The revealed the SRD 5.2 release in April.
The core function of SRD 5.2 will be familiar to veterans of previous versions, but there are some big changes this time around. In early 2023, Wizards of the Coast revealed planned changes to the open-game license that would impose new restrictions, an announcement that was ultimately rescinded after controversy. In light of the criticism, D&D pivoted to an even more open Creative Commons License, which was then applied to SRD 5.1 and will apply to SRD 5.2 from the start.
How D&D's SRD 5.2 Works
D&D's official announcement of SRD 5.2, which can be found on D&D Beyond, explains the basic function of the SRD and lays out some of the biggest changes. SRD 5.2, which releases on April 22, 2025, contains the basic rules laid out in the 2024 revisions but presents them in a more limited function. Foundational mechanics and references from the rulebooks can be expected, but elements like details of world-building and memorable foes won't appear. Anything laid out in SRD 5.2 is fair game for third-party publishers to use as a basis for products, making compatibility easy without a licensing fee.
"I Don't Know Why We Did That": D&D's James Wyatt Explains Why Dragon Delves Is Following The 2024 Rulebooks
Dragon Delves has the big task of following up D&D's 2024 core rulebooks, and the reasons for that are a little vague but entirely sensible.
SRD 5.1 includes all the core material traditionally available through the open-game license, like basic rules, class features, and spells. 5.2 adds 2024-specific elements like weapon mastery properties, and the inclusion of the rules glossary found in the newest Player's Handbook should make for an easy reference tool. Wizards of the Coast is also promising a "Conversion Guide" to help third-party material transition to the new ruleset, although backward compatibility should make content that only uses SRD 5.1 generally easy to run with 2024 rules.
How Creative Commons Works With D&D SRD 5.2
The only basic requirement for using SRD 5.2 is to follow the Creative Commons attribution requirements, which are slightly simpler than the traditional requirements of the open-game license. While the open-game license mandated a full copy of the license in all material that used it, Creative Commons only requires a couple of sentences of attribution, which can be found in the SRD 5.2 document following its availability on D&DBeyond.
More detailed legal attributes of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which SRD 5.2 uses, can be found on the official Creative Commons website.
Material using the 5.1 license can declare its compatibility using the phrases "compatible with fifth edition” or “5E compatible", but Wizards requests that the company's name be left out of third-party products. While SRD 5.2 may tweak the attribution requests to mention the 2024 rules, the overall procedure should remain the same. Creative Commons isn't particularly restrictive, but using the official D&D logo in unofficial products is naturally off the table.
Perhaps most importantly, Creative Commons licenses cannot be revoked, so any material using SRD 5.2 won't have to worry about another rug pull like the planned 2023 changes to the open-game license. By releasing SRD 5.2, D&D is confirming that elements of the 2024 ruleset included in the document will continue to be freely available.
How D&D Beyond Basic Rules Work
Alongside SRD 5.2, D&D is releasing an updated free ruleset that can be referenced on D&D Beyond without owning the core rulebooks. For anyone attempting to play the game for free, this should be an easier resource to reference than the SRD, but it's not available through the same Creative Commons distribution and cannot be used for third-party content creation.
D&D: 10 Best Adventures On D&D Beyond Marketplace You'll Want To Try ASAP
Dungeons and Dragons has infinite worlds to discover (some made up by community ), but others are available on the D&D Beyond shop.
The currently available D&D Free Rules (2024) already contain core character options, limited DM advice, and a sampling of monsters. It's unclear how much the revised D&D Beyond Basic Rules (2024) that are replacing them will change, but it's unlikely that any essential material previously available for free would be removed. While the introduction of SRD 5.2 and the accompanying free rules update might seem like a big change, it mostly serves to finish the basic rollout for the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons rules and pave the way for the future of third-party products.
Source: D&D Beyond, Creative Commons
Dungeons and Dragons
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
- 2-7 Players
