Books are the backbone of Dungeons & Dragons, and are what make the tabletop game so comprehensive, highlighting the adventures, rules, and monsters you can engage with. So, here’s every D&D 5e book out there, and what’s coming in 2024.
Dungeons & Dragons has captivated fans with its infinite possibilities and boundless imagination. All you need is an imagination, dice, and some books. From the iconic Players Handbook to the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the choices are as vast as the realms themselves.
With an abundance of options, choosing your next D&D 5e book or adventure can be pretty daunting. So, whether you want to add to your collection or are looking for the next campaign, here’s an extensive list of all the current DnD 5e books you can buy, as well as what’s coming soon in 2024.
All D&D 5e Core Rulebooks
Dungeons & Dragons is nothing without its rules. They make the game worth playing and allow everyone to be on the same page regarding combat and character creation. When it comes to buying or looking at all DnD 5e books, these are the first you’ll want to consider.
The first book to buy: Players Handbook
If you want to learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons, or if you’re looking to create your first character, you need a Players Handbook. They’re a must-own for any beginner or experienced DnD player and will guide you through level-ups, spells, races, classes, and everything you need to know.
A DM must: Dungeon Master’s Guide
This is essentially the Players Handbook but for Dungeons Masters. It contains everything you need to know about DMing a game and will help you prepare your own adventure. Of course, you’ll likely still need the Players Handbook.
Key to spicing up your D&D game: Monster Manual
Whether you’re a player or a Dungeon Master, there’s always the opportunity to learn more about the monsters – and perhaps integrate some into your own adventure. Either way, this is a must if you like a combat-heavy campaign.
All D&D 5e Sourcebooks
DnD 5e Sourcebooks are additions to the Core Rulebooks and work as supplements for those wanting to take their game further. They typically contain new monsters, spells, races, and subclasses, and expand on almost everything in Dungeons & Dragons. They consist of:
- Volo’s Guide to Monsters
- Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
- Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
- Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
- Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons
- Monsters of the Multiverse
- Boo’s Astral Menagerie
- Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
- The Book of Many Things
A deeper dive into the mysterious monsters: Volo’s Guide to Monsters
Working as a supplement for the Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters is exactly what you need if you trying to wipe out the party. It is also perfect for fleshing out your adventure further and playing exciting races like Kenkus, Goliaths, or Aasimar.
Updated-yet-optional rules for your campaigns: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything may serve as a supplement for the Dungeon Masters guide, but it is just as useful for players as it is for DMs. Introducing new rules, subclasses, spells, feats, items, and more, this 5e book is a must-own for anyone looking to take their TTRPG to the next level.
New playable races and monsters: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
Complete with new Tiefling subraces, lore on the devils, and more, Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes is filled with great information and the resources to expand on your adventures. If you’re looking to change out a few characters, this is the 5e book to buy.
Puzzle, tattoos, and rules, oh my: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
If you’re looking to expand your campaign through more exploration and puzzles, Tasha’s is the 5e book for you. Complete with essential tools and rules, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything reinvigorates Dungeons & Dragons and is filled with new spells, tattoos, puzzles, rules, characters, and so much more.
Put the dragons back into Dungeons & Dragons: Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons
Introducing the likes of Gem Dragons, dragon-themed subclasses, ancestries, and spells, Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons is the perfect 5e book for any player or DM who started playing Dungeons & Dragons for the dragon part.
Monsters, monsters, and more monsters: Monsters of the Multiverse
As one of the newer additions to the library of all DnD 5e books, Monsters of the Multiverse expands on a lot of the prewritten rules and lore many know. It serves to introduce more monsters, aid in the creation of fantastical races, and so much more.
Take your adventure to new, very high heights: Boo’s Astral Menagerie
Boo’s Astral Menagerie is currently only available in a set, which arguably makes it even more helpful for those players looking to start a brand new campaign, in space. Introducing new creatures, races, and more, Boo’s Astral Menagerie is perfect if you’re looking to bring your campaign into space.
