The Most Anticipated TTRPG Books of 2025

Several high-profile tabletop role-playing games that have been in the works for years are expected to finally be released in 2025, paving the way for a year where players and gamemasters will truly be spoiled for choice. As Wizards of the Coast completes its 50th anniversary, the rules are being refreshed with the release of a new one Monster manualit will face competition from former collaborators including Darrington Press, Paizo and Critical Role’s MCDM, as the fallout from Hasbro’s attempted overhaul of the Open Gaming License continues years after the plan was abandoned.

Even still, D&D’s appeal remains powerful. Although Wizards’ 2025 release schedule is relatively light, with a long gap between the Monster manual and an as-yet-untitled adventure bundle releasing this summer, third-party publishers continue to find creative new takes on the system. This year, 5th Edition offers players the chance to hunt Kaiju and delve into folk horror. Other new releases offer the opportunity to tell new stories in the worlds of two of the most beloved fantasy authors. Whatever you’re looking for in a TTRPG, this alphabetical list offers a taste of the books we’re most excited about.

Trevor Devall posts the gritty fantasy setting and skill-based system he developed over four seasons of actual plays on the TTRPG channel Me, myself and die!pick and choose mechanics from over 125 other games. The Broken Empires RPG promises to prioritize exploration and intrigue while offering a high degree of flexibility for characters.

Brandon Sanderson has no plans to return to the Stormlight archive for another six years, but fans of the epic fantasy series can have their own adventures on Roshar with the Cosmere RPG. The author worked closely with Brotherwise Games to develop a system that starts there with an adventure that ties directly into his latest book, but the game promises to grow with campaigns in Sanderson’s Mistborn setting and the possibility of stories that take place between move worlds.

Originally expected for release in 2024, The crooked moon was delayed until 2025 so that Legends of Avantris could deliver a product worthy of its ambitions and its $4 million Kickstarter campaign. The folk horror setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5e promises terrifying adventures, epic multi-stage boss battles and twisted curses, while offering players a host of creepy new species and subclass options.

Crucial roles Daggerheart

Critical Role has inspired a new generation of Dungeons & Dragons players, but now the Darrington Press label is launching its own high-fantasy RPG. Although some early players think it’s not clear enough, the Daggerheart The open beta has captivated others with innovations like card-based character creation and tracking of both emotional stress and hit points. Swapping the d20 for 2d12s also allows for more consistent player skills, avoiding the frustration of missing too often.

Draw steel (formerly the MCDM RPG)

MCDM has made plenty of excellent supplements for D&D 5e, for example Flight, mortals! And Strongholds and followersbut like many third-party publishers, the company was shocked by the OGL fiasco. It has spent the intervening time developing its own system, Draw steel, which will focus on dynamic action, keeping battles moving quickly by bundling attacks and damage into a single role and giving characters resources as they fight, so battles become more intense as rounds pass.

Wizards of the Coast will complete its overhaul of the D&D 5e core rulebooks in February with the release of the largest ever Monster manual. The book will feature more than 90 brand new monsters, along with hundreds of favorites that have been redesigned and rebalanced. It also promises to make things easier for DMs with a more intuitive organization system. The updated one Dungeon Master’s Guide And Player’s Handbook have helped push the 50-year-old game forward, and hopefully the revamped dragons and owlbears will do the same.

Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies

Fans of magical school stories and anyone looking for inspiration for their next Pathfinder monk or wizard will enjoy reading this Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies when it comes out in March. Paizo has done a fantastic job enriching the already complex setting with the Lost Omens series, and this promises to be a particularly fun entry, set at a gathering of six academies, each with their own specialty, from mad science to exploring the elven realms. .

Ryoko’s guide to the Yokai realms

The long-awaited sequel to Loot Tavern’s D&D 5e book Heliana’s Guide to Monster Hunting, Ryoko’s guide to the Yokai realms takes the publisher’s dynamic crafting system and penchant for engaging in boss battles into a setting inspired by East Asian mythology and pop culture. Players can hunt Kaiju and learn how to exploit their vulnerabilities, playing a new class based on Avatar: The last airbenderand coordinate with their party members to unleash combo attacks.

Starfinder Second Edition Player Core

The playtest for Starfinder 2e already feels like a huge achievement, thanks to the depth of character options and monsters, creative changes to the world, and rich first adventures, but it’s really designed to get feedback from players and gamemasters who will shape the Gen. Con issue of the Starfinder Second Edition Player Core and the books that come after. The rules of the science fantasy game have been made fully compatible with Pathfinder 2ndmaking it easier for gaming groups to try out planet hopping and deal with everything from political intrigue to cosmic horrors. You can still find the play test materials, can be downloaded online for free.

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork

Modiphius Entertainment has a great track record of high-profile TTRPG adaptations, including Dune: Adventures in the Empire And Fallout: The Role Playing Gameand it applies it to the irreverent world of Terry Pratchett’s beloved fantasy series Terry Pratchett’s Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork. Instead of using Modiphius’ signature 2d20 mechanics, the game uses a modified Narrativium system, keeping the mechanics simple so you can focus on making puns.