Despite the calendar turning to 2026, Wizards of the Coast has remained conspicuously silent regarding a “big box” expansion or a major campaign adventure for the year. While the rumour mill grinds on about darker settings, the official slate currently consists of just four titles: a high-end reprint of a classic trilogy, two interactive workbooks, and a guide to crocheting monsters.
For observers of the roleplaying game industry, this silence feels familiar. It mirrors the start of 2025, suggesting that a lack of announcements is a strategic choice rather than an empty pipeline.
The Confirmed 2026 Line-up
As it stands, the first half of 2026 offers supplemental material and collector’s items rather than mechanical expansions.
Dragonlance Legends Collector’s Edition (February 10) – Following the resurgence of interest in Krynn with Shadow of the Dragon Queen, Wizards of the Coast is revisiting the world’s fiction. This release reprints the original Dragonlance Legends trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. It promises new behind-the-scenes material from the authors, packaged in a high-quality hardcover format. For fans who have followed the setting since the 1980s, or those who discovered it through recent 5th Edition adventures, this is a premium nostalgia piece.
Dungeons & Dragons Crochet: A Book of Many Patterns (March 31) – Written by Stacy King, this quirky title offers patterns inspired by the D&D multiverse. It continues the trend of lifestyle brand expansion, moving D&D further into the “geek crafting” space alongside cookbooks and colouring books. If you are planning to stitch your own Beholder, you may want to ensure your yarn stash is stocked via retailers like Lion Brand Yarn or Michaels before the release.
Player’s and Dungeon Master’s Workbooks (May 5) – Two interactive “companion” books arrive in May: the Player’s Workbook of Epic Adventures and the Dungeon Master’s Workbook of Worldbuilding. These are designed to guide users through 2024 ruleset adoption, offering structures for backstory planning and campaign design. They appear to be practical tools rather than rulebooks, designed to help groups organise their table time.
The “Missing” Announcements
The absence of a flagship adventure module or a “splatbook” (a book of mechanical options) in the early 2026 announcements has led to speculation across blogs and social media. However, context is key.
At the start of 2025, the public roadmap was similarly sparse, listing only the Monster Manual. It wasn’t until an embargoed press event in January 2025 at Wizards of the Coast’s Renton headquarters that the wider slate, including Dragon Delves, the Forgotten Realms books, and the eventual Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, was revealed.
That pattern appears to be repeating. The silence is likely not due to a lack of product, but a change in marketing cadence. The D&D team has experienced significant internal shifts recently, including the appointment of Blain Howard as the new marketing manager and the engagement of Tara Bruno PR as the new PR firm. The lack of a “D&D Direct” livestream this winter may signal a new promotional strategy under this new leadership.
Delays and Future Speculation
Logistical realities have also impacted the schedule. 2025 saw several shifts, most notably Eberron: Forge of the Artificer sliding from a summer release to December due to printing defects. These production hiccups may have prompted a more cautious 2026 announcement schedule to avoid setting unrealistic player expectations.
Mechanically, the game’s direction appears poised to explore the esoteric. Unearthed Arcana playtests over the last year have heavily featured psionics and arcane subclasses. This has fueled persistent rumours that 2026 will finally see the return of Dark Sun, a setting famous for its Psion class, or perhaps another visit to Ravenloft. Until confirmed, however, players looking for new character options or adventures may need to turn to third-party publishers on DriveThruRPG to fill the gap.
For now, D&D fans should view the current list not as the whole year, but merely as a warm-up act.
Barnes & Noble and Waterstones are expected to list pre-orders for the Dragonlance and workbook titles as they become available.