Take your campaign to the land of the giants: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants is a treasure trove of content complete with fantastic artwork and enough information for DMs and players alike. It’s filled with a new subclass for the Barbarian, tons of feats, a giant-themed beastiary, and so much more.
The Deck of Many Things reimagined: The Book of Many Things
While this is certainly a Sourcebook for the new Deck of Many Things, The Book of Many Things brings so much more to the table – from two new backgrounds, a feat, new spells, monsters, and so much more. Whether you have the Deck or not, this is a great book to get hold of.
All D&D 5e Campaign Sourcebooks
Unlike source books, which aim to further the entire game, these campaign sourcebooks help DMs and players understand the adventure they’re in. They are perfect for creating a detailed campaign, along with the use of the adventure book in question. The current campaign sourcebooks are:
- The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
- Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
- Acquisitions Incorporated
- Eberron: Rising from the Last War
- Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
- Mythic Odysseys of Theros
- Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
- Astral Adventurer’s Guide
- Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
- Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
- The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons
Explore the Forgotten Realms: The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
If your adventure is set in the Forgotten Realms, specifically along the Sword Coast then this is perfect. It’ll give you background on Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Baldur’s Gate, as well as details on the culture surrounding each city, town, and location.
Explore MTG and D&D for less: Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica
Coming in as one of the cheaper DnD 5e books, Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica is perfect for those lovers of both D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Released as a collaboration between the two, Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica is a blend between the two games and features new items, classes, and so much more.
Enjoy your favorite D&D show at your own table: Acquisitions Incorporated
While best suited to fans of the Acquisitions Incorporated podcast and stream, the Acquisitions Incorporated campaign book is a great addition to the D&D module set, inviting players into a prebuilt world and allowing them to create their own stories within, especially through the inbuilt adventure.
Dungeons, Dragons, and… Robots?: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Eberron: Rising from the Last War is the sourcebook to go with the robotic designs many are incorporating into their games and will help players and DMs understand the metallic world around them. It’s perfect for that steampunk-style adventure, or just the focus on all things mechanical.
Head into the world of Critical Role: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount is one for the fans of Critical Role, but can be used by anyone interested in exploring the vast expanse of Wildemount. Either way, with this book you get to explore the world we see in The Legend of Vox Machina and Critical Role all inside one affordable campaign guide.
A powerful superhero adventure: Mythic Odysseys of Theros
As another combination between D&D 5e and MTG, Mythic Odysseys of Theros is filled with supernatural gifts, almost granting the player superhero status and embedding them as true legends of Theros. This is a fantastic book to grab if you want your players or characters to have a little more power.
Delve deeper into the world of Strahd: Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Ravenloft is perhaps one of the most popular locations in Dungeons & Dragons, being the realm of the famous vampire Strahd. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft provides a deeper dive into that mysterious and deadly region, allowing players and the DM the chance to fully explore this sinister location.
Dungeons & Dragons, in space: Astral Adventurer’s Guide / Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
Coming together as a set combined with the sourcebook, Boo’s Astral Menagerie, the Spelljammer set brings Dungeons & Dragons and places it in space. Together, the books are filled with color, magic, and fantastic new races. They’re undeniably worth trying if you want to expand your campaign into the stars.
Two for one adventure book: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen is an adventure and sourcebook in one so you’ll be able to create an entire world and story from one book. This DnD 5e book explores wars, dragons, and beautiful locations no player will ever forget.
The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons
If you’re particularly fond of Dragons then the latest D&D 5e book could be perfect for you. The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons is exactly that – a comprehensive guide of everything you need to know about these magnificent creatures in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
Looking to dive into the multiverse in your D&D campaign? Then Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse is perfect. Combined with Sigil and the Outlands, Turn of Fortune’s Wheel, Morte’s Planar Parade, and a DM screen, you can create your own adventure, or explore Fortune’s Wheel in all its glory.
