If you want to play D&D free
Start with Roll20. You do not need to wait for Victory, and you do not need to justify choosing the established tool that already fits your group.
Victory vs Roll20
Roll20 is the obvious choice when you want to play now.
Roll20 is an established, browser-based platform with a free starting tier and broad support for online tabletop play. Victory is a public-draft experiment for people who want to try a more connected authoring and production workflow.
Feature comparison
| Question | Victory | Roll20 |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | People who want to test a theater-first, authoring-and-production workflow around a persistent campaign. | Groups who want a mature general-purpose VTT for online play, including D&D and many other systems. |
| Availability | Pre-launch public draft; early access is collected through the Google Form ↗. | Free starting tier; Roll20 says no credit card is required and the free tier is available for both GMs and players. |
| Where it runs | Browser-based public site and a separately deployed live application. | Runs in the browser; Roll20 hosts the service. |
| Core play | Live stage, maps, tokens, cues, drawings, and a dedicated audience-facing mode. | Maps, tokens, dice, character sheets, automation, campaign pages, and dynamic lighting. |
| Authoring and prep | eWrite, Storyboards, Library, and production spaces are designed as connected parts of the workflow. | Campaign pages, folders, assets, character tools, and other general VTT features support campaign setup. |
| Audience presentation | A dedicated audience-facing mode is part of the product model, though Victory is still early and this is not a finished competitive advantage. | Player-facing play is part of the standard GM/player model. |
| Price | Free for noncommercial use. Official branded Small Commercial Use is free up to $2,600 in Victory-Related Revenue per License Year; published tiers above that start at $49/year. | Free tier available; optional paid subscriptions and marketplace offerings exist. |
| Confidence level | One alpha tester so far; product claims are intentionally limited. | Established product with a large user base and mature documentation. |
When to choose each
If the workflow is the experiment
Try Victory if authoring material, arranging scenes, managing production, and revisiting a persistent world are the problems you most want solved—and you are comfortable with a public draft.
If you want to compare in practice
Keep using Roll20 for a real campaign while testing Victory with a small alpha scenario. That is a more honest evaluation than asking a pre-launch product to replace a mature one.
Sources and caveats
- Roll20 official site ↗ — free starting tier, browser access, supported games, campaign tools, dynamic lighting, and current product positioning.
- Roll20 Crash Course ↗ — browser-based play and core tabletop capabilities.
- Roll20 pricing and features change. Re-check the official site before making a purchase decision.