Dungeons and Dragons has existed for nearly 50 years. In that time, it has introduced a ton of inventive and incredible settings for players to explore. With so much content available for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, it can be overwhelming to decide on a setting. Every game of D&D needs an exciting world to explore after all. Many DMs can create their own world from scratch, but D&D provides many unique settings to play in as well.
In the past, many of D&D's settings were totally unique and brand new. In the current edition, however, many of the best settings are either modern reworkings of these old favorites or adaptations of settings from completely different games, most notably Magic: the Gathering. Not every iconic D&D setting has been adapted to 5th Edition, but enterprising DMs looking to delve into D&D history will have a lot to work with.
Update on September 14th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: this list of the best D&D worlds for exciting campaigns has been expanded with five all-new entries and now adheres to CBR's current publication standards.
15 The Forgotten Realms
Featured in many 5e books
Inspired by classic fantasy tropes, the Forgotten Realms settings is the first setting many new D&D players will encounter. It is the assumed default setting of 5th Edition and is used for fan-favorite adventures like The Lost Mines of Phandalin and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
Forgotten Realms has everything a D&D group needs to play a classic game of high fantasy. Its long history means there's a ton to explore and uncover, and there's been a ton of published content over the years to draw from. Forgotten Realms manages to be familiar without feeling boring, and is the perfect starting point for any beginner campaign.
14 Greyhawk
Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Greyhawk is one of the first D&D worlds to ever exist, created by Gary Gygax himself based on his own experiences running early versions of the game. At first, Greyhawk was just a dungeon, but then it was gradually expanded into an entire world complete with an evil empire and several smaller kingdoms. It also has a darker tone than the Forgotten Realms.
Greyhawk is largely a relic of the early 1980s, but 5th Edition players can still visit it with any or all of the adventures found in Ghosts of Saltmarsh. A group can either spend the entire campaign in this D&D world and run its adventures in order, or drop these Greyhawk adventures into homebrew campaigns for variety's sake.
13 Dragonlance
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen 5e
Another classic setting, Dragonlance is a world that puts dragons at the front and center of the action. The name derives from the powerful weapons used to destroy evil dragons. Like the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance is a classic fantasy setting with just enough fun twists to keep things interesting.
Dragonlance is also famous for the large series of novels that take place within it. These novels are densely packed with the history of the setting, so any player who reads the series would feel at home playing a character in this world.
12 Council of Wyrms
Council of Wyrms
The Council of Wyrms campaign/box set, which was released in 1994, is one of the strangest D&D settings in the entire game for one particular reason: everyone in the party controls a dragon. While adventures like The Rise of Tiamat heavily feature this iconic creature type, it's wild D&D worlds like Council of Wyrms that explore them in a more intimate way.
This means Council of Wyrms does away with traditional classes like rogue, wizard, and paladin, replacing them with dragons of different colors. If an experienced group of 5th Edition players wants to try something truly new, they can homebrew a modern version of Council of Wyrms and take to the skies.
11 Ghostwalk
Ghostwalk, 3E
The Ghostwalk setting was released for 3rd Edition and features what appears to be one of the most conventional D&D worlds in the game, but there is a special twist. In Ghostwalk, player characters come right back to life if they die, and can resume their adventure right away from the afterlife.
Ghostwalk is designed to get around the dreaded problem of a player losing their character and needing to wait before they can introduce their new PC. The Ghostwalk world is fairly ordinary aside from that, though it does feature a city built over a massive vault of souls, which could lead to some interesting plot points.
10 Strixhaven
Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
Strixhaven is one of several D&D worlds that was lifted directly from Magic: The Gathering, taking place in a massive and well-respected magic school called Strixhaven. This world's mechanics may feel a bit clunky compared to what other books offer, but a slick DM can tinker with it to get things back on track.
Strixhaven is great for any D&D group that wants to feel like students at a Hogwarts-style school, complete with an enormous library, five competing sub-schools of magic, and much more. Players can lean into fun student tropes such as the bookish honor roll student, the conceited but popular jock, or the class clown.
9 Ravenloft
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and Curse of Strahd
Ravenloft was introduced as the premiere horror setting in D&D. It was first seen in 5e in the Curse of Strahd campaign, but it got its own full campaign setting guide in Van RIchten's Guide to Ravenloft. Ravenloft is a mist-shrouded land terrorized by all manner of classic horror monsters.
