Summary

• The new 2024 Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons will be available early at Gen Con 2024.
• Sales start at 3 PM EDT on August 1, with commemorative bookplates and a 50th-anniversary logo.
• If not purchasing at Gen Con, early access options are available for D&D Beyond subscribers and local game store buyers.

The new Player's Handbook is set for release in September, but Dungeons & Dragons has just revealed a way for a lucky minority to get the book way ahead of time. After ten years of using the 2014 Player's Handbook, the new edition is a significant shake-up for the popular tabletop role-playing game. While it's intended to remain backward compatible with content from the last decade, the 2024 Player's Handbook makes some significant updates to classes, rules, and more.

As announced in an official press release, the first 3,000 copies of the new DnD Player's Handbook will be made available at Gen Con 2024, the largest tabletop gaming convention in North America. These copies will feature a commemorative "Gen Con 2024" bookplate and a 50th anniversary logo in gold foil. Sales will start at 3 PM EDT on August 1, with the Player's Handbook being made available for its retail price of $49.99 plus tax for credit card sales only.

Purchasing D&D's 2024 Player's Handbook At Gen Con

What The Process Of Getting A Copy Looks Like

The full window of opportunity to purchase the updated 2024 Player's Handbook at Gen Con 2024 is spread across a specific sales period each day of the convention. On August 1, the book will be available from 3 PM to 6 PM, while on August 2, 3, and 4, it can be purchased in the morning from 9 AM to 12 PM. Digital tickets to reserve purchase opportunities will be made available at 7 AM each morning, listed as "D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Early Release Sale," and only one ticket can be claimed and redeemed per person each day.

The Player's Handbook will be available in the Northwest Concourse of Lucas Oil Stadium.

The other big item for the first day of the show comes courtesy of the US Postal Service, which is releasing 10 DnD stamps. These will be available for purchase in a separate queue in the same sales area. Other Wizards of the Coast products can be found in the Indiana Convention Center Event Hall at E501.

Other Ways To Get The D&D 2024 Player's Handbook

Early Access Initiatives Split The Difference

For anyone unavailable to pick up a book at Gen Con 2024, the earliest way to get the Player's Handbook otherwise will be picking it up through the early access release on September 3. This will be applicable to Master Tier subscribers on D&D Beyond or anyone who purchases a copy at a participating local game store. Otherwise, Hero Tier D&D Beyond subscribers can get the book on September 10, and everyone else has to wait for the wide release on September 17.

It's possible to pre-order the Player's Handbook through D&D Beyond, ensuring some character sheet bonuses.

The new announcement should definitely be a welcome surprise for Gen Con attendees, and getting a copy with an exclusive bookplate could be the centerpiece of any DnD collection. It might make the wait even harder for those who can't attend, but having some copies out there should make August an interesting time to keep up with DnD news. 2024 is a big year for Dungeons & Dragons, and Gen Con 2024 is certainly celebrating in style with the early Player's Handbook release.