With more tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) happening online these days, you might be exploring your virtual tabletop (VTT) options. We’ve checked out some of the best VTTs around so you can find the perfect fit for your group.
UPDATE March 2025 by Sergio Sólorzano- Even more options have been added since the original publication! From scaled-down versions for newbies to full games made for VTT, you have more choices than ever!
Above VTT
More of a Chrome extension than a full-on VTT, Above nevertheless has very good ratings from its users. This extension morphs your D&D Beyond campaign into a VTT, importing character sheet data along the way. Maps and tokens are also simplified into "one click" functionality.
Above is great for using D&D Beyond on the cheap, since it's a free extension and works with free accounts. It's biggest weakness is that it only works for D&D and with D&D Beyond, so it has one audience in mind.
Cost: Free
Alchemy RPG
Alchemy RPG made a big splash with its recent Kickstarter launch. This VTT puts focus on presentation, with a special eye for streamers. GMs create scenes dominated by pictures and music, with emphasis on theatre of the mind assisted by production values.
This is the only VTT to offer built-in streaming tools and a spectator mode. While not all of these features are fully available yet, the massive success of the Kickstarter campaign points to a bright future for Alchemy.
Cost: A free account tier will always exist, Alchemy Unlimited is $8 a month
Alice Is Missing Digital Edition
If you really adore the indie hit Alice is Missing, you're in luck. This Digital Edition brought to us by Pixeltable is a VTT for Alice and Alice alone. It was made with the help of Alice is Missing publisher Hunters Entertainment to create the perfect immersive experience.
The Digital Edition of Alice is Missing was built, as you might imagine, with gameplay and storytelling tools tailored towards playing a standard session of the game. The 90-minute soundtrack covers the entire length of a session with music that flows through the ups and downs of the story. There's also a few toggles for GMs to change the outcomes based on potential player triggers. The only downside as of now is that the platform is still in testing and prone to bugs.
Cost: Free during the open testing periods
Beyond Tabletop
Beyond Tabletop is an online VTT for D&D 5e and Pathfinder. It’s entirely free and uses your Google Drive for storage. The interface is page-based and its character sheets are customized field sets. You also have the ability to create simple maps using shapes, background images, and tokens.
Since Beyond Tabletop is based in Google Drive, it works as well on phones and tablets as it does on laptops and desktops. It was made available to the public in 2014.
Cost: Free
D&D Beyond Maps
It was only a matter of time before the biggest name in Dungeons & Dragons virtual play launched its own VTT. D&D Beyond once aimed to produce a platform with 3D environments like a video game and seamless D&D Beyond character sheet integration. This "Project Sigil" would allow you to create maps and use iconic DnD characters as digital assets for your game. Sigil's active development was shut down this year, however, and what remains of it will be transferred to a free D&D Beyond feature.
In the meantime, D&D Beyond has its Maps system. This simple interface allows you to put 2D maps and tokens in front of your players much like Owlbear Rodeo or Roll20. The big difference–and selling point–is that you can pull maps and monsters directly from official D&D modules that you own digitally. It's a big time-saver for maps and token art, and can also link to character sheets and monster stat blocks for things like initiative rolls.
Cost: No cost for Maps itself, but you must have a Master Tier subscription to use it.
Tales Of Fablecraft
This one is a combo package - a game system built specifically for its accompanying VTT. As such, all game mechanics and lore are inserted into the platform from the get-go.
Fablecraft aims to be all-in-one with video chat, digital dice and maps, and a character creator questionnaire that guides you through making your bespoke protagonist. This emphasis on guidance extends to the game itself, which is great for beginners, and to the homebrew system which empowers GMs to help each other by sharing content.
Cost: Free on Steam or Apple Store with in-app purchases.
Fantasy Grounds
Boasting more official licenses than any other VTT, Fantasy Grounds has been a go-to since its 2004 release. You need to pay to access its features, but this can be done as a one-time payment or a subscription. Once you have a Standard or Ultimate license, you’ll be able to log your campaign, create roll tables, and maintain a party inventory.
Fantasy Grounds’ many game licenses mean that you can access the rulesets for the popular TTRPGs on the market. It also has a high level of automation for conditions, damage dealing, and tracking turns.