All D&D 5e Adventures
- Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
- Lost Mines of Phandelver
- Hoard of the Dragon Queen
- Princes of the Apocalypse
- The Rise of Tiamat
- Out of the Abyss
- Curse of Strahd
- Storm King’s Thunder
- Tales from the Yawning Portal
- Tomb of Annihilation
- Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
- Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
- Stranger Things: The Hunt for Thessalhydra
- Ghosts of Saltmarsh
- Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
- Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty
- Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
- Candlekeep Mysteries
- The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
- Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep
- Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
- Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
- Light of Xaryxis
- Keys From the Golden Vault
- Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
Harry Potter in Dungeons and Dragons: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
Including the Owlin race, this is a fantastic adventure that transports the players back into a Hogwarts-style experience with campus-based hijinks, romance, and hidden dangers. The adventure is predominantly roleplay based but contains everything you need to craft your ideal magic school dreams.
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A perfect free beginners adventure: Lost Mines of Phandelver
The Lost Mines of Phandelver is an easy campaign with little to manage, making it perfect for new groups, DMs, or players. It doesn’t come in book form, but rather PDFs you can get for free on DnD Beyond, which is another fantastic reason to try it out.
Dragons, gold, and cults: Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Filled with ferocious dragons, evil cults, and more, Hoard of the Dragon Queen is a fantastic adventure for those looking for more combat. You play as the adventures required by a world close to annihilation after a cult seeks to bring the legend Tiamat from her prison and into Faerun. Stop them before it’s too late.
The end of the world mixed with cult destroying: Princes of the Apocalypse
Princes of the Apocalypse is a classic and is not one to be missed. You are tasked with destroying four corrupt profits and their large cults before they get hold of enough power to obliterate the Realms as you know it. Filled with combat, roleplay, and puzzle-solving, this campaign has it all.
Take down gods in the Nine Hells: The Rise of Tiamat
The Rise of Tiamat is an unbelievable campaign filled with similar storylines to Hoard of the Dragon Queen. In fact, it’s about the same cult, you play as adventurers tasked with stopping Tiamat’s rise from the Hells, gathering armies, and allies – taking down enemies as you go.
Explore the Underdark: Out of the Abyss
If you’ve ever wanted to explore the Underdark while fighting terrifying god-like monsters, Out of the Abyss is the adventure for you. The adventure is filled with epic battles, fantastic homages to recognizable characters, and a world unlike anything seen on the normal sun-filled plains.
Known as the best D&D adventure yet: Curse of Strahd
Often regarded as the best Dungeons & Dragons adventure out there, Curse of Strahd is perfect for any type of player or DM. It’s got the creepy, horror elements many are looking for while still having a riveting story filled with dire consequences, life-changing mistakes, and epic battles.
Fight giants over Dragons: Storm King’s Thunder
While it may be called Dungeons & Dragons for a reason, nothing beats fighting huge giants. In this campaign, your job is to work with the rest of civilization to investigate the giant incision and put a stop to their destructive plot. It’s filled with intense battles, fantastic roleplay, and unbelievable power.
Dungeons, Dungeons, & more Dungeons: Tales from the Yawning Portal
Tales from the Yawning Portal is an adventure that really screams Dungeons & Dragons, after all, it’s filled with seven of the best dungeons in the game, meaning that’s where the party will spend most of their time. Filled with dungeons, combat, and thrilling stories, this is fantastic for new or veteran players.
No life-saving magic in this adventure: Tomb of Annihilation
Tomb of Annihilation is a thrilling experience where, unlike a lot of higher-level campaigns, death is permanent. The adventure is based around the inability to reincarnate people and thus implements a brand new, unfightable danger. It’s thrilling, something completely different, and a must-play.
Roleplay, famous characters, and classic thievery – Waterdeep: Dragon Heist
With two adventures set in Waterdeep, Dragon Heist, and Mad Mage are perfect for a group intending on jumping straight into another module after completing the first. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is a fantastic book to begin with and includes all the roleplay, thievery, and notable characters any D&D fan needs.
An adventure of cults and gold – Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage is the direct follow-up to Dragon Heist and serves as a perfect adventure, whether that’s after its predecessor or on its own. Explore dungeons, fight dangerous foes, and travel toward the deadly Mad Mage, all in search of riches, power, and anything your character desires.
