The best TTRPG books of 2025, from Critical Role, MCDM, Paizo and more

Several high-profile tabletop role-playing games that have been in the works for years are finally set to release in 2025, laying the foundation for a year in which players and game masters will truly be spoiled for choice. As Wizards of the Coast completes its 50th anniversary rules update 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 revisions to the Open Gaming License continues years after the plan was abandoned.

Still, the appeal of D&D remains strong. While Wizards' 2025 release schedule is relatively tight, with a long gap between the Monster Manual and an as-yet-untitled adventure anthology releasing this summer, third-party publishers continue to find creative new approaches to the system. This year, 5th Edition offers players the opportunity to hunt Kaiju and immerse themselves in folk horror. Further new releases offer the opportunity to tell new stories in the worlds of two of the most popular fantasy authors. Whatever you're looking for in a TTRPG, this alphabetical list offers a glimpse into the books that excite us the most.

Trevor Devall releases the dark fantasy setting and skill-based system he developed over four seasons of real-life theater on the TTRPG channel Me, me and death!Selection of mechanics from more than 125 other games. The role-playing game “Broken Empires”. promises to prioritize exploration and intrigue while offering a high degree of flexibility for the characters.

Brandon Sanderson doesn't plan to return to the Stormlight Archives for another six years, but fans of the epic fantasy series can use it to create their own adventures on Roshar Cosmere RPG. The author has worked closely with Brotherwise Games to develop a system that begins there with an adventure that follows directly on from his latest book. However, the game promises to expand campaigns in Sanderson's Mistborn setting and the possibility of stories that move between worlds.

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

Critical roles Daggerheart

Critical Role helped inspire a new generation of Dungeons & Dragons players, but now its spin-off Darrington Press is launching its own high fantasy role-playing game. While some early players think it's not clear enough, it is Daggerheart The open beta has wowed others with innovations like card-based character creation and emotional stress and hit point tracking. Swapping the d20 for 2d12 also allows for more consistent player skills and avoids the frustration of missing too often.

Drawing steel (formerly the MCDM role-playing game)

MCDM has made many excellent additions to D&D 5e, for example Flee, mortals! And Fortresses and followersbut like so many third-party publishers, the company was rocked by the OGL fiasco. In the meantime it has developed its own system, Drawing steel, The focus is on dynamic action, keeping battles moving quickly by combining attack and damage into a single roll and granting characters resources during combat, allowing battles to become more intense as rounds progress.

Wizards of the Coast will complete its D&D 5e core rulebook overhaul in February with the release of its largest rulebook yet Monster Manual. The book features more than 90 brand new monsters, as well as hundreds of favorites that have been redesigned and rebalanced. It also promises to make things easier for DMs through a more intuitive organizational system. The updated one Dungeon Master's Guide And Player's Handbook have helped push the 50-year-old game forward, and hopefully the refreshed 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 should pick this up Pathfinder Lost Omens: Rival Academies when it comes out in March. Paizo has done a great job of enriching its already complex setting with its Lost Omens series, and this promises to be a particularly entertaining entry, set in a gathering of six academies, each with their own specialty, from mad science to exploring the realms of the fairies.

Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms

The highly anticipated sequel to Loot Tavern's D&D 5e book Heliana's Guide to Monster Hunting, Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms brings the publisher's dynamic crafting system and penchant for immersive boss battles to a setting inspired by East Asian mythology and pop culture. Players can hunt Kaiju and learn how to exploit their weaknesses and play a new class based on them Avatar: The Last Airbenderand coordinate with your party members to unleash combo attacks.

Starfinder Second Edition Player Core

The Starfinder 2e playtest already feels like a major achievement thanks to the wealth of character options and monsters, creative world changes, and rich initial adventures, but it's truly designed to gather feedback from players and game masters that will shape the generation Con publication 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 Pathfinder 2emaking it easier for gaming groups to try their hand at planet-hopping and delve into everything from political intrigue to cosmic horrors. You can still find the playtest materials at this time. free to download online.

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 popular fantasy series Terry Pratchett's Discworld RPG: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork. Instead of using Modiphius' signature 2d20 mechanics, the game uses a custom Narrativium system that keeps the mechanics simple so you can focus on creating puns.