# Shadowrun 5e & 6e News & Rules Reference (October 2026)

> Sourcebooks, metaplot and edition news, with a rules reference for both editions.

- URL: https://carbonitex.dev/gaming/shadowrun/
- Updated: 2026-10-08 (published 2026-09-28)
- Category: Tabletop RPG
- Source: carbonitex.dev Gaming Desk, compiled by an AI research agent from public sources and re-researched on a rolling schedule
- Ask questions about it: https://carbonitex.dev/chat/src/chat-shadowrun.html

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## Core Game Mechanics and Dice Systems

### Basic Resolution System
Both editions use d6 dice pools with Attribute + Skill combinations. **Hits** are scored on 5s and 6s. Target numbers vary by difficulty, typically 1-4 hits for most actions.

### 5th Edition Limits System
- **Physical Limit:** (Strength × 2 + Body + Reaction) ÷ 3
- **Mental Limit:** (Logic × 2 + Intuition + Willpower) ÷ 3  
- **Social Limit:** (Charisma × 2 + Willpower + Essence) ÷ 3
- Maximum hits cannot exceed applicable limit

**6th Edition:** Limits system completely removed, replaced with expanded Edge mechanics.

### Glitch Mechanics
- **Glitch:** More than half dice show 1s, but test succeeds (minor complication)
- **Critical Glitch:** More than half dice show 1s AND zero hits (major failure)

### Edge System Evolution

### 5th Edition Edge (Limited Resource)
- **Pre-Edge:** Add Edge rating to dice pool
- **Post-Edge:** Re-roll failures after initial roll
- **Push the Limit:** Ignore limits for one test
- **Second Chance:** Re-roll entire failed test

### 6th Edition Edge (Central Mechanic)
- Start each session with Edge points equal to Edge rating
- **1 Edge:** Re-roll one die
- **2 Edge:** +1 to any die result or +3 Initiative  
- **3 Edge:** Add automatic success or heal 1 Stun
- **4 Edge:** Add Edge rating to dice pool or re-roll failures
- **5 Edge:** Special effects like making opponent's 2s count as 1s

### Edge Gaining in 6e
- Attack Rating vs Defense Rating (4+ advantage = 1 Edge)
- Superior equipment and tactical advantages
- GM discretion for exceptional circumstances

## Character Creation Systems

### Priority System (Both Editions)
Choose one priority level (A-E) for each category:
- **Metatype:** Determines race and special attribute points
- **Attributes:** Mental/Physical attribute points
- **Magic/Resonance:** Starting magical ability
- **Skills:** Skill points and skill group points
- **Resources:** Starting nuyen for equipment

### 5th Edition Priority Examples
- Priority A: 24 attribute points, 46/10 skill points, 450,000¥
- Priority B: 20 attribute points, 36/5 skill points, 275,000¥  
- Priority E: 12 attribute points, 18/0 skill points, 6,000¥

**Starting Karma:** 5e provides 25 karma, 6e provides 50 karma for final customization.

### Core Attributes (1-6+ based on metatype)
1. **Body (BOD):** Physical health, damage resistance
2. **Agility (AGI):** Dexterity, physical skills, ranged accuracy
3. **Reaction (REA):** Reflexes, initiative, defense
4. **Strength (STR):** Physical power, melee damage (5e only)
5. **Willpower (WIL):** Mental resistance, drain resistance
6. **Logic (LOG):** Reasoning, technical skills, memory
7. **Intuition (INT):** Instincts, perception, astral skills
8. **Charisma (CHA):** Leadership, social skills, summoning

### Special Attributes
- **Edge:** Luck/protagonist power (Human max 7, others max 6)
- **Magic:** Magical ability (max 6, initiation can raise to 13)
- **Resonance:** Technomancer matrix ability (max 6)

### Metatype Racial Modifiers

### Human
- All attributes 1-6, Edge 2-7
- No priority cost penalty, most versatile
- Most adaptable to any role

### Elf
- AGI 2-7, CHA 3-8, others 1-6, Edge 1-6
- Low-Light Vision
- Natural social and physical grace

### Dwarf
- BOD 3-8, STR 3-8, WIL 2-7, REA 1-5, others 1-6
- Thermographic Vision, +2 dice vs pathogens/toxins
- Natural resilience and determination