Become Will, Lucas, Mike and more: Stranger Things: The Hunt for Thessalhydra
There are many inspirations for players to start getting interested in DnD – and Stranger Things was undeniably one of the biggest. Now, with this adventure book, you can live in the footsteps of Will, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, just without being sent into the Upside Down. Although you’ll still get to explore it.
Live out your Pirates of the Caribbean dreams: Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Live your pirating dreams in Ghost of Saltmarsh. Set in the seaside town of Saltmarsh, this adventure will take you into smuggling dens, dungeons, and on the high seas, featuring boat combat among other exciting elements.
Battle demons and gods in the middle of Hell: Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus
Arguably one of the most popular DnD 5e books out there, as well as one of the most played locations, Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus is a fantastic adventure for any type of player. Fans of Baldurs Gate games will love this adventure and will likely never want to stop exploring the beautiful location.
Break physics in this hilarious comedy adventure: Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty
If you’re a lover of Dungeons & Dragons as well as Rick and Morty, then you’re in for a treat with this fantastic combination. It has all the silliness and physics breaking you’ll know from Rick and Morty but all the combat and roleplay from D&D, a perfect combination really.
A true lesson in fighting the right battles: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Set in the frozen unforgiving expanse of Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a great puzzle-solving, roleplay-heavy experience where choosing your battles is the prime lesson. It’s filled with intense roleplay, difficult combat, and plenty of evil characters your players will love to hate.
Solve puzzles, mysteries, and more: Candlekeep Mysteries
If puzzles and solving mysteries are your main passion when playing D&D, then Candlekeep Mysteries is the adventure book for you. It’s easy, comes in short campaigns, and is perfect for a little one-shot or a side quest for a standard campaign.
Carnivals, the Faewild, and unbridled chaos: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
Filled with magical fey, a thrilling carnival, and a plethora of magical items, The Wild Beyond The Witchlight is like nothing many have ever played before. It’s so much fun, extremely chaotic, and outright hilarious to play.
Envelop yourself into Exandria: Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep
If you, as many did, got into Dungeons & Dragons through watching Critical Role, then you’ll adore this book. It’s the first adventure book written by Critical Role and features the entirety of Exandria, granting other players a chance to explore this wonderful region and meet some rather familiar faces.
Colorful one-shot in a unique plane of existence: Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Written in a similar way to the Candlekeep Mysteries adventure book, this DnD 5e book is fantastic for quick one-shots or a large side quest for a party. It’s set in a mystical plane of existence and contains anything from fun adventures to dark and twisted stories.
The best beginner adventure: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Complete with everything you and your party need to start a D&D 5e session from scratch, the Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle is a thrilling journey filled with mystery, battles, and of course, Dragons. If you’re a beginner, this is the best place to start.
You can’t go wrong with D&D in space: Light of Xaryxis
Coming with the Spacejammer set, Light of Xaryxis is a fantastic book to fully delve the party into the Spacejammer world. It’s filled with all the new mechanics, locations, and planes of existence to really give you and your other players a taste of space.
A Rogue’s favorite adventure: Keys From The Golden Vault
Every Rogue has dreamed of completing a heist, and now that’s finally possible with Keys From The Golden Vault. This series of one-shot heists works perfectly with any budding criminal character and is one of the newest 5e books out there.
Mystery & Magic – Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
Advertised as the “strangest adventure yet,” The Shattered Obelisk brings players back to classic DnD thanks to its remastered nature. With thrilling mysteries, loveable characters, and a sprinkling of horror, Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk is a campaign many won’t forget in a hurry.
All Upcoming D&D 5e books & their release dates (2024)
There are quite a few exciting books still coming out in 2024, with five currently on the horizon. Below are the titles:
- Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
- Vecna: Eve of Ruin
- 2024 Player’s Handbook
- The Making of Original Dungeons and Dragons: 1970-1976
- Quests from the Infinite Staircase
While these DnD 5e books aren’t out yet, as soon as they are released, we will be updating this article to detail their contents and where to buy them, so be sure to check back soon.
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