Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

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JoshDavis
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Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by JoshDavis »

I am endeavoring to provide a complete list of all Rifts® books and supplemental materials by publish date. I would appreciate any help from the community that you might be able to offer. I am interested in doing a retrospective reading of these books and reading in publish order to relive the development of Rifts since its release 35 years ago. What follows below are all the details I have managed to gather on my own through perusing my fairly extensive Rifts library as well as a few other sources. I have also attempted to categorize the books. I did attempt to search this forum as well as other places on the internet and couldn't find anything this thorough.

If there is a month and year listed, I have generally personally verified the print date on a physical copy I own or a legit copy I purchased on DriveThruRPG. There are a few exceptions to cases where I have NOT personally verified the publish dates, and these have a note indicating where the information came from. I did not start playing Rifts until 1997 and did not always have the money for new releases, so I often have second or later printings. In some cases the subsequent printing lists the month and year of the first printing. In other cases it does not, and so I resort to copyright date in which case "???" is listed; this is only an approximation however because sometimes the copyright was issued before the book was actually published, so any clarifications would be welcome. In the event that I uncover an egregious print error (such as listing an incorrect year), there will be a footnote on the error, followed by the correct year, but I am not currently aware of any such errors. I am aware of a few errors in print month, but I will choose to ignore most such errors as (from what I understand) this generally means the final copy manuscript was ready on that date and printing delays resulted in a later release date. If you would like to make the case for print month needing a note, I will include any major errors. I certainly welcome feedback from those more versed in the topic than I.

I have chosen to rely solely on DriveThruRPG as Palladium appears to partner with them for official pdf products. I have chosen not to rely on Amazon, eBay or similar secondary sellers, because these sites do not always list such information accurately. In a very small number of cases, I have been able to find old newsletters in the archives that describe a book being available for the first time in which case I can infer a publish year, but I know that on more than one occasion these books were available in my FLGS before they were announced on the newsletter, so I have not relied on these dates either.

If you have any information you can contribute to help fill in the gaps, I would greatly appreciate it and will update this thread as time goes on.

