Because the game has been kicking around for literal decades now, there are enough Dungeons and Dragons books to fill a small library. Which ones are worth getting, and what do you need to play? Should you hold off buying D&D books until the new edition comes out later this year?
They’re all valid questions. To help point you in the right direction, we’ve summoned our finest word-wizards for their recommendations on what is easily one of the best tabletop RPGs. And because we’ve been hands-on with all of the Dungeons and Dragons books for this current version of the game (known as Fifth Edition, or ‘5e’ for short), we have plenty of thoughts on what’s worth prioritizing. We use these D&D books to run campaigns each week, after all!
In other words, we won’t ever recommend Dungeons and Dragons books we wouldn’t want to buy ourselves. We update this guide every month as well, so it’s not set in stone either – if we think there are new D&D books that should be on your radar, we’ll let you know here.
Benjamin Abbott
Benjamin’s covered D&D and tabletop RPGs more than five years, and currently has a couple of campaigns on the go with many members of the GamesRadar+ team (Phandelver and Below, along with Curse of Strahd).
Dungeons and Dragons books – quick list
Want to get into the action as quickly as possible? Roll initiative – you’ll find our rundown of the best Dungeons and Dragons books below. To find out more about each entry, simply click the link underneath them.
The best D&D book overall
No matter whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced player, this book needs to be in your collection. Besides including the basic rules, it’s crammed with everything you need to make a new character, cast spells, or create your own world.
2. Dungeon Master’s Guide
The best D&D book for Dungeon Masters
As the name would suggest, this tome is tailor-made for Dungeon Masters, world-builders, and anyone hoping to create or run adventures for D&D. Although it could be slightly better laid-out, it’s still a masterclass in the process.
The best D&D book for encounters
If you run games or come up with your own D&D quests, the Monster Manual is borderline essential. Along with stat blocks for hundreds of foes (which are often referred to in published adventures) it’s inspiring as well thanks to tidbits of lore.
4. Monsters of the Multiverse
The best D&D book for new characters
Want to roll a new adventurer, but fed up with the standard elves, humans, dwarves, and halflings? This book adds a boatload of new options ranging from bird-like aarakocra to fairies, so it’s ideal if you’re keen to shake things up.
The best D&D adventure book
Even though it’s one of the older D&D adventures, this classic still beats many of its more modern counterparts. The fact that it’s slightly different each time you play is a huge draw, as is the vampiric (but well-realized) villain.
The best D&D book for one-shots
If you don’t have time for a long campaign or struggle to meet on the regular, one-shots are a great compromise – they provide all the fun of D&D, but without the same commitment. There have been plenty of anthologies like this, but few can match Candlekeep Mysteries.
7. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
The best D&D setting book
There are many brilliant D&D settings, but Ravenloft is special. Besides offering a baked-in villain via DIY Dark Lords, the fact that its worlds are defined by horror tropes provides an easy call-to-action. Crucially, this book is excellent at creating those twisted worlds.
8. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
The best D&D book for advanced players
Seeing as it introduces a new class (the steampunk-flavored Artificer) and numerous subclasses that can be used to spice up existing builds, this book is a must-have if you’ve been playing for a little while. It’s got great DM tools (like session zero advice) as well.
9. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
The best D&D book for advanced DMs
Because it’s stuffed with random encounter tables, advice on creating traps to ensnare the party, and new downtime activities (including rivalries), Xanathar’s Guide is a useful resource for DMs. Additional subclasses and spells make it worth looking at if you’re a player, too.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – overall
Of all the D&D books out there right now, this is arguably the most important. As a detailed guide on gameplay, rules, how to create a character, and more, it’s a one-stop-shop for everything you need in order to begin your tabletop adventure – or continue it.Â
That’s true no matter how experienced you are; alongside entry-level advice, the Player’s Handbook is crammed with advanced mechanics for combat, spellcasting, and more. In essence? This is the D&D bible.