Ravenloft is the perfect setting for anyone looking to put a spooky twist on their D&D campaign. Whether it's an action-horror adventure with the adventurers tearing through hordes of zombies or a slow-burn cosmic horror story about dread powers, Ravenloft can do it all.
8 Eberron
Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron and Eberron: Rising from the Last War
Eberron is a dynamic steampunk pulp-action D&D setting with an incredibly diverse set of locations. It was the result of a writing contest back during D&D's third edition, and it puts a unique spin on almost every classic D&D monster, race, class, and more.
Eberron provides a unique set of guilds, lore-rich kingdoms with sprawling metropolises to explore, and a diverse group of races to choose from. It also introduced the artificer class to D&D, which has now become a mainstay of 5th Edition.
7 Exandria
Tal'dorei Reborn, Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep
Exandria is one of the newest settings in D&D history. This world spawned from the popular actual-play show Critical Role, run by Matt Mercer. It is a prosperous high fantasy world that many players, fans or not, will enjoy.
Exandria introduces new schools of magic for wizards and a slew of new spells and monsters that all hail from the actual-play show. D&D players who love the show now have a chance to play along in a world they have grown to love.
6 Ravnica
Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica
Ravnica is a single, sprawling city that hails from the card game Magic: The Gathering. Ravnica features a high-magic society governed by ten distinct guilds, all of which have a specific niche to fill within the city's economy and ecosystem.
Ravnica provides many new character options for players to explore, each related to a different guild. If players or DMs are looking for a high-magic world to explore with plenty of opportunities for intrigue, then Ravnica is a clear choice.
5 Theros
Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Theros is Magic: The Gathering's take on Greek mythology, and it was introduced as a D&D setting in 2020. Much Like Ravnica, this setting has rich lore drawn from years of Magic card history. It's a perfect setting for D&D adventures, with ferocious monsters lurking in every corner just waiting for powerful heroes to prove themselves.
Theros also does a great job implementing gods, a D&D staple that doesn't always get to take center stage. The pantheon in Theros is very well-detailed, and any character could easily serve a god in their adventures, especially cleric characters.
4 Dark Sun
No official supplements for 5e
Dark Sun was a D&D take on an apocalyptic world. The setting focuses on a world where magic has destroyed the planet, and all that remained were shambles of civilization vying for resources. Like Eberron, Dark Sun put a unique spin on many D&D classics.
Dark Sun had a strong emphasis on psionics as an alternative to normal D&D magic. The setting also introduced a unique bug-like race that is not seen in any other campaign setting. There have been rumors of a 5e campaign book in this world, but only time will tell.
3 Radiant Citadel
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
The Radiant Citadel may be one of the most recent D&D settings in the game, but it has already established itself as one of the best. The Radiant Citadel is a massive, diverse city carved from the fossil remains of a massive creature in the Ethereal Plane, a world co-founded by many civilizations.
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is an anthology book, so players can wander this charming new world at their leisure. Or, a DM can bring the party to the Radiant Citadel for one or two adventures partway through an existing campaign to provide a much-needed change of venue.
2 Spelljammer
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
Spelljammer is a classic setting that trades traditional D&D fantasy for space fantasy/sci-fi instead. It features nautical spaceships, alien sea monsters, and everything a group needs to take their normal D&D adventures to the stars.
In a way, Spelljammer can be used to connect other D&D settings together. Spelljammer ships can actually travel between worlds, potentially opening the door for D&D campaigns that jump from one classic setting to another from session to session.
1 Planescape
5e supplement coming 2023
Planescape was a campaign setting focused on players traveling through the Outer Planes of D&D lore. It took a distinctly darker tone, one that was brought to life in the popular video game Planescape: Torment. Players can travel to a wide variety of planes, often by passing through the mystical demiplane known as Sigil, the City of Doors.
Since Planescape covers a ton of diverse Outer Planes, it is a little like having a dozen settings all in one. A Planescape campaign will be totally unlike any other D&D game, and it's the perfect choice for DMs looking to spice up their game with a unique and brand-new setting.