D&D 5e is most well known for being a party-based fantasy game where groups of characters cooperate to beat the odds and perform amazing deeds. There is, however, a growing niche of players and creators using the mechanics of 5e to power a completely solo gaming experience in a choose-your-own-adventure fashion.
Many a “forever DM” swears by them, and they are also a way to get some gaming in if you can’t find a group, scheduling regular play is an issue or you just like to try out new things!
Below are a few of our favorite professionally made solo 5e gamebooks from some luminaries of the community. You can also check out our article on free 5e solo gamebooks if you’d like to dip your toe in this pool of gaming without spending any of your hard-earned monies just yet.
The Wolves of Langston
In this gothic murder mystery, you play as a 1st level adventurer tasked with figuring out what is killing people in the small town called Langston and making it stop. This one was a hit even before release, as 3,446 backers pledged €76,910 to its Kickstarter campaign, captivated by the premise of a solo 5e adventure that challenges both them and their character. The awesome art doesn’t hurt either!
In The Wolves of Langston you get to explore and investigate an original setting, interact with NPCs and the environment, problem-solve with your character’s abilities, fight monsters, and choose your path whenever you want to play.
Oh yeah, and we made that one.
The Crystals of Z'leth
The Crystals of Z’leth is a classic adventure of exploration, discovery, and survival despite dwindling resources that works with Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition.
You are part of an expedition to the ancient city of Z’leth. Few who have found the city have ever returned. Those that did make it out alive talk of a lost civilization, ancient secrets, and crystals of great power.
The Crystals of Z'leth is currently on Kickstarter and is a spiritual sequel to The Wolves of Langston!
Eight Petals Argent
Another 1st level solo gamebook, this one by Wraith Wright. In it, the first of a seven-book long series, you play as a first-level character who returns to the city of Waterdeep—a familiar setting for many D&D players— after a long time away and find your old friends planning a daring heist.
This adventure takes from 6 to 12 hours to complete and is 424 pages long, offering many challenges and choices. It is powered by Wraith Wright’s original Solitaires Method of 5e solo play, and is a DM’s Guild Gold bestseller.
The Death Knight's Squire
This DM’s Guild Adamantine best seller is the first in a Forgotten Realms series and optimized for 2nd level play. It has received glowing praise from the community for its more than 100 pages including mechanics for maps and tokens to provide the solo roleplayer with a tactical combat experience more in line with traditional 5e adventuring. Sections of the maps are revealed based on plot progression, and the choices are hyperlinked to each other so you can progress seamlessly without long bouts of immersion-breaking scrolling.
The premise: a being who is called a Death Knight has taken young Darek as a squire. He isn’t the first and his grandparent guardians worry. You are to retrieve this boy.
The Test of High Sorcery
This Electrum best seller Dragonlance solo gamebook of sorcerous intrigue tasks you with passing a fabled admission test to join the most ancient and revered magical order of Krynn: The Orders of High Sorcery. Many have tried and failed, and failure often meant death. A tall order for the 4th level character you will be playing.
This one is a beautifully laid out DM’s Guild bestseller has 60 possible endpoints determining which branch of the organization you join and features popular characters from D&D lore such as Fizban of Treasury of Dragon’s fame. The type of people who have spells named after them.
Solo Adventures just keep on growing - and we are here for it. Are you looking for more things to play? We got more modern and old-school game books to play here, and some of the best adventure game books right here.
