Both games · Calendar · 16 Aug 2026
What is coming for the rest of 2026
Two games, two release schedules, one anniversary year. Duel Masters turns 25
and PLAY'S turns 7 in December. Here is everything dated, in English, in one place.
Dates marked est. are projections from
established release patterns, not announcements. Everything else is confirmed.
How the two schedules work
| Paper TCG | PLAY'S |
|---|
| Cadence | Roughly monthly, alternating set types | New set every two months |
|---|
| Set codes | DM26-RPn regular, EX extra, SD deck, BD deck, SP special | DMPP-nn regular, DMPX special, DMPB anniversary |
|---|
| Current arc | Gyakusatsu-hen （逆札篇） — "Ex Dream" | Sōkyoku-hen （双極編） |
|---|
| Milestone | 25th anniversary, running 2026–2027 | 7th anniversary, December |
|---|
The set codes tell you what a product is
RP is the numbered regular line — the one that defines the format.
EX is an extra set, usually a collaboration or a "best of" compilation.
SD and BD are preconstructed decks.
On the PLAY'S side, DMPP is regular and DMPX is not — which is
why the current idol set does not have a number in the main sequence.
The calendar
August2026 · now
8 Aug
PaperDM26-EX3 — Dragon Musume 100% Pack
Character premium pack. Full collaboration set with newly drawn art on every card, built around five student groups.
10 Aug
PaperBigHall of Fame revision takes effect
Nineteen cards changed. Full breakdown →
16 Aug
PLAY'SGrand Prix applications close
Extended deadline, field expanded to 3,500. Details →
25 Aug
PLAY'SMV campaign ends
Follow-and-repost draw for signed illustration boards from the five idol voice actors. 23:59 JST.
September2026
13 Sep
PLAY'SBigDuel Masters PLAY'S Grand Prix 2026
Makuhari Messe halls 7–8. 3,500 players, New Division, Swiss into single elimination.
19 Sep
PaperDM26-RP3 — Ex Dream Set 3
"Katsuteki! Gyakuten Okose Oni no ∞ Dispector!!" （勝敵！逆転おこせ鬼の∞ディスペクター!!） The third regular set of the current arc.
est.
PLAY'SNext regular set (DMPP-37)
On the two-month cadence, and following DMPX-03 in July, a regular set is due around here. Not announced.
October2026
17 Oct
PaperBigDM26-EX4 — Dueking FOREVER 2026
"Kirifuda Fumetsu!!" （切札不滅!! デュエキング FOREVER 2026） The annual Dueking compilation, this year carrying 25th anniversary weight.
November2026
est.
PLAY'SRegular set
Two-month cadence. In 2025 the November set landed on the 25th.
est.
PaperRegular or deck product
The paper line has shipped something in November every year.
December2026 · anniversary
est.
PLAY'SBigLEGEND OF PLAY'S 2027 — 7th anniversary set
The anniversary product runs on its own annual track, back-to-back with the November regular set. Important for New Division: cards in an anniversary set stay ND-legal for a full year, even if the regular pack they originally came from has already rotated out.
Why the anniversary set matters more than it looks
LEGEND OF PLAY'S reprints. A card whose original pack has rotated out of New Division becomes
legal again if the same card appears in the anniversary product, and stays legal until the next
anniversary. In practice this is the single biggest scheduled shift in the ND card pool each
year, and it lands in December.
Beyond the dates
The 25th anniversary runs through 2027. Takara Tomy announced it in March 2026,
and it has already produced a starter deck (DM26-SD1, April) and the current arc opener
(DM26-RP1, April). Among the announced novelties: products containing cards of which only
twenty-five copies exist worldwide.
PLAY'S published a full-year roadmap at the February 2026 PLAY'S Fes broadcast,
covering card packs, official tournaments and offline events. The two-month set cadence has held
all year, and the November-into-December double — regular set, then anniversary set — matches
2025.
Ongoing competitive structure continues regardless of the calendar: Battle
Arena runs in-app qualifiers into online rounds into an offline studio final with prize money,
and the Grand Master decider closes the year with Battle Arena winners only.
Sources
- Paper release dates: retailer and distributor listings, cross-checked against product codes.
DM26-RP3 for 19 September and DM26-EX4 for 17 October are both confirmed retail dates.
- 25th anniversary programme: Takara Tomy announcement, 25 March 2026, via 4Gamer.
- PLAY'S roadmap: @dmps_info, 14 February 2026, presented at PLAY'S Fes.
- PLAY'S set cadence and anniversary-set rotation rule: Kamigame's LEGEND OF PLAY'S page.
- Grand Prix details: Card Labo event page.
Estimated dates are marked as such and are inferred from the published cadence. They are not
announcements and should not be planned around.
Corrections and questions
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