Where to take your 3D table when Sigil closes
Sigil showed a lot of D&D groups what a 3D battle map does for a fight, and then its shutdown was announced for the end of October 2026. TerrainTale is the same core idea in a web page: a three-dimensional table with real light and height, minis you drag, a ruler in feet and an initiative tracker. No Windows requirement, a free plan with the whole table in it, and your scenes are files you own.
Side by side
| Topic | TerrainTale | Sigil |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser: macOS, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS | Windows desktop application (Unreal Engine 5) |
| Status | Actively developed | Closing at the end of October 2026 |
| Price | Free with one saved scene; Premium $6/month for up to 200 | Free tier; subscription for hosting and extras |
| Maps | Built in-app from a realistic CC0/CC BY library, or your own .glb | Built from its kit; a bundled premade adventure |
| Miniatures | Meshy-made D&D minis, any .glb, image standees | Its own mini maker |
| Rules integration | None: HP, conditions, initiative, movement only | D&D Beyond character and content sync |
| Multiplayer | Shared rooms: a link, players sign in and see the table live | Yes, for subscribers |
| Your content after the service | Scene JSON you export any time; self-hostable server | Inaccessible after shutdown |
Sigil and D&D Beyond are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast and are not affiliated with TerrainTale. Feature notes describe the other product in general terms as we understand it at the time of writing, including the announced closure date; check its site for current details.
What carries over
The part that made Sigil worth using: a fight on a real place with height and light instead of a picture with circles on it. The ruler measures elevation, minis are realistic models with bases, torches cast shadows, and the room tool and tile brush build a map about as fast as placing tiles. Any .glb mini you have drops straight onto the table.
What you get that Sigil did not offer
It runs on a Mac, a Linux box and a Chromebook, on integrated graphics, with nothing installed. The library is realistic rather than stylised: scanned surfaces and photogrammetry props. The free plan has the whole table; Premium adds saved scenes and importing your own models. And a scene is a JSON file you can export today and import into any copy of the app, including one you host yourself.
What you lose
D&D Beyond sync of characters and monsters, and spell animations. TerrainTale tracks HP, conditions and initiative but does not know your character sheet. In person it is one screen, a TV or projector; remotely, shared rooms now put a live table in front of the party, though without voice or video, and with fog brushed by hand rather than automatic line of sight.
Moving your maps
There is no Sigil importer; Sigil scenes stay inside Sigil. The fastest way to rebuild a map is a scene recipe: describe the rooms, walls and props at a high level (or have an AI assistant write it from your description) and import the JSON. The sixteen starter scenes cover the usual session-one places while you rebuild the rest.
Questions
Can I import my Sigil maps or minis?
Maps, no; there is no importer and the format is closed. Minis you have as .glb files from any source drop straight in.
Do I need Windows?
No. It is a web page and runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS in any modern browser with WebGL 2.
Does it connect to D&D Beyond?
No. There is no character or monster sync. Any image becomes a standee token, so a monster portrait from anywhere is a token in one drop.
Could this shut down too?
Any hosted service can. The difference is that the library is CC0/CC BY, the server is open and self-hostable, and every scene exports as JSON, so a group can keep its maps and run its own copy regardless.
Is there a subscription for multiplayer?
No. Shared rooms are part of the free plan and players never pay. The only paid thing is Premium, which keeps more saved scenes in your library.
Keep reading
Sigil Shutting Down? A Step-by-Step Migration Guide
Sigil, the 3D VTT from D&D Beyond, closes at the end of October 2026.
D&D Beyond Maps alternative
Want more than a flat map? A D&D Beyond Maps alternative that builds the battle map in 3D: real walls, torchlight and height, realistic minis, a ruler in feet and initiative.
3D Virtual Tabletop (3D VTT): Free, in the Browser
A 3D virtual tabletop that runs in a browser tab: realistic battle maps with walls, light and height, painted-miniature figures, a ruler in feet and initiative.
TaleSpire alternative
A browser-based TaleSpire alternative: realistic 3D battle maps with photoscanned props, no download or purchase, a free sign-up, and a builder that makes a map in minutes.
Build with AI
Scene recipes, and how an assistant writes them.
From the blog
Sigil is shutting down. Here is what to do before the end of October
D&D Beyond's Sigil 3D VTT closes at the end of October 2026. A practical checklist: what to save, what cannot be exported, and how to rebuild your maps in a browser-based 3D tabletop.
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Creature sizes on a grid: how many squares each token takes
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Difficult terrain: what it costs, how to mark it, and when to use it
How difficult terrain works in D&D 5e — double movement cost, stacking with diagonals, climbing, swimming and crawling — and how to mark it on a battle map so nobody has to ask.
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All articles on battle maps, grid rules and running the game
Ready to put a map on the table?
Open the builder and start, no account needed. Sixteen starter scenes are on the welcome screen; sign up free when you want to save one or play it with your group.