### Ork
- BOD 4-9, STR 3-8, others 1-6, CHA 1-5
- Low-Light Vision
- Physical power with social challenges

### Troll
- BOD 5-10, STR 5-10, others 1-6, CHA 1-4, REA 1-6
- Thermographic Vision, +1 Reach, +1 Natural Armor
- **Lifestyle costs:** +50-100% due to size requirements
- Ultimate physical specimens with severe social limitations

### Skill Systems Comparison

**5th Edition:** 79 skills organized by linked attribute
- Combat skills: Automatics, Blades, Clubs, Firearms, Pistols, Rifles, etc.
- Matrix skills: Cybercombat, Electronic Warfare, Hacking, Computer, Hardware, Software
- Magic skills: Spellcasting, Summoning, Counterspelling, Binding, etc.

**6th Edition:** 19 consolidated skills
- **Firearms:** Combines most weapon skills
- **Cracking:** Combines cybercombat/electronic warfare/hacking
- **Electronics:** Combines computer/hardware/software
- **Athletics:** Combines many physical skills

### Knowledge Skills (Both Editions)
Free points = (Logic + Intuition) × 2
Categories: Academic, Interest, Professional, Street

## Character Advancement - Karma Costs

### 5th Edition Advancement
**Attributes:** New Rating × 5 karma (both Mental/Physical and Special)
**Active Skills:** New Rating × 2 karma (existing skills)
**New Skills:** Pay cumulative cost (2+4+6+8... up to desired rating)
**Specializations:** 7 karma each
**Spells/Complex Forms:** 5 karma each
**Initiation/Submersion:** 10 + (New Grade × 3) karma

### 6th Edition Changes
- Increased starting karma (50 vs 25)
- Some karma costs adjusted for balance
- Simplified skill advancement due to skill consolidation

## Combat Systems

### Initiative Systems

### 5th Edition Initiative Passes
- Physical: Reaction + Intuition + 1d6
- Astral: Intuition × 2 + 2d6
- VR: Data Processing + Intuition + 3-4d6
- Multiple passes for augmented characters (subtract 10 each pass)

### 6th Edition Simplified
- Single initiative pass per round
- Bonus actions instead of multiple passes
- Characters with high initiative get multiple Major actions

### Damage and Condition Monitors

### Condition Monitor Boxes
- Physical: 8 + (Body ÷ 2, rounded up)
- Stun: 8 + (Willpower ÷ 2, rounded up)

### Wound Modifiers
- Boxes 1-3: No penalty
- Boxes 4-6: -1 to all actions
- Boxes 7-9: -2 to all actions  
- Boxes 10+: -3 to all actions

### Overflow and Death
When Physical track fills, additional Physical damage goes to Stun 1:1. When both full, Body + Willpower (2) test or die.

### Armor and Damage Resolution

### 5th Edition Process
1. Attack roll vs defense determines hits
2. Net hits add to weapon Damage Value
3. Target resists with Body + Armor (modified by AP)
4. Each resistance hit reduces damage by 1

### 6th Edition Changes
- Attack Rating vs Defense Rating determines Edge
- Armor provides damage reduction rather than resistance dice
- Simplified but controversial (armor effectiveness concerns)

## Matrix and Hacking Systems

### 5th Edition Matrix Architecture

### Core Matrix Concepts
- **Devices:** Individual items with Matrix presence
- **Personal Area Networks (PANs):** Slaved devices to master device
- **Hosts:** Secure virtual locations with IC protection
- **Grids:** Public, local, and corporate Matrix infrastructure

### Matrix Attributes
- **Attack:** Offensive capability (1-6)
- **Sleaze:** Stealth capability (1-6)
- **Data Processing:** Computing power, device limit (1-6)
- **Firewall:** Defensive capability (1-6)

### Marks System
- 1 Mark: User-level access
- 3 Marks: Admin-level access
- More marks provide bonuses to Matrix actions

### Grid Overwatch Division (GOD) - 5th Edition

### Overwatch Score (OS) Accumulation
- Each illegal Matrix action adds 2d6 OS
- Failed illegal actions add more OS
- OS 40+: GOD begins convergence (traces location)
- Convergence deploys IC and forces disconnection

### Matrix Actions

### Legal Actions (not tracked)
- Matrix Perception, Matrix Search, Send Message, Edit File

### Illegal Actions (add to OS)
- **Hack on the Fly:** Hacking + Logic [Sleaze] vs Intuition + Firewall
- **Brute Force:** Cybercombat + Logic [Attack] vs Willpower + Firewall
- **Data Spike:** Attack action dealing Matrix damage

