Dungeon Crawler Carl is currently one of the most popular LitRPG series around, with Matt Dinniman’s bizarre dungeon-crawling adventure growing from an indie success story into a genuine publishing phenomenon in the past few years. Eight mainline novels have now been released, most recently 2025’s This Inevitable Ruin and 2026’s A Parade of Horribles, the latter becoming an instant #1 New York Times bestseller when it released back in May.
The series also appears to be hitting its stride unusually late in its run, with fans regularly singling out This Inevitable Ruin as one of Dinniman’s strongest entries, while A Parade of Horribles has earned similar praise from readers who consider it a new series high point. Dinniman has confirmed that Book 9 will conclude Carl and Donut’s story, with the finale currently carrying the working title The Beautiful Place and expected to span two physical volumes, though a release date has not yet been announced.
That said, Dungeon Crawler Carl‘s next official book is technically arriving to major retailers this November and marking the beginning of a brand-new era for the franchise (via Thirsty Meeples).
Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Next Book Is An Unexpected Surprise
For fans waiting to return to the World Dungeon after A Parade of Horribles, the next major book release in the Dungeon Crawler Carl universe is technically arriving soon, just not as another Matt Dinniman novel. Renegade Game Studios’ Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG: Core Rulebook is currently scheduled to release later in 2026, following an enormously successful crowdfunding campaign earlier this year. The combined RPG and Dungeon Crawler Carl: Unstoppable campaign raised more than $13.29 million from 55,972 backers, becoming the most-funded game campaign in BackerKit history.
The tabletop RPG essentially hands players the keys to Dinniman’s World Dungeon. Players can take control of established crawlers including Carl, Donut, Florin, and Prepotente, or create an original character, choosing from more than 30 races alongside a huge selection of classes, skills, backgrounds, and other customization options. Its 300-plus-page core book concentrates on Floors 3 through 5, with rules covering character creation, spells, loot, mobs, neighborhoods, safe rooms, and the absurd and increasingly deadly challenges found in the dungeon.
It also adapts more than the series’ combat, with popularity, achievements, loot boxes, the System AI, dungeon factions, and the spectacle of entertaining an audience all incorporated into the tabletop experience, giving groups the tools to create their own version of the crawl. With Book 9 of the novel series still without an announced publication date, the RPG and its dedicated rulebook are the franchise’s next substantial expansion of Dinniman’s world and kick off a brand-new era for the franchise into the gaming realm.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG Arrives November 2026
Renegade Game Studios has previously indicated that physical fulfillment for crowdfunding supporters is expected to begin in October 2026, giving backers of the Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG + Unstoppable campaign an early opportunity to explore the World Dungeon before the game reaches general retail.
For everyone else, the Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG: Core Rulebook is currently expected to launch in November 2026. UK retailer Thirsty Meeples already has the book available for preorder at £50, listing it as a 300-plus-page hardback from Renegade Game Studios and specifically noting an expected November release.
The core book covers World Dungeon Floors 3 through 5, includes more than 24 playable sessions, and offers rules for creating original crawlers or playing as established characters including Carl, Donut, and Katia. With Book 9 still further away, the RPG effectively serves as the franchise’s next major book-sized release for fans looking for new Dungeon Crawler Carl material.
- Publisher(s)
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Penguin Random House
- Publication Date
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September 21, 2020
- Number of Pages
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444
- ISBN#
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979-8688591507