Role-playing games (RPGs) have advanced far beyond the years when players would hide out in the basement with a couple of friends. The industry itself earned a revenue of $46.78 billion in 2022. While online shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20 — which have amassed 3.78 million and 997,000 subscribers respectively — have popularized and introduced games like D&D to the masses, many players continue to stay for the benefits. These benefits are more than just enjoying the entertainment of gallivanting in fantasy worlds. It’s about the stress they can burn off, the friendships they build, and even budding relationships that bloom. Around the table, players often find support, connection, and the kind of consistency that's rare in adult life.

To understand how these games fit into real-world relationships, StartPlaying surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who play tabletop RPGs at least once a month. The results point to a broader emotional role. Many said gaming helped them unwind, stay close to friends, and even deepen romantic bonds, especially among younger adults.

Key Takeaways

• 76% of players said tabletop RPGs have helped them process trauma or emotional growth at least occasionally, while 31% said it’s a key reason they play.
• 43% caught real-life feelings during gameplay, and 28% said in-character romance led to genuine attraction outside the game.
• 52% have played RPGs with a romantic partner, and 48% said it improved their relationship.
• 57% of players made at least some of their closest friends through RPGs, and Gen Z and millennials were especially likely to say gaming forged core friendships.
• Nearly 9 in 10 players say RPGs help them mentally reset — with over 2 in 5 motivated to play for stress relief and other mental health benefits.
• 75% credited RPGs with keeping friendships alive — Gen Z led the charge, with 36% saying gaming “definitely” helped preserve their connections.

Stress Relief, One Session at a Time

For a lot of players, RPG nights are more than a hobby — they’re a reset button. Whether it’s the structure, the storytelling, or the group dynamic, game sessions give players space to unwind. That’s especially true for younger adults juggling work, school, and the burnout that comes along with it.

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Nearly half of all players said they often or always feel better after a session. Only 4% said they never experienced stress relief from games. That means a majority of players experience some kind of mental health benefit. This isn’t a niche idea — it showed up across the board for all survey respondents. 

While most players report feeling less anxious after playing RPGs, there is a generational divide between those who believe games could restore them mentally.  While baby boomers were most likely to say RPGs always help them reset, younger players like Gen Z and millennials were more likely to respond that games sometimes or often help them reset. Still, this difference may reflect that generations view leisure time differently. For older generations, leisure time spent playing games is a form of self-care. For others, it may serve different purposes.

Therapy-Inspired Campaigns Are Gaining Ground

Anyone familiar with RPGs knows that each one can vastly differ. Some are adventure-packed, where players will need to defy terrifying foes and even risk their character’s life. Others are more comforting, and some Game Masters (GMs) will design games specifically for mental health healing, such as cozy campaigns. These games are becoming more popular, with more than half of our survey respondents responding that they had joined a therapeutic campaign at least once. Some were still playing in one. Others had taken part in the past, and plenty more are curious. Nearly half of those who hadn’t joined yet said they’d be interested.

That sense of purpose shows up in why people play. About a third said emotional growth or trauma processing was a driving force behind their love for the game. It ranked just behind stress relief and mental health support.

And the impact wasn’t just theoretical. Of our respondents, 66% said they used gaming to work through something difficult at least once. For nearly a quarter, that kind of support showed up often. These weren’t fleeting moments of distraction. They were stories with room to heal.

Tabletop games might look like fantasy on the surface. But for many, they’ve become a space to process the real stuff quietly, collaboratively, and one session at a time.

Friendships That Would Not Survive Without RPGs

As adult schedules fill up, finding time for friendships gets harder. People may have commitments with other campaigns, intense workweeks, or family responsibilities that can quickly consume their time. That said, RPGs are the reason why friends can stay in contact despite busy schedules. Weekly sessions offered a reason to gather, talk, and stay in sync—even when life pulled people in different directions. With virtual tabletop game platforms, like Discord, becoming more popular, friendships can stay strong through gaming despite the miles that may separate people. 

Across generations, most players said tabletop RPGs helped strengthen their friendships. Gen X led the way, with nearly two-thirds reporting a positive impact. Millennials weren’t far behind — 62% said their social ties grew stronger thanks to gaming. While Gen Z was the least likely to say friendships improved, over half still reported a boost.

