GM GUIDES · ARCHIVIST RESEARCH
D&D Game Systems Compared
Compare D&D 5e, D&D 2024, Pathfinder 2e, and Daggerheart by logged session share, campaign length, and play cadence.
October 5, 2026 · 7 min read
By Greg H. & Greg W., co-founders of Archivist
← Back to GM GuidesThe Short Version
- Session share shifted: D&D 5e fell 20 points since spring 2025; D&D 2024 rose 11, and Pathfinder 2e rose 4.
- Among multi-session campaigns, D&D 2024 and Pathfinder 2e more often reached 10 sessions than D&D 5e. Pathfinder groups also played more often.
- Daggerheart accounts for about 2% of logged sessions. Its campaign sample is too small to judge long-term results.
How Long Campaigns Run, by System
Each bar shows how a system’s campaigns divide across session-count bands. One-session campaigns are included.
CAMPAIGN LENGTH, SHARE OF EACH SYSTEM'S CAMPAIGNS
Each color is a session-count band. The Daggerheart 20+ share is hidden because its sample is too small.
For the difference between planned one-shots and campaigns that stop after one session, see One-Shots vs. Campaigns.
Which Systems Run the Longest Campaigns?
This comparison follows multi-session campaigns. The flow chart shows how many reach each milestone; the pace comparison includes campaigns old enough to complete each time window.
How many campaigns reach each milestone?
MULTI-SESSION CAMPAIGNS, ALL TIME
Bars mark milestones. Colored bands continue to the next; gray fades show campaigns that did not reach it.
Swipe to see later milestones →
Daggerheart’s 20-session milestone is hidden because its sample is too small.
How quickly do campaigns reach those milestones?
These results include only campaigns started after Daggerheart launched and old enough to complete the full window. Pathfinder 2e campaigns reached 10 sessions in 120 days more than twice as often as D&D 5e campaigns. The measure also reflects how often groups play.
MULTI-SESSION CAMPAIGNS STARTED SINCE MAY 20, 2025
Only campaigns old enough to complete the full 60- or 120-day window are counted.
| System | 5 sessions by day 60 | 10 sessions by day 120 |
|---|---|---|
| D&D 5e | 37% | 21% |
| D&D 2024 | 45% | 29% |
| Pathfinder 2e | 58% | 51% |
| Daggerheart | 32% | 16% |
| Other systems | 39% | 23% |
How Often Groups Play Each System
Pathfinder 2e groups play about weekly. D&D 5e and D&D 2024 groups play about every two weeks. Session length is close across systems, between about two and a half and three hours.
MEDIAN GAP BETWEEN SESSIONS AND SESSION LENGTH
Gap is the median days between sessions within each campaign, then the median across campaigns. Session length uses timed sessions of 15 minutes or more. Daggerheart's session length rests on a small sample.
Session 1 starts at day 0 in every row. The colored marker places Session 2 at that system’s median gap; gray ticks mark each day. Session length appears at right.
Daggerheart Campaign Results So Far
Daggerheart has held about 2% of logged sessions since late 2025. Its campaign sample is still small for a reliable campaign-length comparison.
- 32% of Daggerheart campaigns reached 5 sessions in 60 days, against 37% for 5e. With so few campaigns, the plausible range is 21% to 45%.
- 16% reached 10 sessions in 120 days, against 21% for 5e. The plausible range is 8% to 29%.
- Both ranges include the 5e figure, so we cannot say Daggerheart campaigns end sooner. We will rerun this as more of them age.
Daggerheart is not a default option. A campaign is tagged with it only when a GM selects it.
Methodology and Questions
Which game systems appear most often in Archivist session logs?
D&D 5e is still the most played, at about half of sessions. It was about 70% in spring 2025. D&D 2024 is second at about 20%, up from about 9%. Pathfinder 2e is about 10%, and Daggerheart is about 2%. Everything else together is about 18%.
Do Pathfinder 2e campaigns last longer than D&D 5e campaigns?
More multi-session Pathfinder 2e campaigns reach 10 sessions (45%) than D&D 5e campaigns (36%). Pathfinder groups also play more often: about every 7 days, compared with 13 days for 5e.
What do the Daggerheart results show so far?
It is too early to call. Daggerheart's point estimates sit below D&D 5e's, but the uncertainty ranges overlap. We will rerun the comparison as more Daggerheart campaigns age.
Why does the D&D 5e number carry a caveat?
Archivist's campaign form defaults to D&D 5e, and records don't show whether a GM kept that default or deliberately chose 5e. That can raise the measured 5e share. In this snapshot, 5e tags appear more often on one-shot than multi-session campaigns, so the 35.7% one-shot rate may be higher than the true rate. Other systems appear only when selected. The "other systems" group mixes many games, so we don't draw conclusions from it.
How was this measured?
Archivist counted non-archived campaigns with at least one logged session, as of September 29, 2026. A one-shot has exactly one session. Session share uses all sessions logged in each month. Campaign-length results include all campaigns; milestone results include campaigns with two or more sessions. Pace results include campaigns that began on or after May 20, 2025 and were old enough to complete the full 60- or 120-day window. Any result based on fewer than 30 campaigns, or fewer than 5 events, is left blank.
Does Archivist share individual campaign or account data?
No. Every figure here is an anonymized aggregate. Individual campaigns are never shared or attributed, and campaign counts are not shown.
Questions, Commentary, and Citing This Data
Every figure here comes from a database snapshot taken September 29, 2026, using the same definitions as The Data Behind D&D. Related report: How Long Do D&D Campaigns Last?.
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTARY
Email contact@myarchivist.ai with methodology questions, corrections, or a request for a specific breakdown. Journalists and researchers can pull logos, screenshots and background from the Archivist press kit.
CITING THESE FIGURES
Quote and republish anything here with attribution and a link back. Suggested citation: Archivist, “D&D Game Systems Compared,” 2026, myarchivist.ai.
Your Campaign Is Tagged Automatically
Record with Archivist and your campaign’s system, session count, and lifespan are tracked for you, whatever you’re running.
Archivist data is anonymized and aggregated. Individual campaign data is never shared or attributed. External statistics are cited with source and methodology notes.