How Many People Play D&D in 2023? (User & Growth Stats)
Despite the fact that Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is decades old by this point, its popularity is still astonishingly high. Millions of enthusiasts have been playing D&D for ages, but many people wonder just how many players D&D has.
As of January 2023, Dungeons & Dragons has a total of around 50 million players worldwide, most of which are casual rather than active or concurrent. D&D Online, released in 2012, has an estimated total of 462,387 players or subscribers and an estimated 21,963 players active each day.
This infamous tabletop game has become renowned within the gaming community, with millions of people partaking in the game or its community activities each year. Stick around to find out how many people still play D&D in 2022, as well as what makes this game so popular worldwide.
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)
Dungeons & Dragons has been around for quite a long time – much longer than many might expect. The original game was initially published way back in 1974, after Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson collaborated to design it in the early 70s.
At the time, the two creators really struggled to find a publisher, so they ended up publishing the game themselves. Little would they know, but this game would later become the biggest tabletop to ever grace the gaming community.
The game’s IP was acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 1992, and Wizards of the Coast was itself acquired by Hasbro only 2 years later. Hasbro is infamous for a ton of iconic, popular, and successful tabletop games and franchises – they were eager to take D&D under their wing, and for good reason!
D&D became a massive hit ever since its release, steadily growing in popularity over the course of its running. It’s now considered to be the first TRPG (Tabletop Role-playing Game) within the industry, and while many other publishers and designers have come up with similar games over the years, D&D still dominates the gaming genre by a landslide.
How Many People Play D&D In 2023?
While the original D&D game is still more popular, many players and fans now enjoy D&D Online as well – a D&D variant released in late June back in 2012. Although there are different stats and player counts, the total player base is still quite large overall.
Over 50 million people have played Dungeons & Dragons in total, and much of its success in modern times may be thanks to social media and third-party platforms. According to Dice Cove, around 4.3 billion minutes of D&D content had been watched on Twitch in 2020 alone – amounting to about 71.6 million hours.
In addition, other parties have been taking inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons for other content as well. Critical Role, a live-play D&D show that started back in 2016, set the record for the fastest-funded Kickstarter in 2019 – raking in over $11 million during their campaign to fund a TV show based on Dungeons & Dragons.
Critical Role generated around $10 million on Twitch over the past couple of years, with about 946,000 Twitch followers and almost 30 million views to date. They have streamed 1,449 hours of content, with each stream lasting around 4 hours and an average of 53,000 viewers per stream.
This live-play D&D show is undoubtedly one of the most popular shows of its kind available to watch online. It may be influenced by the inclusion of top-notch voice actors and high production value, but it’s very clear that there is also an audience that loves to watch Dungeons & Dragons content without necessarily playing the game itself.
D&D Player Counter & User Stats
Despite the troubles and financial stress throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dungeons & Dragons is bigger than ever before. The game did see a dip in popularity but saw a resurgence back in 2014 after the 5th edition was released.
It’s been estimated that the vast majority of D&D players are situated in Canada, closely followed by fans in the United States. It’s said to be trickier to find fellow players outside of these regions, but it’s still quite possible in areas like Western or Northern Europe.
D&D saw a growth of around 33% in sales and a 24% overall growth back in 2020 alone, and the Wizards of the Coast had generated an estimated total revenue of around $816 million throughout that year. That’s some massive profits, and the player counts or fanbase is hefty to match.
At the time of writing, Dungeons & Dragons has approximately 50 million total players at least. However, most of these players are considered casual rather than active or concurrent players. According to Web Tribunal, 36% of D&D players are 25 years old or younger with 12% being teenagers, while only 13% of D&D players are above the age of 40.
Back in the earlier phases of the game’s growth, Dungeons & Dragons was primarily dominated by a male player or fan base. But, in modern times, around 39% of D&D identify as females – inclusivity and diversity in gaming have been on the rise for quite a few years.
D&D Online Player Counter & User Stats
Dungeons & Dragons Online is nowhere near as successful as the original D&D, but it still has a rather steady and sizeable community and fanbase worldwide. Although, the player tracking sources do vary concerning the average player count.
