Wizards of the Coast chose not to renew the contract in early 2007 and Paizo began publishing the Pathfinder periodical line as a replacement.

[3][4][5] Announced in March 2008, Pathfinder was designed over the course of a year using an open playtest model, where players could try the system and post their feedback on Paizo's website.

[3] Informally nicknamed D&D version 3.75,[7] the first edition of Pathfinder is a modification of the 3.5e rules and is intended to be compatible with the older game.

Additionally, several aspects of 3.5 have been changed in Pathfinder, including several spells, the skill system and combat maneuvers such as tripping and grappling.

[10] Paizo announced in May 2018 that it was working on Pathfinder Second Edition to refine elements of the rule set to reflect feedback and clarification on the original system over the prior years.

In October 2021, Paizo announced a partnership with Demiplane to provide Pathfinder Nexus; the online platform provides a digital rules and lore compendium for Pathfinder Second Edition, character creation and management tools, matchmaking, and video chat functionality.

[21] In addition to incorporating extensive errata based on player feedback, these new books (and all future Paizo publications) would be published under the new Open RPG Creative License (ORC), rather than the previous OGL, due to significant controversy over the license earlier that year.

[23] The first edition has been supplemented by expansions and accessory books which contain expanded rules, new classes, spells, equipment, and other optional game features.

[30][31] Further Pathfinder supplements include the Advanced Race Guide (2012), which extended the options for player character races; Mythic Adventures (2013), which provided options for "epic level" play beyond the core game's normal limits;[32] and Occult Adventures (2016), which introduced six supernatural classes including the kineticist, medium, and psychic.

[25]: 226–227  OtherWorld Creations was the most prolific licensee for Pathfinder at that time, and compiled their PDFs for print beginning with Adventurer's Handbook: Genius Guide Volume 1 (2010), leading Paizo to significantly promote the company.

[35] During that four-year period, Pathfinder was at times able to outsell Dungeons & Dragons itself, which was the best-selling game through various editions between 1974 and 2010.

[36] Upon the release of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, that game has regained the top spot since fall 2014, with Pathfinder consistently still ranking second to D&D in sales.

[37] Paizo has won ENnie Awards at Gen Con in a variety of categories including Best Publisher and Best Game.

[38][39] The beta release of the first edition of the game won the 2008 Silver ENnie award for "Best Free Product or Web-Enhancement".

The result is a game that has revolutionized what it means to use an OGL to your favor while making a name for itself as an inspired company who has the best wishes of their players foremost in their minds.

"[43] When reviewing the second edition in August 2019, Charlie Hall of Polygon said it "feels unified and complete, rather than a hodgepodge of errata and exceptions that had accumulated for its previous iteration.

Details that would be relegated to a sidebar or a tiny, bespoke graphic in other game systems get entire pages with elaborate diagrams and drawings.

[45] The initial set for the game, Rise of the Runelords, was followed by the expansions Skull and Shackles, Wrath of the Righteous and Mummy's Mask.

[48] Other titles in the series, which numbers over 30 books, include City of the Fallen Sky by Tim Pratt,[49] Winter Witch by Elaine Cunningham, The Wizard's Mask by Ed Greenwood, and Death's Heretic by line editor James L.

[66] It is an isometric RPG similar to the Infinity Engine games, and adapts the Kingmaker adventure path using the Pathfinder first edition rules.

In February 2020, Owlcat Games launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a sequel entitled Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

The Savage Worlds gameplay differs from that of Pathfinder Second Edition by having players create characters with edges and hinderances, or abilities and flaws, as well as seeing players roll different kinds of polyhedral dice depending on how competent their character is at performing the task at hand.