### 6th Edition Matrix Simplification

**Access Levels:** Outsider → User → Admin (replaces marks)
**Network-Level Access:** Once you hack a host, access everything it controls
**Simplified Skills:** Only Cracking and Electronics instead of 6 Matrix skills
**No OSer Tracking:** Eliminated complex GOD mechanics

## Magic and Astral Systems

### Spellcasting Mechanics

### 5th Edition Process
1. Declare Force (up to Magic × 2)
2. Spellcasting + Magic [Force] vs target defenses
3. Resist Drain: tradition-based (Charisma/Logic + Willpower)
4. Physical Drain if hits > Magic rating, Stun if hits ≤ Magic

### Spell Categories
- **Direct Combat:** Target living beings (resisted by Willpower)
- **Indirect Combat:** Create physical effects (resisted by Body + Armor)
- **Manipulation:** Affect physical world
- **Detection:** Gather information magically
- **Health:** Healing and enhancement spells
- **Illusion:** Affect perception and senses

### 6th Edition Changes
- Force removed from most spells
- Modular spell system for future expansion
- Consistent drain based on spell components

### Astral Space and Projection

**Astral Perception:** Dual-natured existence on both planes
**Astral Projection:** Mental attributes only, vulnerable physical body

### Astral Movement
- Local: Intuition × 2 × 25 meters per Combat Turn
- Long Distance: Magic × Magic × 100 km per hour

**Astral Initiative:** Intuition × 2 + 2d6

### Spirit Systems

### Summoning Process
1. Choose spirit type and Force (up to Magic × 2)
2. Summoning + Magic [Force] vs Force
3. Services = net hits
4. Resist Drain: 2 × spirit's hits (minimum 2)

### Spirit Services
- Combat (entire fight = 1 service)
- Power use (manifesting abilities)
- Physical tasks (materialized actions)
- Remote service (beyond Magic × 100m)

### Binding Spirits
- Cost: Force × 25 drams reagents, 1 hour per Force
- Test: Binding + Magic [Force] vs Force × 2
- Maximum bound spirits = Charisma rating

## Gear and Equipment Systems

### Cyberware and Bioware

### Essence System
- Start with 6.0 Essence
- Cyberware/bioware permanently reduces Essence
- 0 Essence = death
- Magic/Resonance reduced by full points of Essence lost

### Cyberware Grades
- **Standard:** Base essence cost, base price
- **Alphaware:** ×0.8 essence, ×2 price
- **Betaware:** ×0.6 essence, ×4 price
- **Deltaware:** ×0.5 essence, ×8 price (not at chargen)

### Major Cyberware Categories
- **Datajack:** 0.1 essence, basic Matrix interface
- **Cybereyes:** 0.2 essence, vision enhancements
- **Wired Reflexes:** 1-3 essence, +1-3 Initiative Dice (5e)
- **Muscle Replacement:** 1-3 essence, +1-3 Strength/Agility
- **Cyberlimbs:** 1 essence each, customizable attributes

### Bioware Compatibility
When mixing cyber/bio, higher essence type counts full, lower counts half.

### Weapons and Armor

### Weapon Statistics
- **Damage Value (DV):** Base damage (modified by net hits)
- **Accuracy (ACC):** Limit for attack tests (5e only)
- **Armor Penetration (AP):** Reduces target armor rating
- **Rate of Fire:** Single Shot/Burst Fire/Full Auto options
- **Recoil Compensation:** Built-in recoil management

### Availability Ratings
- **0-6:** Legal, readily available
- **7-12:** Legal but restricted, licenses required
- **13-18:** Illegal, black market only
- **F:** Forbidden, severe criminal penalties

### Character Creation Limits
- Maximum availability 12
- Cannot end with more than 5,000¥ remaining
- Maximum device rating 6

### Magical Foci

### Focus Types and Bonding Costs
- **Power Foci:** Force × 8 karma - adds to Magic rating
- **Spell Foci:** Force × 2 karma - aids specific spell category
- **Spirit Foci:** Force × 2 karma - aids summoning specific spirits
- **Weapon Foci:** Force × 3 karma - enchanted melee weapons
- **Sustaining Foci:** Force × 2 karma - maintains spells automatically