Steam Charts reports that Dungeons & Dragons Online only has an all-time high of 1,368 players to date, with a 24-hour peak of 393 players and around 217 players active at any given moment. These figures are quite low compared to the original D&D player counts (although estimated), as well as other D&D Online player count reports.
| Timeframe (2022) | Average Players | Gain/ Loss | Peak Players (In a Day) |
| Last 30 Days | 273.5 | +2.84% | 463 |
| December 2022 | 265.9 | -1.79% | 463 |
| November 2022 | 270.8 | -0.61% | 492 |
| October 2022 | 272.4 | -8.98% | 496 |
| September 2022 | 299.3 | -5.19% | 598 |
| August 2022 | 315.7 | +3.60% | 573 |
However, according to MMO Populations, Dungeons & Dragons Online is ranked #67/135 of all MMOs tracked on their database. It’s estimated that D&D Online has a total of 462.87K players or subscribers and an estimated 13.19K players active each day.
Below are the player and activity stats for D&D Online throughout the past 5 years, according to MMO Populations:
Below are the player and activity stats for D&D Online for 2022 up until the last 30 days, according to MMO Populations:
| Timeframe | Estimated D&D Online Players/ Subscribers |
| January 2023 | 462,387 |
| December 2022 | 460,981 |
| November 2022 | 452,656 |
| October 2022 | 448,601 |
| September 2022 | 443,898 |
| August 2022 | 439,032 |
Based on the stats provided by MMO Populations, the health of D&D is assumed to be quite good. Its player base has increased by approximately 1.768% within the last month alone, and it still seems to be growing as time goes by.
Why Is D&D So Popular?
In addition to the fact that Dungeons & Dragons was the first of its kind, pioneering and paving the way for future TRPGs around the world, the game just offers a ton of fun and unique experiences. The original game did have rather complex elements which did not appeal to many people, but recent editions have incorporated simpler aspects to attract younger players as well.
Celebrities That Play Dungeons & Dragons
There are actually quite a few celebrities that adore D&D over and above the game’s global audience. Some celebs have even personally recruited many of its members, or revealed how Dungeons & Dragons has shaped their lives from their childhoods – directly or indirectly influencing their future successes.
Below are the most notable D&D-loving celebs to date, according to Inverse:
| Jon Favreau | Director of Iron Man, the live-action Lion King, and The Mandalorian on Disney Plus |
| Ta-Nehisi Coates | Journalist and author who wrote a Black Panther and a Captain America series for Marvel Comics, as well as a novel called The Water Dancer |
| Greg Grunberg | Actor, casted in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as Snap Wexley |
| Felicia Day | Took part in The Guild, a comedy web series, and helped launch Critical Role in the early days |
| Matthew Lillard | Acted in Scream, The Descendants, and Scooby-Doo |
| Brennan Lee Mulligan | Hosts and DMs College Humor’s Dimension 20 live-play show |
| Gerard Way | Co-founder and the lead vocalist of My Chemical Romance, and the writer of The Umbrella Academy comic series. |
| Jerry Holkins | Penny Arcade co-founder |
| Dan Harmon | Rick and Morty co-creator |
| David Benioff | Game of Thrones co-showrunner |
| D.B. Weiss | Benioff’s creative partner |
| Junot Diaz | Author who wrote The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao |
| Sharyn McCrumb | Bestselling author of the Ballad novels set in Appalachia |
| David Lindsay-Abaire | Author and playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his play Rabbit Hole |
| Pendleton Ward | Creator of Adventure Time |
| Anderson Cooper | Journalist and TV personality |
| Martin Starr | Silicon Valley star |
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Actor |
| Patrick Rothfuss | Kingkiller Chronicle author |
| Brett Gelman | Actor in just about everything these days from Stranger Things to Fleabag |
| Deborah Ann Woll | Star of True Blood and Daredevil |
| Vin Diesel | Actor, starring as an action hero of the Fast & Furious film franchise and also Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe |
| Matthew Mercer | Actor |
| Stephen Colbert | Comedian and late-night TV host |
| Joe Manganiello | True Blood and Magic Mike actor |
While Dungeons & Dragons is unique and potentially more complex than one might expect, this game will offer unique and unforgettable experiences to anyone willing to become immersed. If you’ve been curious about D&D, it may just be the time to start your own adventure.