Even though it doesn’t include every playable species or archetype in the game, the Player’s Handbook also has more than enough content to fuel countless hours of gameplay. With nine races to choose from (including the classic elves, dwarves, and halflings), numerous backgrounds you can use, and rules for almost every class, it’s the place to start when making an adventurer for your next campaign.Â
This is one the best Dungeons and Dragons books for Dungeon Masters as well. Besides featuring info on everything from gods of the multiverse to equipment stats, it provides a few ideas for what the party can do on the side. Do the adventurers have a job? Hobbies? Commitments? The Player’s Handbook gives you plenty to chew on, so we can’t recommend it enough.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – Dungeon Masters
If you’ve ever thought about creating adventures for your group, the Dungeon Master’s Guide is an essential read. Besides arming you with all the tools you need for overseeing a game, it covers everything from making an awesome quest to forging a world of your own (complete with cities, governments, and religions).Â
It’s not overwhelming, either. Regardless of what you want to do, be it crafting loot-filled ruins or getting tips on how to use miniatures in-game, the book’s advice is straightforward and easy to understand. Because there are so many helpful prompts, it’s practical as well.
The section on creating non-playable characters is particularly handy. It provides a wealth of traits, mannerisms, and quirks to choose from that can result in memorable individuals that are easier to roleplay. In addition, the fact that you can end up with countless permutations based on its suggestions is useful for time-strapped DMs.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – encounters
The Monster Manual is a must-have if you’re running your own game; it helps Dungeon Masters call upon a host of nasty creatures to use in battle. Featuring classic foes like goblins and more unusual entries such as the many-eyed beholder, it’s full of surprises with which to challenge your players. Basically? This is the ultimate collection of baddies.Â
It’s amongst the biggest Dungeons and Dragons books, too. There are over 350 pages to enjoy with lavish illustrations throughout, making it one of the most comprehensive fantasy bestiaries out there. Even if you don’t play D&D, it’s an inspiring read from start to finish thanks to the extensive worldbuilding inside.
However, it’s more than a curiosity if you write your own adventures. With stats, abilities, and flavor text for hundreds of creatures, there’s something within the Monster Manual to suit every campaign you can think of. You’ll find useful context on where these enemies can be encountered too, not to mention why. That helps DMs weave monsters into the story naturally, making for a more immersive experience overall.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – new characters
Tired of the same old character types? Monsters of the Multiverse should go straight onto your wishlist. It allows you to play something beyond traditional fantasy staples and offers 33 new races (ranging from fairies to owl-people) that can be used for your next hero. This makes it one of the best Dungeons and Dragons books by default; it lets your imagination run wild.
Crucially, all of the above will fit into any world. Although most started life elsewhere, they’ve been updated for this book with setting-neutral info. When combined with all-new lore and hand-written, pithy notes from existing characters, it’s a fascinating dive into D&D’s wilder side.Â
In addition, it features a sprawling 282-page bestiary filled with unusual and powerful monsters. Whole chapters are dedicated to beasts we often see as cannon-fodder, and you’re given a less black-and-white view that makes them more well-rounded than they have been in the past. This isn’t about pigeon-holing cultures into categories of ‘good’ or ‘evil’; it takes a more measured, thoughtful approach.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – adventure
There’s a reason why this descent into the darkest corner of D&D is so beloved; it taps into everything brilliant about the game, all whilst wrapping it up in a wonderfully gothic (and very replayable) storyline. This has been widely held as one of the best D&D books for a long time, and we don’t see that changing soon.
One of the reasons this tale hits so well is its villain – the eponymous Strahd himself. A vampire lord in the most classic sense, this creature of the night rules over a land that feels as if it’s been yanked straight from the pages of Dracula. And because he’s hunting down someone that he believes to be a reincarnated loved one, he crosses paths with the party often enough to become a fully realized character himself.
