TheDungeons & DragonsSystem Reference Document (SRD for short) is a critical part of the game’s enormous popularity, allowing other companies and creators to make material that uses core aspects of the system without paying for licensing.D&D5e’s open-game license material has traditionally been laid out in SRD 5.1, but with the 2025 rules revisions, an updated document reflecting the changes was promised to follow up the core rulebooks. Although it didn’t show up immediately after theMonster Manual, Wizards of the Coast finallyrevealed the SRD 5.2release 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 ultimatelyrescinded after controversy. In light of the criticism,D&Dpivoted 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 onD&D Beyond, explains the basic function of the SRD and lays out some of the biggest changes.SRD 5.2, which releases on July 27, 2025, contains the basic rules laid out in the 2024 revisionsbut 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.
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 therules glossary found in the newestPlayer’s Handbookshould 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 officialCreative Commonswebsite.
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. WhileSRD 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 officialD&Dlogo 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&Dis 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&Dis 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.
The currently availableD&D Free Rules(2024)already contain core character options, limited DM advice, and a sampling of monsters. It’s unclear how much the revisedD&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 2024Dungeons & Dragonsrules and pave the way for the future of third-party products.
