What is One D&D? The next generation of Dungeons and Dragons explained

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Wizards Presents introduced the next generation of Dungeons and Dragons today, with One D&D making its debut. This is a system shakeup directed by the players, with the Wizards offering a series of revisions and some new digital features to bring new adventurers into the fold and streamline differences between editions and eras. Essentially, One D&D is comprised of three pillars.

The first is the focus of the day; a new initiative by Wizards of the Coast to bring rulebooks and art up to modern standards in 2024. The second is a digital drive following Wizards' recent acquisition of D&D Beyond, which ties in with the third - a fully 3D digital playspace, built in Unreal, for players to view their battles and create their own dungeons.

One D&amp;D digital — (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

All releases in the last ten years will be fully playable with new One D&D setups, and the new rules and refinements will be playtested over the course of the next year and a half via a series of monthly Unearthed Arcana drops. These playtest documents will zoom in on different aspects of the experience to gather feedback around proposed changes before new core D&D books are introduced in 2024.

The first playtest document is now available for anyone looking to give some new systems a spin. As well as some early rule shifts, this initial Unearthed Arcana package will introduce a new race, the Ardling, a supernal race with ancestry tracing back to the Upper Planes.

Rule changes and additions to core handbooks are the tweaks involved in One D&D. The new step into digital content is the major modernization. Wizards of the Coast presented a first look at the new 3D playspace in today's announcements, a tilt-shifted view of your battlegrounds complete with scenery, miniatures, and animations to help bring your campaigns to life. That's some seriously exciting new digital features to dig into.

One D&amp;D 3D — (Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

The system is still in the early stages of development at the moment, which means there's far more information to come, but Wizards also promised the opportunity for players to create their own spaces with the software as well.

You can sign up for the first round of playtesting via DnD Beyond.

For more on your favorite tabletop RPGs, check out our guide to the best WizKids miniatures. We're also rounding up all the best board games and the best card games on the market as well.

Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.