MTG’s Streets of New Capenna and classic crime RPG Blades in the Dark.
Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants – Q2 2023
Sometime in spring, Wizards will reportedly release Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. Wizards calls this book “a companion to last year’s Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons focused on giants”. This was one of the less surprising announcements of 2022, given that a Giant Options Unearthed Arcana playtest had been shared just a few months earlier.
If the UA is anything to go by, we can expect new official subclasses for our favourite DnD classes, as well as some new 5e feats in D&D’s future. There’s no indication that you’ll actually be able to play a giant, but perhaps the giant-like Firbolg will get a little extra love instead.
Phandelver Campaign – Q3 2023
While ‘Phandelver Campaign‘ isn’t the most inspiring name, the year’s third book release does do something interesting. Wizards says this campaign “expands the classic Lost Mine of Phandelver into a full campaign tinged with cosmic horror”.
Lost Mine of Phandelver originally served as D&D’s starter adventure until it was replaced by a new starter set this year – one that included Dragons of Stormwreck Isle as its new beginner adventure. The name Phandelver has long been synonymous with ‘standard dungeon affair’, but the new campaign seems like it’ll shake things up with some Far Realm shenanigans.
You can find the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure for free on D&DBeyond, so now might be a good time to swot up on the setting.
The Book of Many Things – Q4 2023
Like Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, The Book of Many Things was teased in an Unearthed Arcana post ahead of its actual announcement. As well as exploring plenty of play options linked to DnD planes (more on that shortly), the playtest introduced a collection of 5e spells tied to the Deck of Many Things.
Wizards later confirmed these magical tarot-like cards will be joined by The Book of Many Things in the summer of 2023. This will be “a collection of creatures, locations, and other goodies that are connected to the mysterious Deck of Many Things”.
Planescape – Q4 2024
Closing out the year is a return to Planescape, the classic DnD setting of old. Planescape is a 1994 campaign setting that introduced the city of Sigil and expanded our understanding of the different D&D planes. It gave us our first look at the DnD Tiefling, and it encourages plenty of plane-hopping using portals and steampunk-ish style.
The original announcement by Wizards said, “fans can explore Sigil, City of Doors, with a setting guide, a bestiary, and an adventure in one package”, Wizards says in a press release from Thursday. By the sounds of it, this book will look a lot like the recent Spelljammer reboot. And while the return of a beloved setting is exciting, our Spelljammer: Adventures in Space review criticised D&D for spreading its material too thin across three different types of books.