### Bonding Rules
- Must be Awakened, takes Force × 1 hour ritual
- Maximum bonded foci = Magic attribute
- Maximum total Force = Magic × 5

## Shadowrun Structure and Campaign Management

### The Classic Shadowrun Process

### Phase 1: The Meet
- **Mr. Johnson:** Anonymous corporate employer (regional variants exist)
- **Negotiation:** Payment, advance, expenses, timeline
- **Information gathering:** Mission details, Johnson credibility assessment
- **Red flags:** Excessive advances, vague details, unrealistic promises

### Phase 2: Legwork
- **Information gathering:** Target research, security assessment
- **Surveillance:** Physical and Matrix reconnaissance  
- **Contact network:** Leverage informants and specialists
- **Planning:** Routes, contingencies, equipment procurement

### Phase 3: Execution
- **Infiltration:** Penetrating target location/system
- **Primary objective:** Completing core mission requirements
- **Contingency management:** Adapting to complications
- **Extraction:** Safe withdrawal with objectives

### Phase 4: Payment and Aftermath
- **Delivery:** Turning over mission results to Johnson
- **Payment collection:** Receiving agreed compensation
- **Heat management:** Dealing with security responses
- **Long-term consequences:** Reputation and relationship impacts

### Major Megacorporations (AAA-Rated)

### The "Big Ten" Corporate Court Members

1. **Ares Macrotechnology** (Detroit): Arms, aerospace, Knight Errant security
2. **Aztechnology** (Tenochtitlan): Consumer goods, magic industry leader
3. **Evo Corporation** (Vladivostok): Biotech, metahuman specialization
4. **Horizon** (Los Angeles): Media empire, newest AAA
5. **Mitsuhama Computer Technologies** (Japan): Computers, heavy industry
6. **Spinrad Global** (leasing seat): Formed from Spinrad/Global Sandstorm merger
7. **Renraku Computer Systems** (Japan): Computers, data services, arms
8. **Saeder-Krupp** (Germany): Owned by Great Dragon Lofwyr, heavy industry
9. **Shiawase Corporation** (Japan): Oldest megacorp, energy/biotech
10. **Wuxing Incorporated** (Hong Kong): Shipping, finance, magical goods

### Security Zone Ratings

**AAA Rating:** Luxury areas, 24/7 deterrent measures, elite officers, immediate response
**AA Rating:** High lifestyle areas, 24/7 patrols, prompt but secondary response
**A Rating:** Middle lifestyle, regular patrols, adequate coverage
**B Rating:** Commercial areas, minimum 4 officers, standby specialists
**C/D Rating:** Low lifestyle, infrequent patrols, poor infrastructure
**E Rating:** Slums, no regular patrols, heavy response when deployed
**Z Rating:** Anarchy zones, military-level operations only

### SIN System and Legal Status

### System Identification Number (SIN)
- Combined birth certificate, passport, credit history, legal record
- Required for legal transactions, employment, travel
- Global SIN Registry covers 90%+ of world population

### SINless Status
- No legal rights, cannot vote or own property legally
- "Legal non-entities" in corporate/government systems
- Requires fake SINs for basic shadowrunner operations

**Fake SINs:** Rating 1-6 (Rating × 2,500¥), higher ratings include deeper background documentation.

## Advanced Systems and Specialized Mechanics

### Initiation and Metamagics

**Initiation Cost:** 10 + (Grade × 3) karma
**Process:** Arcana + Intuition [Astral] Extended Test (Grade, 1 month)

### Essential Metamagics
- **Masking:** Hide magical aura (Magic + Grade vs Assensing)
- **Centering:** Add Grade dice to Drain Resistance
- **Quickening:** Make spells self-sustaining (costs karma)
- **Flexible Signature:** Alter astral signatures, reduce duration
- **Reflection:** Redirect spells back at casters

### Rigging Systems (From Rigger 5.0)

**Control Rig:** Essential cyberware (Rating 1-3, 31k-99k¥)
- Provides +1-3 dice to vehicle tests when jumped in
- Enables sharing damage with controlled vehicle/drone

**Rigger Command Console (RCC):** Matrix device for drone control
- Costs 5,000¥-50,000¥+ depending on rating
- Can control multiple drones simultaneously

### Jumped-In Benefits
- Use Mental attributes instead of Physical
- +2 dice pool bonus for vehicle tests
- Can split dice pools across drones (max = Logic rating)

