The Best Dungeons and Dragons Books in 2025

Dungeons & Dragons is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in popularity. From the influence of Stranger Things to the success of Honor Among Thieves, the rise of D&D podcasts and YouTube channels, and the phenomenal success of Baldur's Gate 3, now is the perfect time to join the adventure.

However, navigating the wealth of Fifth Edition (5E) content, especially the vast offerings from third-party creators, can be daunting for newcomers. This guide focuses primarily on official Wizards of the Coast publications, excluding the essential Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual (all updated in 2024 – essential purchases before exploring further).

First-Party Content Recommendations:

• Player's Handbook Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Dungeon Master's Guide Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Monster Manual Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Xanathar's Guide to Everything (Sourcebook): Expands player options with subclasses, feats, spells, and DM tools. Essential for diverse character builds.

• Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Sourcebook): Offers additional player options, new spells, and DM rules for sidekicks and environments. Enhances class diversity.

• Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Adventure): Intrigue-driven adventure with multiple antagonists, focusing on social encounters and political conflict. A great alternative to dungeon crawls.

• Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse (Sourcebook/Adventure Bundle): Explores the Planescape setting with detailed sourcebooks and an engaging adventure.

• Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk (Adventure): A massive expansion to The Lost Mine of Phandelver, introducing cosmic horror elements.

• Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Sourcebook/Adventure): Unique setting with airships and floating castles, offering diverse roleplaying opportunities.

• Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (Adventure): Introduces the Dragonlance setting with large-scale combat encounters and dragons.

• Curse of Strahd (Adventure): Classic gothic horror adventure with vampires and creepy encounters.

• The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (Adventure): Feywild adventure with strong roleplaying elements and multiple solutions.

Notable Third-Party Content (brief mention):

• Strongholds and Followers (MCDM Productions): Rules for player bases and NPCs.
• Flee, Mortals!/Where Evil Lives (MCDM Productions): Redesigned and new monsters, plus a dungeon.
• Tome of Beasts/Creature Codex (Kobold Press): Extensive monster manuals.
• Grim Hollow (Ghostfire Gaming): Dark fantasy setting.

This list provides a strong starting point for expanding your D&D experience beyond the core rulebooks. Let us know your favorites in the comments!