Fewer than 5% across any age group felt RPGs had weakened their relationships. In a time when adult friendships often take a back seat, tabletop games gave players a built-in reason to stay connected.

How RPGs Create Lifelong Bonds

Now more than ever before, people feel isolated. According to a 2023 report published by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, half of Americans report feeling lonely. It seems that while social media use may run rampant in a way to connect users across the globe, more and more people don’t feel connected. That said, RPGs are a great way to connect with others and even form friendships. From long campaigns to spontaneous one-shots, the table often becomes the starting point for real, lasting connections.

Meeting close friends through gaming was especially common among Gen Z and millennials. More than three in four Gen Z players (78%) said they’d met close friends through RPGs — the highest of any generation. Even nearly two-thirds of baby boomers said the same. Overall, three out of four players reported forming at least some of their closest friendships through tabletop play.

The shared experience of co-creating a story, navigating conflict, and playing with imagination often leads to bonds that go deeper than surface-level small talk. For many, friendship didn’t just happen around the game. It started there.

When Game Night Is Also Date Night

RPGs aren’t just for friends to gather. It’s also a great bonding activity for romantic partners who may be looking for a new hobby or even just a fun date night. Over half of respondents said they played alongside someone they dated or were married to. For many of those couples, RPGs weren’t just a shared interest but an active way to strengthen their relationship. Sessions created space for imagination, collaboration, and mutual investment in something outside the daily routine.

Among partnered players, nearly half said gaming improved the relationship. Women were especially likely to report emotional benefits — 52% said it helped, compared to 45% of men. Whether as a relationship spark or a standing date night, RPGs added a sense of play and partnership that many couples said carried over long after players packed away the dice.

When Fantasy Meets Reality

Sometimes, romance doesn’t just unfold in the storyline of RPGs — it can begin outside the game, as well. In-character chemistry is contagious, after all. Instead of pining after a fictional character they may see on screen or in the pages of a book, RPGs present the opportunity for players to delve into relationships in real life. 

This isn’t a rom-com plot, either. Nearly half of the players said romantic feelings during a campaign didn’t stay fictional for long, with some still in those relationships today. For others, emotional sparks flew mid-campaign, turning a shared hobby into something more profound.

Nearly a quarter of respondents said they were currently dating someone they met through gaming, and another third said they had either dated or developed romantic interest in a fellow player. It’s a reminder that collaborative storytelling doesn’t just build worlds — it builds intimacy.

That connection often extended beyond the players to the characters themselves. More than one in four said an in-game romance eventually led to real-life attraction.

For many, roleplay created a low-pressure space to explore emotion and connection inside a fictional frame. In some cases, what began as a narrative choice turned into a real bond. The overlap between fantasy and reality wasn’t a side effect—it was the point.

With over a third of U.S. adults now using dating apps to meet romantic partners, RPGs can be a more genuine way to develop relationships. Players may use their own real-life experiences to shape their characters, which can lead to conversations about their lives off the tabletop. This is something that dating apps can’t replicate. 

Gaming as Emotional Infrastructure

For many players, RPGs foster connection, encourage emotional expression, and create a weekly rhythm for checking in with others. They offer something rare: structured, intentional time spent together.

This kind of play doesn’t just support relationships. It strengthens them. The rituals built around shared storytelling make space for humor, vulnerability, and resilience. Whether someone is managing stress, rebuilding their social life, or just hoping to feel more seen, RPGs provide a setting where that becomes possible.

Connection doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes, it starts with a character sheet, a few dice, and the decision to keep showing up — for the story and each other.

Methodology

We surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who play tabletop role-playing games at least once per month. Results were stratified by age and gender to ensure balanced representation. All findings are based on self-reported responses, and some percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. The survey was conducted in August 2025.

About the StartPlaying

StartPlaying is the largest platform for finding professional Game Masters and scheduling tabletop RPG sessions online. Our platform emphasizes accessibility, safety, and inclusivity—connecting new and veteran players to unforgettable shared experiences. Whether you're a first-time player or a seasoned adventurer, StartPlaying connects you with GMs ready to run the perfect campaign for your group.

Fair Use Statement

You’re welcome to share or reference this research for noncommercial purposes. Please include proper attribution to StartPlaying and link back to the original study.

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