Pubblicato il 22/10/2025
Writing about the popularity or sales of tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) is a challenge for experts. The global market is fragmented, sales channels are diverse, and there is no single official observer or ultimate database. However, by merging key sources and sector knowledge, you can draw up a picture that is credible, transparent, and data driven.
According to the most recent industry reports, such as those published by VerifiedMarketReports, Business Research Insights, and Market Report Analytics, the global market for tabletop roleplaying games continues to grow in 2025, both in value and in variety of offerings. These reports, produced by specialized research companies, analyze the market as a whole with estimates and trends based on retail sales, digital channel growth, consumption by geographic area, and new publishing ventures, although they offer only limited specific data on single titles.
What do they indicate? Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) remains the absolute giant, taking up a massive slice of the market both in North America and in Europe. After D&D, games like Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu continue to hold top spots worldwide, with Call of Cthulhu especially strong in Asia. The indie and OSR (Old School Revival) scenes, while not individually moving huge numbers, show steady growth thanks to a very active community.
Kickstarter and the rise of crowdfunding have revolutionized the market. Not only do they offer public and verifiable figures on money raised, but they also highlight the real trends among engaged players. Titles such as Avatar Legends, the Cosmere RPG, or Dragonbane have raised hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. However, be careful: “most funded” does not always mean “most played” or “best selling over time.” Kickstarter figures are excellent for taking the marketplace’s pulse, but they don’t tell the whole story.
For years, platforms like Roll20, Foundry, and D&D Beyond have published user and system statistics. These figures reflect the preferences of a growing share of digital players and are often used to compare systems. According to these reports, D&D 5E is by far the most played game, followed at a distance by Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, OSR games like MÖRK BORG, and successful contemporary indie titles.
Rarely and infrequently, major publishers release official numbers. Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Chaosium, and Free League occasionally share sales results, print runs, or special figures. These announcements are useful but not homogeneous, often self reported, and hard to compare across different games or markets.
Many sector analysts (EN World, Polygon, Dicebreaker, ICv2) create rankings or articles based on aggregated data from multiple sources, publisher interviews, retail trends, and observations from major conventions and online communities. This is the most transparent approach; it offers a realistic snapshot of the field while also making clear its limits and the absence of an “absolute” figure.
Remember, there are no official rankings
If you want to create content on this topic, the best approach is to cross reference all available sources (reports, crowdfunding, VTT, publisher releases, interviews, industry articles). Always cite them clearly in your articles, explaining what they measure and what they don’t. Emphasize the margins of error and the differences between “sold,” “played,” “funded,” and “printed.” Let your readers know that, as of today, there is no indisputable official world ranking for tabletop roleplaying games.
Intellectual honesty and transparency about sources are the true added value of every writer, especially in a sector full of passion and strong opinions like that of TTRPGs.
It’s a tough job, but I gave it a try. I’d love to tell you that Dawn of Pripyat is among the top sellers, but that’s not the case.
Sources used: VerifiedMarketReports, Business Research Insights, Kickstarter, Roll20 and Foundry reports, publisher releases, analyses by EN World, Dicebreaker, ICv2.
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