Dungeons & Dragons’ “next evolution” will release in 2024
Wizards of the Coast confirms return to three classic D&D settings in 2022 and 2023.
The next major iteration of Dungeons & Dragons is planned to launch in 2024, publisher Wizards of the Coast has revealed - potentially hinting at the first indication of a release date for Dungeons & Dragons 6E.
Although not officially confirmed as a complete follow-up to the tabletop RPG’s current fifth edition - in other words, there’s no guarantee of a D&D 6E just yet - the upcoming release will include new versions of Dungeons & Dragons’ core rulebooks, such as the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Player’s Handbook, and will be the “next evolution” of the game, executive producer Ray Winninger said.
The tease came as part of a panel on the Future of D&D held during online event D&D Celebration 2021, with Winninger confirming that the revised rulebooks began development earlier this year and will be released to mark the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons in 2024.
The designer added that the upcoming books would be “completely compatible” with existing releases for Dungeons & Dragons 5E, and would take into account feedback from players and the community collected via surveys, but stopped short of providing any further information on what that will mean for the RPG’s rules, setting and gameplay.
“Next year we’ll have plenty to say about these new books and what they mean for D&D,” Winninger concluded.
Before the major update to Dungeons & Dragons’ core rules arrives, the design team confirmed that D&D 5E would revisit three classic D&D settings, following this year’s return to its familiar horror-inspired realm in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.
Two “major classic D&D settings” will come to 5E in 2022, with next year also bringing a “little peek” at a third classic setting in the form of a “cameo appearance”. Another fan-favourite setting will then make a full appearance in 2023.
The designers said that the returning settings would be “published in formats we’ve never really published products in before”, with Winninger also teasing “cool new things in the digital arena” for both the supplements and D&D’s next big release.
