Draft:Dungeons Not Dating
Dungeons Not Dating (stylized as Dungeons NOT Dating) is a mobile application for Android and iOS that allows players of tabletop role-playing games, primarily Dungeons & Dragons, to build character-based profiles and swipe to match with other players based on play style, scheduling availability, and gaming interests, using a format similar to that of a dating application but without a romantic matching component.[1][2]
The app was created by Rachel Dove, a Colorado-based former stockbroker.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dove experienced harassment while trying to join an online Dungeons & Dragons group, an experience that led her to develop the app as a way for players to screen for compatible, respectful groups before joining them.[2]
Development and launch
[edit]Dove built a waitlist for the app through late 2024; by December 2024 more than 2,000 people had signed up.[2] Following a beta testing period with about 500 users, the app launched publicly in late January 2025.[1] By early 2026, it had grown to roughly 8,000 users during its extended beta, and its developers announced plans for a relaunch with an updated interface in the second quarter of 2026.[3]
The app lets users filter potential matches by factors including experience level, personal values, and availability, and includes optional identity tags, such as sexual orientation and neurodivergence, meant to help players from marginalized groups find groups where they feel comfortable.[1][4] A possible future feature, tentatively named "Dungeons AND Dating," would allow romantic matching based on players' personal rather than in-game profiles.[2]
Reception
[edit]Dungeons Not Dating has drawn coverage from regional media. Colorado Public Radio described the app as a tool for tabletop gamers to find compatible groups ahead of its January 2025 launch.[1] Westword profiled it as a "Tinder-style" app for assembling Dungeons & Dragons parties.[2] Rough Draft Atlanta, whose report drew on an interview originally conducted for its sister publication Georgia Voice, covered the app's focus on connecting players from marginalized communities ahead of a planned expansion of in-person matching to additional cities.[3] Lavender Magazine interviewed Dove about the app's approach to matching players by compatibility rather than romantic interest.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Tassy, Elaine (2025-01-25). "New 'Dungeons NOT Dating' app made in Colorado gives gamers a chance to find compatible partners". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Metzger, Hannah (2024-12-17). "Denver Woman Creates Tinder-Type App for Finding Dungeons & Dragons Parties". Westword. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- 1 2 Burkholder, Katie (2026-03-14). "'Dungeons Not Dating' App Aims to Unite D&D Players". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
- 1 2 Griep, Terrance (2026-05-28). "'A Rare Kind of Space'". Lavender Magazine. Retrieved 2026-07-15.