Core Rule Books
NoteMonYearTitle
???1990Rifts® (Core Rulebook)
Sep2001Rifts® Game Master Guide™
Oct2001Rifts® Book of Magic™
Feb2002Rifts® Adventure Guide™
Aug2005Rifts® Ultimate Edition™
>>???2016Rifts Primer How to Play Rifts® and Create Adventures
>>???2021Rifts® RPG 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover Edition
Sourcebooks
NoteMonYearTitle
???1991Rifts® Sourcebook One™
Nov1992Rifts® Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids®
Mar1992Mutants in Orbit
Aug1994Rifts® Mercenaries™
>>Dec1994Rifts® Manhunter
Jul1994Rifts® Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks™
Aug1997Rifts® Sourcebook 4: Coalition Navy™
>>???1998The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy
Sep2002Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook
???2005Rifts® MercTown™
>>May2005Rifts® Merc Ops™
Feb2007Rifts® Sourcebook One: Revised and Expanded™
Apr2009Rifts® Sourcebook: Shemarrian Nation™
Aug2012Rifts® Black Market™
Apr2013Rifts® Sourcebook 5: Vampires
May2016Rifts® Sourcebook – The Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity
Jul2019Rifts® Bestiary, Volume One
>>???2023Rifts®: The Cyberworks™ Collection Hardcover
*Apr2022Rifts® Coalition Manhunters™
*May2023Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook
>>TBDTBDRifts® Bestiary, Volume Two
>>TBDTBDRifts® Living Nowhere
>>TBDTBDRifts® Secrets of the Coalition States: The Disavowed
>>TBDTBDThe Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal Sourcebook
Chaos Earth
NoteMonYearTitle
Jun2003Rifts® Chaos Earth™
Nov2003Rifts® Chaos Earth™ Sourcebook Two: Rise of Magic™
Dec2003Rifts® Chaos Earth™ Sourcebook One: Creatures of Chaos™
Nov2015Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: Resurrection
>>???2021Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover
TBDTBDRifts® Chaos Earth™: NEMA™ Mission Book One
TBDTBDRifts® Chaos Earth™: Psychic Storm™
TBDTBDRifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: First Responders™
Conversion Books
NoteMonYearTitle
Nov1991Rifts® Conversion Book One
Apr1994Rifts® Conversion Book 2: Pantheons of the Megaverse®
Nov2002Rifts® Conversion Book One, Revised
Dec2002Rifts® Dark Conversions™
World Books
NoteMonYearTitle
Jul1991Rifts® World Book 1: Vampire Kingdoms™
Aug2011Rifts® World Book 1: Vampire Kingdoms: Revised & Expanded™
Sep1992Rifts® World Book 2: Atlantis™
Mar1993Rifts® World Book 3: England™
Jun1993Rifts® World Book 4: Africa™
Feb1994Rifts® World Book 5: Triax™ & The NGR™
Oct1994Rifts® World Book 6: South America™
Jun1995Rifts® World Book 7: Underseas™
>>†Oct1995Rifts® World Book 8: Japan™
Nov1995Rifts® World Book 9: South America Two™
Mar1996Rifts® World Book 10: Juicer Uprising™
Jul1996Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign™
Dec1997Rifts® World Book 12: Psyscape
Apr1997Rifts® World Book 13: Lone Star™
May1997Rifts® World Book 14: New West™
Jul1997Rifts® World Book 15: Spirit West™
Oct1997Rifts® World Book 16: Federation of Magic™
Nov2004Rifts® World Book 16: Federation of Magic: Revised & Updated™
Aug1998Rifts® World Book 17: Warlords of Russia™
Dec1998Rifts® World Book 18: Mystic Russia™
Jan1999Rifts® World Book 19: Australia™
Aug1999Rifts® World Book 20: Canada™
Sep1999Rifts® World Book 21: Splynn Dimensional Market™
>>Apr2000Rifts® World Book 22: Free Quebec™
Nov1999Rifts® World Book 23: The Xiticix Invasion™
>>Jan2004Rifts® World Book 24: China One™ - The Yama Kings
>>Aug2004Rifts® World Book 25: China Two™ - Heroes of the Celestial Court
>>Jun2004Rifts® World Book 26: Dinosaur Swamp™
Feb2006Rifts® World Book 27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp™
Mar2006Rifts® World Book 28: Arzno™
Jul2006Rifts® World Book 29: Madhaven™
Apr2007Rifts® World Book 30: D-Bees of North America™
???2010Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ Two
Apr2012Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria
Oct2013Rifts® World Book 33: Northern Gun 1
May2014Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun 2
Aug2014Rifts® World Book 35: Megaverse in Flames
Mar2018Rifts® World Book 36: Rifts Sovietski
TBDTBDRifts® World Book: Lazlo™
TBDTBDRifts® World Book: Antarctica™
Coalition Wars
NoteMonYearTitle
Jun2000Rifts® Coalition Wars® 1: Sedition™
Aug2000Rifts® Coalition Wars® 2: Coalition Overkill™
Oct2000Rifts® Coalition Wars® 3: Sorcerers' Revenge™
Dec2000Rifts® Coalition Wars® 4: Cyber-Knights™
Feb2001Rifts® Coalition Wars® 5: Shadows of Evil™
Aug2001Rifts® Coalition Wars® 6: The Final Siege™
Apr2002Rifts® Aftermath™
Dimension Books
NoteMonYearTitle
Dec1993Rifts® Dimension Book™ 1: Wormwood®
Dec1994Rifts® Dimension Book™ 2: Phase World®
Mar1994Rifts® Dimension Book™ 3: Phase World® Sourcebook™
May1998Rifts® Dimension Book™ 4: Skraypers™
>>†May2002Rifts® Dimension Book™ 5: Phase World®: Anvil Galaxy™
???2003Rifts® Dimension Book™ 6: Phase World®: The Three Galaxies™
???2004Rifts® Dimension Book™ 7: Megaverse® Builder
Apr2004Rifts® Dimension Book™ 8: Naruni™ Wave Two
Unpublished Rifts® Dimension Book™ 9: Phase World®: United Worlds of Warlock®
Aug2007Rifts® Dimension Book™ 10: Hades - Pits of Hell™
Mar2009Rifts® Dimension Book™ 11: Dyval - Hell Unleashed™
Mar2010Rifts® Dimension Book™ 12: Phase World®: Dimensional Outbreak™
Jul2009Rifts® Dimension Book™ 13: Phase World®: Fleets of the Three Galaxies™ Sourcebook™
>>Apr2011Rifts® Dimension Book™ 14: Phase World®: Thundercloud Galaxy™
>>Jul2017Rifts® Dimension Book™ 15: Secrets of the Atlanteans™
Sep2010Rifts® Phase World®: Heroes of the Megaverse® Sourcebook™
Adventure Books
NoteMonYearTitle
Feb1996Rifts® Index & Adventures Volume One
Aug1996Rifts® Game Shields and Adventures
Aug1996Rifts® Game Master Reference Screen (packaged with Game Shields and Adventures)
Aug1996Rifts® Magic & Psionics Screen (packaged with Game Shields and Adventures)
Dec1997Rifts® Index & Adventures Volume Two
Mar2003Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: Chi-Town 'Burbs™: Forbidden Knowledge
May2003Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: Chi-Town 'Burbs™: Firetown™ and the Tolkeen Crisis™
Jul2003Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: Chi-Town 'Burbs™: The Black Vault™
Sep2003Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: Chi-Town 'Burbs™: The Vanguard™
Oct2005Rifts® Adventure Sourcebook: Mercenary Adventures
Novels
NoteMonYearTitle
Mar1999Rifts®: Sonic Boom™
Jul1999Rifts®: Deception's Web™
>>†Jan2000Rifts®: Treacherous Awakenings™
Aug2008Rifts® Anthology: Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs™
>>???2020Hammer of the Forge™ Vol. 1: The Cosmo-Knight™
>>???2020Hammer of the Forge™ Vol. 2: The Reckoning™
*Feb2021Rifts® Novel: Duty’s Edge™*
Screenplays
NoteMonYearTitle
Dec2011Rifts® Path of the Storm™
Graphic Novels
NoteMonYearTitle
>>???1990Mechanoids 1
>>???1991Mechanoids 2
>>???1991Mechanoids 3
>>???2007Rifts® Machinations of Doom™
Art Books
NoteMonYearTitle
>>???2000?RiftsworkZ Portfolio
>>???2006?The John Zeleznik Collectible Rifts Coloring Book
Jul2007Rifts and the Megaverse: The Art of John Zeleznik
>> Publish date listed is either personally verified by examining a 1st edition I do not currently own or verified by a preview page on DriveThruRPG which shows the date of the first printing.
* 2024-12-03 first publishing dates for Titan Robotics, Manhunters, and Duty's Edge added courtesy of Francois DesRochers (desrocfc)
† These dates were listed on Mad Dog's Temporal Nexus and appear to be current up to 2002.