Cost: Free (you can play in a game run by someone with an Ultimate license), Standard (one-time payment of $39.99 or $3.99/month to play with other people who have the Standard license), Ultimate (one-time payment of $149.99 or $9.99/month to GM for players using the Free license)
Foundry VTT
If you enjoy development, Foundry is the VTT for you. It had its official release in May 2020. The GM buys the software and players use their browsers to access the game. GMs have many tools to run automatic macros, fine tune characters sheets, and give maps extra flair.
Foundry includes dynamic lighting, drawing functions, and drag-and-drop from rulesets to character sheets. It requires more setup than most VTTs because of its robust features, but can be highly rewarding for a GM who loves customization.
Cost: $50 one-time purchase by the GM
Let's Role
Announced in 2019 and now officialy oout there, Let’s Role is building a community based on its intuitive UI and customizability for GMs. It features video backgrounds, a journal that can be edited by players and GMs, a soundboard with pre-loaded assets, and built in safety tools.
For the programmers out there, there's a system builder funciton that allows you to build gameplay rules with Javascript directly into your group's VTT.
Cost: Various price tiers that offers things like more storage.
Owlbear Rodeo
The big draw of Owlbear Rodeo is its simplicity. No need to create an account or learn a tutorial. As soon as you hit "Start Game" you are transported to the tabletop. From there you can drag in all the art assets you want or use Owlbear Rodeo's provided selection for an instant battle map.
There aren't chat options, but that's not what this is for. Owlbear Rodeo is here for GMs that just want to plop tokens on a map without worrying about macros or lighting.
Cost: Free
Quest Portal
Quest Portal uses an AI assistant to facilitate the visual and audio aspects of its systems. Users will find that Quest Portal emphasizes a visual-focused platform with immersive backdrops, music, and colorful art.
The in-app chat and availability on iOS/Android attest to Quest's focus on reaching a wide audience.
Cost: Free, $6 a month for pro
Role
Role is a community-focused platform that accommodates different systems. HD video chat, group text chat, and integrated safety tools show how Role puts the player first.
Role also has a community search function to help groups and GMs find each other.
Cost: Free to start
Roll20
Roll20 is one of the most popular VTTs around and launched in 2012. All players, including the GM, can access core features and play games for free. It has Fog of War, drawing capabilities, and a jukebox feature that allows the GM to stream music and sound to all players’ computers simultaneously.
It’s also a communication solution, with voice, video, and text chat capabilities and includes access to community-created character sheets for many of the most popular TTRPGs.
Cost: Free, Plus ($4.99/month), Pro ($9.99/month)
Shard Tabletop
Shard Tabletop is another VTT made with the intent of streamlining your D&D experience. It comes with free ready-to-play starter adventures and tokens for hundreds of monsters. The creators emphasize fast performance and functionality on several kinds of devices.
Fo the GMs that like to homebrew, Shard has extension tools for creating custom content. They even boast that you can change the genre of the game. Shard also partnered with Kobold Press to bring Tales of the Valiant and most of its expansion content to its marketplace.
Cost: Free, with paid add-ons and subscriptions to unlock more storage and customization
Tableplop
Tableplop is a 5e-focused VTT released in March 2020. Its user-friendly interface makes it simple and easy to use, with all the core functions of any VTT. It requires minimal setup and comes with integrated 5e character sheets.
As a browser-based application, Tableplop can be run on phones, laptops, and tablets. It is still under development and it has a lively Discord server where the developers take suggestions from the community.
Cost: Free
Tabletop Simulator (TTS)
If you miss feeling like you’re sitting around a table with friends, this program allows you to recreate a physical tabletop setup. Launched in 2015, TTS resembles a first-person video game. If you have virtual reality equipment, there’s even a VR aspect, too. Your dice and character sheets are in front of you and you can move the camera to interact with them. It’s available on Steam and you can use Steam’s chat and voice features while running TTS.
Since TTS is designed to resemble a physical table as much as possible, its character sheets don’t have built-in dice rolling functions. But, you can create an unlimited number of 3D dice of any size you want, which you could use to recreate your hoard of physical dice.
Cost: one-time payment of $19.99 on Steam, or $59.99 for a pack of four. Everyone needs a copy of the game to play.
TaleSpire
TaleSpire captured the attention of TTRPG players worldwide. It’s an online, graphical way to play pen-and-paper RPGs. TaleSpire offers a 3D view with tools to build anything as small as a dungeon to as vast as a world. The program comes with multiple camera angles to tell a visual story.
For those willing to dig, you can find pre-made maps for popular modules available to download on the community marketplace.
Cost: $24.99
Resources
If you’d like to know more about the VTT options named here, check out these resources!
