TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review.

In short order, however, the popularity and growth of Dungeons & Dragons made it clear that the game had not only separated itself from its wargaming origins, but had launched an entirely new industry unto itself.

[6] TSR co-founder Gary Gygax commented years later: "When I decided that The Strategic Review was not the right vehicle, hired Tim Kask as a magazine editor for Tactical Studies Rules, and named the new publication he was to produce The Dragon, I thought we would eventually have a great periodical to serve gaming enthusiasts worldwide... At no time did I ever contemplate so great a success or so long a lifespan.

[12] They removed the word "magazine" from the cover title starting with the June 2000 issue, changing the publication's name back to simply Dragon.

[13] In 1999 a CD-ROM compilation of the first 250 issues, called Dragon Magazine Archive, was released in PDF format with a special viewer.

[15] It ties Dragon more closely to Dungeon by including articles supporting and promoting its major multi-issue adventures such as the Age of Worms and Savage Tide.

A new and fully digital bi-monthly publication called Dragon+, was launched on April 30, 2015,[3] succeeding the existing versions of Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

Created by Dialect in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, the online edition ceased continuity with the printed and digital versions of both magazines, and restarted its numbering system for issues at No.

The magazine branded itself as an app with content "showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what's coming next from the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products".

[18] Articles included cover content such as: game strategies and insights; details of the current D&D storyline; interviews; ongoing comic series; lore; Forgotten Realms world information; community updates and fan submissions; and videos.

It also featured book reviews of fantasy and science fiction novels, and occasionally of films of particular interest (such as the TV movie of Mazes and Monsters).

At the end of its print run, the magazine also features four comics; Nodwick, Dork Tower, Zogonia, and a specialized version of the webcomic The Order of the Stick.

Previous gamer-oriented comic strips include Knights of the Dinner Table, Finieous Fingers, What's New with Phil & Dixie, Wormy, Yamara, and SnarfQuest.

For instance, Tom Wham's Snit's Revenge, The Awful Green Things from Outer Space and File 13 all started as supplements within The Dragon.

Pyramid reviewed it, saying that the archive was "worth the price", but that its application's Windows-only format limits other platforms from being able to read the PDFs manually.