Tabletop Simulator is a sandbox. This is a D&D table.
Tabletop Simulator can play any board game ever made, which is exactly why it is an awkward home for D&D: the grid, the ruler, the turn order and the minis are all things you assemble from Workshop mods. TerrainTale is only a D&D table, so those are the product, and it runs in a browser tab for free.
Side by side
| Topic | TerrainTale | Tabletop Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A 3D battle-map tabletop built around the 5-foot grid | A physics sandbox for any board or card game, with Workshop mods |
| The map | Built from a realistic CC0/CC BY library, lit and shadowed, or imported as .glb | Workshop tables and tiles, or imported models; no map builder |
| Measuring | Feet on the grid with waypoints, a diagonal-rule setting and height | A basic ruler; grid snapping is set up per table |
| Initiative and HP | Built in: tracker, HP, conditions, round counter | Via mods or scripted tables |
| Miniatures | Realistic library minis, image standees, your own .glb | Workshop models, custom imports, Hero Forge .unity3d bundles |
| Multiplayer | Shared rooms: a link, players sign in and see the table live | Yes, hosted rooms; every player owns a copy |
| Dice | Built-in physics dice tray, shared with the table; no automation from stat blocks | Physics dice you throw across the table |
| Price | Free to build and play; Premium for more saved scenes and your own models | One-time purchase per player on Steam (around $20 at list, often on sale; a 4-pack is cheaper) |
| Install | Browser, any OS | Steam download for Windows, macOS and Linux; VR supported |
Tabletop Simulator is a trademark of Berserk Games and is not affiliated with TerrainTale. Feature and price notes describe the other product in general terms as we understand it at the time of writing; check its Steam page for current details.
What a grid does for a fight
In Tabletop Simulator a D&D map is a table someone built, with a grid someone aligned, minis someone imported and a ruler that measures in table units. It works, and thousands of groups have made it work. In TerrainTale the floor tile is a square, the wall is an edge, the ruler reports feet with your diagonal rule and the height difference, and a Large creature takes two squares by two because the mini knows its size. Nothing is assembled; the grid is the medium.
Building instead of downloading
The room tool, the tile brush and the shelf make a map in minutes from a realistic library of scanned materials, photoscanned props and Meshy-made minis. A scene recipe written by an AI assistant imports as grid-correct geometry. Tabletop Simulator has no builder; its strength is the Workshop, which has a version of nearly everything and a quality range to match.
Where Tabletop Simulator is still the better pick
Hidden hands and any other board game are what the sandbox is for, and TerrainTale does none of that — its own physics dice tray covers the D&D roll, not a general game engine. Hero Forge's paid 3D minis import directly as .unity3d bundles, which no browser VTT can read. TerrainTale's shared rooms now let each player join from their own computer and move their own mini too, but without physics or a general sandbox behind it. If your group meets online and already owns Tabletop Simulator, it is a fine home; if the fight is on a D&D grid, this is the shorter path.
Questions
Can I import my Tabletop Simulator tables?
No. Tabletop Simulator saves and mods are not a format TerrainTale reads. Individual models exported as .glb import directly on Premium.
Does TerrainTale have physics dice?
Yes. A built-in tray throws physics dice over the screen and shares the result with everyone at the table; it tracks HP and initiative too, but it does not automate rolls from a stat block.
Is TerrainTale free like a Steam sale?
Free to use with one saved scene, no sale needed; Premium is $6 a month for up to 200 scenes and your own models. The library is CC0/CC BY and it is self-hostable.
Does it do multiplayer like Tabletop Simulator?
Not the same way. Shared rooms let a link-invited party sign in and see the table live, dragging their own minis, but there is no physics engine and no general board-game sandbox behind it — it is a D&D battle map, not Tabletop Simulator.
Keep reading
TaleSpire alternative
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Foundry VTT alternative
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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.
Hero Forge Minis in a VTT: Use Your Character on a 3D Table
How to get a Hero Forge character onto a virtual tabletop: the PNG screenshot as a standee token or a purchased STL as a full 3D mini (both Premium), and what Hero Forge actually exports.
TaleSpire vs Tabletop Simulator
TaleSpire vs Tabletop Simulator for running D&D in 3D: a purpose-built RPG table against a physics sandbox.
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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.