### Heat and Notoriety Tracking

**Heat:** Short-term law enforcement attention
- Gained from alarms, violence, corporate security encounters
- Reduced by safe house rest, laying low, bribes

**Notoriety:** Long-term negative reputation  
- Gained from betrayals, excessive collateral damage, failures
- Affects job availability and contact loyalty
- Removed through street cred expenditure or exceptional circumstances

**Street Cred:** Positive professional reputation
- Gained from successful runs and impressive achievements
- Provides better job offers and improved contact relationships

### Contact Network Management

### Contact Ratings
- **Connection (1-6):** Influence and placement in society
- **Loyalty (1-6):** Personal relationship strength

### Contact Dice Pools
- Standard requests: (Connection × 2) + Loyalty
- Personal favors: Connection + (Loyalty × 2)
- Specialists get +2 dice in their area of expertise

## Edition Comparison Summary

### 5th Edition Strengths
- Mature supplement library (15+ major books)
- Detailed simulation of cyberpunk-fantasy world
- Complex but rewarding character customization
- Comprehensive tactical combat options
- Established community resources and support

### 6th Edition Improvements
- Streamlined skill system (79 → 19 skills)
- Simplified initiative (no multiple passes)
- Faster character creation (2-3 hours vs 4-6)
- Standardized status effects and conditions
- Network-level Matrix access speeds play

### 6th Edition Controversies
- Edge system creates bookkeeping overhead
- Armor effectiveness significantly reduced
- Strength attribute impact minimized
- Editing quality and rules consistency issues
- "Most divisive edition" in community

### Edition Selection Guidelines

### Choose 5th Edition for
- Tactical, simulation-heavy gameplay preferences
- Experienced players comfortable with complexity
- Groups wanting extensive character customization
- Campaigns using mature supplement library

### Choose 6th Edition for
- Streamlined, narrative-focused play
- New players learning the system
- Groups prioritizing speed over simulation depth
- Willingness to house-rule problematic elements

## Key Sourcebooks by Edition

### 5th Edition Essential Supplements
- **Run & Gun:** Extended combat rules and weapons
- **Street Grimoire:** Comprehensive magic expansion
- **Data Trails/Kill Code:** Matrix rules and advanced hacking
- **Chrome Flesh:** Bioware, cyberware, and augmentation
- **Rigger 5.0:** Vehicle and drone comprehensive rules
- **Forbidden Arcana:** Advanced magical concepts and threats

### 6th Edition Current Library
- **Firing Squad:** Combat expansion and weapons
- **Street Wyrd:** Magic rules expansion
- **Double Clutch:** Rigging and vehicle rules
- **Body Shop:** Augmentation and enhancement options
- **Deadly Arts:** Advanced combat, vehicles, and large-scale firefights
- **Deus Ex Arcana:** Advanced magic after the Disian Shadow War
- **Margin Calls:** Post-war corporate landscape
- **Mean Streets:** Street-level runners, gangs, and syndicates

## Getting Started Recommendations

### Learning Priority for New Players
1. **Core concepts:** Dice pools, Edge system, security ratings, SINs
2. **Basic combat:** Firearms, melee, damage, armor basics
3. **Character roles:** Understanding team archetype synergy
4. **Shadowrun structure:** Meet, legwork, execution, payment cycle

### Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- **Over-complexity:** Don't use all systems immediately
- **Murder-hobo mentality:** Emphasize consequences and subtlety
- **Lone wolf syndrome:** Enforce team-based collaboration
- **Analysis paralysis:** Set time limits for planning phases

### Starting Adventure Framework
- **Milk runs:** Simple package delivery or data theft
- **Clear objectives:** Avoid ambiguous or overly complex goals
- **Manageable security:** Rating A-B zones for beginning teams
- **Familiar locations:** Use well-detailed canonical settings like Seattle