A beloved classic
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Crucially, where and when Strahd appears will vary depending on events early on in the campaign. That means there’s still something new to discover even if you’ve played or run this story before, especially because the world is such an expansive sandbox waiting to be discovered.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – one-shots
Although prewritten adventures make up some of the best Dungeons and Dragons books, they’re a massive commitment. Candlekeep Mysteries bucks that trend. Offering a series of one-off stories that can be plugged into any campaign, world, or setting, these quests can be completed in a single sitting. That makes them a great fit for groups that can’t meet regularly enough for weekly or monthly sessions.
More importantly, those adventures are great. Despite being united by some sort of mystery driving the plot (hence the name), there’s a tremendous amount of variety on offer. Traditional tales of derring-do, horror, satirical comedy, and more can be found within the pages of this D&D book, so there’s bound to be something to suit your party.Â
Many quests draw inspiration from mythologies across the globe that don’t normally get a look in during your average tabletop roleplaying game
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There’s a refreshing variety of perspectives on offer throughout, too. You see, Candlekeep Mysteries isn’t limited to classic European fantasy; adventurers will visit places inspired by mythologies and cultures from around the world. Because so many of the stories told there are sure to stay with you for a long time, it’s well worth a look.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – setting
This D&D book is unsettling, but that’s the point. A whistle-stop tour of horror tropes both old and new, it’s crammed with tips on how to inject the genre into your games. Based around the horror-tinged realms of Ravenloft (prison-worlds created to contain evil Dark Lords in their own personal hell), it provides a baked-in excuse to explore any kind of fear-inducing cliche you can think of.
Like Candlekeep Mysteries, it’s got creativity to spare as well. In spite of a brisk pace that rattles through over 30 realms in total, the worldbuilding of Van Richten’s Guide is second to none. You get a real sense of each domain even though they’re only given three to four pages each, and all of them contain numerous quest hooks to fuel your campaigns. Some of these are compelling enough to maintain full-length adventures in their own right, so there’s plenty of value for your money here.
The same can be said about the book’s suggestions for creating your own horror worlds and characters. Namely, it’s insightful while also being laser-focused on what makes the genre tick (if you enjoy creating your own homebrew settings, it’s hard not to come away inspired). Sure, the genre isn’t for everyone. But the tips in Van Richten’s Guide are. This is comfortably one of the best Dungeons and Dragons books as a result.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – advanced players
Few D&D books make bigger promises than Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. In fact, it sets out to fundamentally change the game. And you know what? It works. Although there are the usual spells and magical items you’d expect, this one adds the Artificer class (tech whizzes that let you play as a medieval Iron Man) to shake things up. New subclasses have been thrown in for good measure, too. These are almost universally excellent, ranging from psionic warriors that battle with the power of their mind to fungi-based Druid circles that feel as if they’ve been pulled from The Last of Us. Â
What’s more, tweaked character traits are a revelation (even if they could do with further depth). Allowing players to escape rules that potentially force them toward one playstyle or another, it upends the table and lets you live your best fictional life. Want to be an academic orc who’d rather hit the books than smack someone with their axe? Now’s your chance.
An essential tool
GamesRadar+ review
In much the same vein, DMs are given more ideas, tools, and quest hooks than they’ll know what to do with. Tasha’s Cauldron winds up being the best D&D book in years as a result.
Best Dungeons and Dragons books – advanced DMs
The title isn’t an exaggeration; this supplement provides players and Dungeon Masters alike with new rules for almost every part of the game. No matter whether you’re looking for fresh spells, unusual subclasses, or traps in which to catch unsuspecting adventurers, Xanathar’s Guide has you covered.Â
However, we’d argue that DMs will get the most out of this Dungeons and Dragons book. There are dozens of encounter tables here to make exploration more exciting (and easier, for that matter) along with extensive rules on traps. Even downtime rivalries and pastimes are included, so the advice should give your games additional spice.
Tying this esoteric knowledge together are asides from Xanathar, a beholder crime lord whose most prized possession is a goldfish. These wry notes add flavor to proceedings, leaving us with a memorable read overall.
For more recommendations, don’t miss the best board games. You can also get some advice on how to create your first character in D&D or the best D&D class for beginners via our guides.
