It took longer than any of us had imagined, but at long last, Wizards of the Coast has broken its silence on the DnD release schedule for 2026! Three new books and one mysterious, unnamed product are all now on the slate for this year - read on for everything we know about them so far.
After months of radio silence, Wizards of the Coast announced four new mainline D&D releases at the GAMA Expo in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The official 2026 Dungeons and Dragons release schedule is split into three Seasons:
- Season of Horror: Spring-Summer, one book revealed.
- Season of Magic: Summer-Fall, two books revealed.
- Season of Champions: Season of Champions - one mystery book.
Details are still extremely scant about all four book releases, but we do already know a bit about the year's new settings and rules for DnD classes and DnD races. Let's check out each release:
D&D release schedule:
Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
- Release date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
- Pre-order date: Monday, April 13, 2026
First off the blocks is Ravenloft: The Horrors Within - a "Gameplay Expansion" (a.k.a. rulebook) that returns us to the Domains of Dread, featuring everyone's favorite romantically challenged immortal maniac, Count Strahd von Zarovich. Oh, and also Cthulhu is here!
Several horror-themed subclasses (which proved very popular in playtesting) will appear alongside revised 'lineage' species options and a heap of tempting yet terrifying Dark Power feats. Plus, we'll get a whistlestop tour of the most famous dread demiplanes - including the Lovecraftian Innsmouth.
The 'season of horror' has already kicked off ahead of the Ravenloft release, with Wizards showing off its new rules in a dedicated actual play. If you've pre-ordered The Horrors Within on D&D Beyond you'll unlock early access to maps, monsters and ready-to-run encounters that tie in to each episode, so that you can play along at home.
Read our Ravenloft: The Horrors Within guide for a deeper dive into the domains of dread.
Arcana Unleashed
After Ravenloft: 2026 edition, we get two products headlining the "Season of Magic - a celebration of spellcraft, wonder, and ceaseless drive for power".
Wizards says the sourcebook Arcana Unleashed, and its paired adventure book Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall, are both due in September 2026.
Unannounced Winter release
Finally, there's a thrilling mystery afoot: a fourth book is scheduled for the Winter section of the roadmap, but its contents, nature, and title are "to be announced".
Along with half the internet at this point, we've got Dark Sun on our minds for this one, thanks to heavy thematic implications from recent subclass playtests. But, for confirmation of that, we'll have to wait until Wizards' long-clogged knowledge spigot begins to flow once again.
D&D Beyond Partnered Content roadmap
At the time of writing, there's no D&D Beyond Partnered Content roadmap. Partnered Content publications are third party books with a stamp of approval from WotC, and they've been a fairly major part of the release mix on D&D Beyond for several years. While we're sure plenty more are coming, for the time being Wizards is being quiet about what they are.
2025 DnD release schedule
While we're waiting for more info on 2026's upcoming releases, read on for a full rundown and reminders of everything that came out last year!
2025 Monster Manual
Release date: February 18, 2025
Arriving in February 2025, the new Monster Manual was the third and final title in the 'One D&D' revamp, kickstarting the first full year of a new edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It introduced at least 80 new monsters and made tweaks to each existing creature, making it one of the chunkiest bestiaries we've ever seen.
The power levels have been upped slightly to match the improved abilities of player-characters, and the book is packed with stunning art that shows these monsters in their natural habitats.
Dragon Delves - July 8, 2025
After the core rulebooks released, Wizards of the Coast launched Dragon Delves. This features ten short adventures that share a common theme - encountering (though not necessarily fighting) dragons in dungeons. There are also be three campaign suggestions that help link these one-offs to create a larger game that spans levels one to 12.
Wizards makes a good point that not enough players have actually fought a dragon in a dungeon in their D&D games. Gorgeous art and a handful of truly standout adventures make this book worth investigating, but thin writing is one of its biggest flaws.
Read more in our Dragon Delves review.
Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set - September 16, 2025
The Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set returns to D&D's iconic Keep in the Borderlands, as seen in older adventures. Wizards offered new character creation tools and DMing advice to make this product extra beginner-friendly. Creating an approachable starter set was apparently a major goal, as this starter set came with a huge number of board-game-style handouts to make it as easy as possible to learn the rules.
Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club - October 7, 2025
Less than a month after releasing a new starter set, Wizards of the Coast decided to release a second one. This one was themed, however, around the Stranger Things series and its beloved heavy metal Dungeon Master, Eddie. Welcome to the Hellfire Club includes a quick-start guide to playing D&D, plus four Stranger Things inspired adventures where you'll face familiar creatures from the show.
Forgotten Realms Player's Guide - November 11, 2025
The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide is one of two tabletop sourcebooks focused on D&D's primary setting. This was the first deep-dive into the Realms that we had since the early 5e book Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.
When the Forgotten Realms guides were announced, Wizards told us to expect plenty of new character options in the player-focused book. That meant all-new subclasses, feats, spells, and more. A playtest document released in January 2025 revealed which subclasses the book would include:
- College of the Moon Bard
- Knowledge Domain Cleric
- Purple Dragon Knight Fighter
- Oath of the Noble Genies Paladin
- Winter Walker Ranger
- Scion of the Three Rogue
- Spellfire Sorcerer
- Bladesinger Wizard
Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn - November 11, 2025
Following the player guide was the DM-focused Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn. It waspacked with more than 50 premade adventures, divided into setting-based lore chapters covering favorite regions like Icewind Dale, Calimshan, and Baldur's Gate.
That's not all - there were 39 new monsters, seven extremely potent new Wondrous magic items, and brand new 'Epic Destinies' which build on the framework of the DnD backgrounds.
Lorwyn: First Light - November 18, 2025
First announced in February 2025, Lorwyn: First Light was a digital-only supplement that celebrates a 2025 MTG set. The world's extensive lore was distilled into a small book that relocates Lorwyn-Shadowmoor (the plane's full name) to the Feywild as a domain of delight.
Wizards of the Coast offered a handful of new tools to play with here. That includes two new backgrounds, two feats, two species, and two magic items. DMs also got eight monsters and two example adventures to play with.
Eberron: Forge of the Artificer - December 9, 2025
Announced in 2025, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer brought us back to one of D&D's most beloved settings. This book went over ground not previously covered in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, offering new options for Bastions, extra 2024 backgrounds, expanded airship rules, and a brand-new version of the Artificer class.
This was mainly a rules reference and setting book, but there were a handful of interesting example adventures. These were short and simple, similar to the style of those found in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide.
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