## 2025-2026 Releases and Current State

### 2025 6th Edition Sourcebooks

### Lethal Harvest (January 2025)
- **Type:** Plot sourcebook
- **Pages:** 200 pages
- **Focus:** Conclusion of the Disian Shadow War metaplot
- **Content:** Continues the plot arc from Cutting Black, Slip Streams, and Scotophobia; takes runners into the metaplanes to confront entities from Dis in a battle for survival
- **Significance:** Major metaplot conclusion that reshapes the Sixth World's magical landscape
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Deadly Arts (April 2025)
- **Type:** Core advanced combat rulebook
- **Pages:** 184 pages
- **Focus:** Advanced combat options and firefight mechanics
- **Content:** New augmentations, adept powers, character qualities, weapons, and gear; large-scale combat rules incorporating heavy vehicles (tanks, aircraft, naval vessels); optional and alternate combat rules
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Margin Calls (May 2025)
- **Type:** Corporate plot sourcebook
- **Pages:** 174 pages
- **Focus:** AAA megacorporation updates in the aftermath of Lethal Harvest
- **Content:** Updated status of all AAA-rated megacorps post-Disian Shadow War; corporate power struggles, rising corporations, new strategies for regaining or consolidating power
- **Significance:** Sets a new foundation for corporate intrigue campaigns going forward
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Risks & Rewards (October 2025)
- **Type:** Ancient Frontiers campaign sourcebook
- **Setting:** Cairo, Egypt
- **Pages:** 152 pages
- **Focus:** Ancient traditions vs corporate ambition in mystical Cairo
- **Content:** Complete campaign setting with standalone missions and full campaign framework; new factions, NPCs, creature stats (djinn, ifrit); Egyptian magical traditions (Sufi practitioners, Old Gods); new weapons and cybernetic upgrades; city poster map
- **Creative Team:** Line editor R.J. Thomas, contributor Aaron Dykstra
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Deus Ex Arcana (November 2025)
- **Type:** Core advanced magical rulebook
- **Pages:** 186 pages
- **Focus:** Post-Disian Shadow War magical upheaval and the new state of magic
- **Content:** Rules changes reflecting manasphere disruption; advanced magical traditions; new spells and rituals; updated spirit interactions; magical items and foci guidance; extensive lore on how magic has fundamentally shifted, forcing practitioners to adapt older methodologies to move forward
- **Significance:** The definitive magic expansion for 6e, addressing how the conclusion of the Disian Shadow War transformed the magical landscape of the Sixth World
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### 2026 6th Edition Sourcebooks

### Mean Streets (March 2026)
- **Type:** Runner resource book
- **Pages:** 176 pages
- **Focus:** Street-level gameplay and criminal underworld
- **Content:** Detailed lore on gangs and criminal organizations; adventure hooks for street-level conflicts; GM advice for running criminal-focused campaigns; district maps, criminal networks, underground operations; new character options, equipment, cyberware, and magic for street-level play; guidance for heists, turf wars, smuggling, and corporate infiltration
- **Unique Elements:** Emphasizes neighborhood turf wars and personal vendettas rather than high-end corporate runs; explores how ordinary people survive beneath corporate dominance
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Asphalt Jungles (May 2026)
- **Type:** Campaign book
- **Setting:** Detroit (Motor City)
- **Focus:** Street warfare and the scramble for territory after the Disian Shadow War
- **Content:** The war's power vacuums hit Motor City hardest; old factions fight for survival while new ones rise out of shadow and violence. Includes factions and gangs, NPCs, plot hooks, encounters, missions, and GM tools for running a full Detroit campaign
- **Significance:** First campaign book to dramatize the street-level fallout charted in Margin Calls
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Sixth World Core Rulebook, City Edition: Hong Kong (June 2026)
- **Type:** Core rulebook reprint with city content
- **Focus:** The complete, current Shadowrun, Sixth World rules plus a Hong Kong primer
- **Content:** Full updated core rules identical in pagination to previous printings (so page references stay compatible), plus roughly 18 pages of new material: short fiction, a city overview, eight character qualities, eight NPCs (Pinky Feng, Madame Ye, and others), eight plot hooks, and Hong Kong gear such as ballistic tents and DragonThread fabric. Wraparound cover by Echo Chernik
- **Why Hong Kong:** Continues the City Edition tour after Seattle and Berlin; chosen because no single faction dominates the city, keeping the balance of power in constant motion
- **Significance:** Supersedes the Berlin City Edition as the most current core rulebook printing
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Explosive Decompression (July 2026)
- **Type:** Resource and campaign book
- **Pages:** 184 pages
- **Focus:** Shadowrunning in orbit and beyond
- **Content:** History and current major players of the Sixth World space race; satellites, stations, drones, and shuttles built for vacuum work; hazards of an environment where a single mistake is fatal; 20 ready-to-play missions
- **Significance:** First dedicated space supplement for 6e; launched at Gen Con 2026
- **Price:** ~$44.99-$49.99 hardcover / $19.99 PDF

