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No matter which edition you prefer ofDungeons & Dragons, there have always been three core books: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. However, since the Monster Manual is often a compendium of monsters, each edition tends to contain several versions of the same book.
Either as updates or direct sequels, the Monster Manual is re-edited and continued throughout the life-cycle of each edition. Here, we will explore how many Monster Manuals there have ever been in total and per edition, and which is the best to use today.
How Many Monster Manuals Are There?
In total, there have been13 Monster Manuals across all editions, but not all of them have completely new monsters. In cases wherethe rules are updatedwithout transitioning to a new edition, the Monster Manual of that era isre-released under the new rules.
Fifth Edition
As you can see, whenever the new Monster Manualfollows the same rules, a number is added to the title, signaling it containscompletely new monsters. When the Monster Manualshares the name on the same edition, it is an updated version of the old book withplenty of repeated(and upgraded) creatures.
Which Monster Manual Is The Best?
There are currentlytwo books that share the name Monster Manualfor the fifth edition,one released in 2014 and another one in 2025. The latest book isan updated version of the 2014 onethat uses the updated rules from 2024, and as such,it is the superior book.
The creatures in itare greatly improved, with more complex mechanicsthat better represent themand helpdiversify each type of monster. Not only that, there are alsoover 70 new creaturesin the book, expanding almost every single monster group to have more entries to choose from.
