How ‘Stranger Things’ Made Dungeons & Dragons Cool Again

On July 15, 2016, Stranger Things viewers were introduced to four Hawkins, Indiana, youngsters who loved playing Dungeons & Dragons: Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin). They would play all day. And a campaign (game) that lasted less than 10 hours? Well, that was pretty disappointing for the middle school nerds.

In the fantasy role-playing game, participants create their own characters and then engage in a creative tale, using numbered dice to dictate their next moves, successes, or failures. A designated “Dungeon Master” — who acts much like a narrator — guides players throughout the story.

In the show, Mike was the original party’s DM, coming up with elaborate group quests for them all, but he also played along as a paladin. Will was a cleric dubbed Will the Wise, Dustin was a bard, and Lucas was a knight. And yes, there are dragons, but there’s also Demogorgons. Playing D&D prepared the kids for the Upside Down — and all the terrible creatures lurking in it.

Dungeons & Dragons was released in 1974, so it’s not a shocker that they’re playing it in Stranger Things‘ 1980s timeline. But the game’s massive resurgence — thanks largely to Mike and his friends — was a surprise. As Stranger Things‘ popularity took off, audiences were inspired to learn about the game that was once primarily associated with introverts and geeks, and, as seen in Season 4, the “satanic panic” of the 1980s.

Stranger Things-themed sets of D&D were sold, and each season, the show seems to boost advertising for the game. According to reports, Google searches for “How to play Dungeons & Dragons” shot up by 600 percent after the first seven episodes of Season 4 were released in 2022. Even celebs are in on the fun: Deborah Ann Woll, Joe Manganiello, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Vin Diesel, and Stephen Colbert are just a handful of Hollywood’s avid players.

Want more proof? Take a roll of the dice and discover these other shows and films that have risen up during D&D’s resurgence.

Critical Role

In 2012, voice actor Liam O’Brien organized a D&D campaign for his birthday and invited a few friends. O’Brien’s group — eventually consisting of fellow voice actors Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Ashley Johnson, and Taliesin Jaffe — played together for a few years before actress Felicia Day, who ran the entertainment website Geek and Sundry, asked if they’d be interested in livestreaming their fun.

Critical Role premiered online in March 2015, roughly one year before Stranger Things. As the Netflix show piqued people’s D&D curiosity, Critical Role‘s audience grew until its following was so massive, it was able to branch off into its own IP in 2018. Today, their worlds stretch far beyond a livestream — they’ve created their own role-playing system, merchandise, books, and two animated series on Prime Video, both based on previous campaigns. Eager fans spare no expense dressing up in cosplay and booking travel to fill out spots like New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to see their special live shows.

Dimension 20

In 2018, comedy website College Humor began producing Dimension 20, an actual playing show hosted by Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan. Its anthology format and rotating cast of players (different from Critical Role‘s format of permanent players in a years-long story) found a niche with audiences, who eagerly tuned in.

Despite ups and downs in content production due to the pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike, the hype never slowed. In January 2025, the group hosted a one-night-only live D&D event at Madison Square Garden — and sold out the entire arena.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Perhaps the biggest way the world could understand the impact Stranger Things had on revitalizing D&D was the thrilling 2023 comedy-action movie Honor Among Thieves, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and scored by acclaimed Mission: Impossible composer Lorne Balfe (who jumped at the chance to be a part of the production, having played D&D in the past).

The film starred Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and Hugh Grant, among others, playing characters like bards, tiefling druids, rogues, and barbarians. It was well received by critics, and its $208 million box-office haul proved that fantasy role-playing isn’t just for those who enjoy and know the genre. It’s for anyone who enjoys a good story.

For an extended celebration of Stranger Things, from a Season 5 preview to must-see photos and more, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Stranger Things: The Final Chapter special issue, available for pre-order online now and on newsstands now.

Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Premiere, November 26, 2025, Netflix

Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 2025, Netflix

Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 2025, Netflix and Select Theaters