### Desert Wars Series (2026, PDF)
- **Type:** Scenario/setting e-book line
- **Released:** *Desert Wars 01: Para Bellum* (March 2026), *Desert Wars 02: Cry Havoc* (April 2026)
- **Focus:** The Desert Wars, the Sixth World's gladiatorial mercenary-combat media spectacle running since the 2040s
- **Content:** Para Bellum covers the show's history, the people who run it, and the conflicts fought behind the scenes; Cry Havoc turns the spotlight on the mercenaries themselves and what they sacrifice to keep the spectacle profitable

### City Mini-Supplements (2026, PDF)
- **Québec: The Northern Lily (June 2026):** 17 pages, $4.95. A province turned major corporate hub rivaling Seattle and New York, contested by megacorporate interests, organized crime, street gangs, and neo-anarchist movements
- **Los Alamos: The Secret City (August 2026):** $4.95. The birthplace of the atomic bomb carries its legacy of secrecy and science into the 2080s as a premier independent research enclave, isolated in the deserts of the former Pueblo Corporate Council

### Running A La Carte (February 2026)
- **Type:** Mini-supplement (PDF only)
- **Pages:** 19 pages
- **Focus:** Food and the food industry in the Sixth World
- **Content:** Explores food as a commodity controlled by corporations and governments; what inhabitants of the Sixth World eat beyond soy products; the food sector as a lucrative industry involving billions of nuyen; shadowy opportunities for creative runners
- **Price:** $4.99 PDF

### State of the Art 2084 (September 30, 2026)
- **Type:** Runner Resource / setting-advancement sourcebook
- **Pages:** 184 pages
- **Focus:** Revival of the classic State of the Art line (previous entries covered 2063, 2064, and 2073), surveying new developments across geopolitics, technology, and culture in the Sixth World of 2084
- **Content:** Framed around the idea that information is wealth: what dangers are waiting for runners, what angles the movers and shakers are working, and how the world keeps shifting in the aftermath of the Disian Shadow War; helps GMs keep a living, evolving setting
- **Status:** Released; PDF on DriveThruRPG and Catalyst's storefront, hardcover reaching retail through October 2026
- **Price:** $49.99 hardcover MSRP

### Late 2024 Anniversary Release

### Shadowrun First Edition 35th Anniversary (December 2024)
- **Type:** Commemorative reprint
- **Content:** Original 1989 rules with modern print quality
- **Format:** Adheres to original layout with remastered artwork
- **Historical Value:** Essential for understanding franchise evolution
- **Target Audience:** Collectors and long-time fans

### Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0

- **Type:** Narrative-focused alternative core rulebook (standalone)
- **Publisher:** Black Book Editions in partnership with Catalyst Game Labs
- **Pages:** 322 pages
- **Approach:** Rules-light, story-driven mechanics emphasizing cinematic action and player choice
- **Changes from Original:** New character archetypes, updated dice-pool mechanics, more streamlined magic/rigging/matrix systems, greater accessibility for newcomers; noticeably more complete rules coverage than the 2016 original
- **Kickstarter Results:** Campaign ran August 26 - September 25, 2025; raised approximately EUR 244,633 (~$300,000 USD) from 2,960 backers
- **Status:** Backer PDFs delivered December 2025; core rulebook PDF on DriveThruRPG (~$34.97). Physical books and GM Screen shipped and reached retail in summer 2026, roughly a year after funding and on the announced schedule
- **Target Audience:** Players preferring narrative over simulation

### Shadowrun: Takedown (Board Game)

- **Type:** Cooperative tactical board game (1-4 players), campaign-driven
- **Content:** Runner team takes covert corp-sponsored missions on a tactical map, evolving characters between missions with gear, cyberware, and magical upgrades; expansions add miniatures (Controlled Chaos, Corporate Threats, Savage Threats)
- **Origin:** Funded via Kickstarter (first shown at Gen Con 2023); shipped to retail in early 2026
- **Price:** $69.99 MSRP
- **Note:** Not an RPG rules product, but part of the current Shadowrun line and an easy on-ramp for new players unfamiliar with the tabletop RPG

### Shadowrun Missions: Season 2081

### Organized Play Campaign (2025-2026)
- **Setting:** Free City of Seattle, post-secession from UCAS
- **Premise:** After the 2080 blackouts called UCAS governance into question, Seattle declared itself a Free City under Governor Corinne Potter; the city has become an economic melting pot
- **Adventures Released:** Missions 2081-01 through at least 2081-20 as of September 2026
- **Notable Missions:** Death of a Fixer (2081-01), The Advantages of Art History (2081-14), Framed in Blood, Friendships Never Grow Rust, False Flag, Pink Mohawk (2081-19), Fairweather Light (2081-20)
- **Recent Threads:** 2081-19 follows a rising player in the Octagon Triad with a big problem and a golden opportunity; 2081-20 sends runners after Fairlight paydata that even MCT can't keep track of
- **Format:** Individual PDF adventures ($5.95 each) through DriveThruRPG
- **Features:** Some missions include visits to iconic locations like the Renraku Arcology

### Current Edition State (October 2026)

### 6th Edition Status
- **Maturity:** Seven years since the 2019 release
- **Stability:** City Edition: Hong Kong (June 2026) is now the definitive core rulebook printing, replacing Berlin; pagination is unchanged, so older page references still work
- **Metaplot:** The Disian Shadow War arc concluded with Lethal Harvest; its aftermath continues to drive the line, reshaping the corporate landscape (Margin Calls), magical systems (Deus Ex Arcana), and street-level territory (Asphalt Jungles)
- **Supplement Library:** Robust collection of focused expansions covering combat, magic, rigging, augmentation, corporate intrigue, street-level play, regional settings, and now orbital operations

### Active Support
- **Publisher:** Catalyst Game Labs
- **Release Pace:** 5-6 major supplements in 2025; 2026 has already delivered Mean Streets, Asphalt Jungles, the Hong Kong core rulebook, Explosive Decompression, State of the Art 2084 (September 30), and the Takedown board game, plus a steady stream of PDF mini-supplements and Missions; no further 2026 sourcebooks have been formally announced yet
- **Focus Areas:** Post-Disian Shadow War setting evolution, city and region books, the Desert Wars PDF line, and organized play (Missions season 2081)
- **Quality Trend:** Improved editing and rules clarity sustained across recent releases
- **Digital Expansion:** Core rulebooks available on Roll20; growing digital platform support
- **Convention Presence:** Explosive Decompression launched at Gen Con 2026 alongside Build-A-Runner workshops and First Taste intro missions
- **Video Games:** No new Shadowrun video game has been announced. The Shadowrun Trilogy remaster remains the current offering; Harebrained Schemes, now independent again, is working on the unrelated Graft

### Community Health
- Long-term campaigns successfully running on current ruleset
- Active player base maintaining both 5e and 6e groups
- Disian Shadow War conclusion and its aftermath books continue to drive setting engagement
- Mixed edition preferences continue (5e vs 6e debates ongoing)
- Strong third-party supplement and adventure support, including Holostreets community content
- Anarchy 2.0's full physical release has broadened the player base with a narrative-focused alternative

### Recommended Entry Points (October 2026)

### For New 6th Edition Players
1. **Core Rulebook:** City Edition: Hong Kong (newest printing, most current errata and rules refinements)
2. **Magic Expansion:** Deus Ex Arcana (essential for magic-focused characters and current setting)
3. **Combat Expansion:** Deadly Arts (comprehensive firefight and large-scale combat rules)
4. **Campaign Module:** Asphalt Jungles (Detroit), Risks & Rewards (Cairo), or Explosive Decompression (space) for ready-to-run material
5. **Corporate Context:** Margin Calls (essential post-Disian Shadow War setting updates)
6. **Setting Snapshot:** State of the Art 2084 (the most current look at the Sixth World's tech, politics, and culture)

### For 5th Edition Continuation
- Mature supplement library remains fully viable
- No official new 5e releases planned
- Community continues strong 5e support and resources
- Edition conversion guidance available for 6e materials

### For Narrative-Focused Play
- Shadowrun: Anarchy 2.0 available in both PDF (~$34.97, 322 pages) and physical hardcover with GM Screen
- Rules-light, story-driven alternative ideal for newcomers or narrative-first groups

This comprehensive reference covers the essential mechanics, systems, and guidance needed for running Shadowrun campaigns in both 5th and 6th editions, providing specific rules, costs, and mechanical details for all major game systems and campaign management elements, with current release information through October 2026.