Edit 2025-01-26 Corrected some typos. Added books I received in my Grab Bags.
Edit 2025-05-18 Added some information from first editions I have recently acquired as well as data from Mad Dog's Temporal Nexus.
Last edited by JoshDavis on Mon May 19, 2025 7:37 pm, edited 11 times in total.
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desrocfc
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by desrocfc »

I've done reviews of most of the Rifts line of books; Baseline, World Books, Conversion Books, Sourcebooks, Dimension Books and the ancillary products as well.

A quick glance at some of the dates you have outstanding could be confirmed by the review (e.g. Titan Robotics is May 2023, Manhunters April 2022, Duty's Edge is February 2021); I've also endeavoured to include the first printing publishing date.

Reviews at the blog address in my signature block below.

Cheers.
Francois DesRochers

http://www.scholarlyadventures.com/blog [A Rifts RPG Blog]
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JoshDavis
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by JoshDavis »

desrocfc wrote: Sun Dec 01, 2024 8:15 pm I've done reviews of most of the Rifts line of books; Baseline, World Books, Conversion Books, Sourcebooks, Dimension Books and the ancillary products as well.

A quick glance at some of the dates you have outstanding could be confirmed by the review (e.g. Titan Robotics is May 2023, Manhunters April 2022, Duty's Edge is February 2021); I've also endeavoured to include the first printing publishing date.

Reviews at the blog address in my signature block below.

Cheers.
Thank you! That's very helpful. I will add those to the list.
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Shorty Lickens
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by Shorty Lickens »

Great project. Thank you.
I would go year first and month second. Makes it easier to skim down the list.
http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/
Create and print dozens of different graph papers.
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JoshDavis
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by JoshDavis »

Shorty Lickens wrote: Sat Dec 07, 2024 4:15 pm Great project. Thank you.
I would go year first and month second. Makes it easier to skim down the list.
Thanks for pointing that out. It was kind of messy to skim because of the fact that the years didn't align. I think I figured out a better way to organize it. I am putting everything into a table. It's in progress at the moment, but I should have time to finish it tomorrow. I've also started organizing by year rather than book number, because book numbers don't always neatly align with publish date. I may not keep it that way, as it is easier to look for a particular book in some cases. I might end up doing book number (if any) and then publish date. There are oddly five numbered sourcebooks and a bunch of other sourcebooks that are unnumbered.
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JoshDavis
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by JoshDavis »

I've done another update. I found a couple more first editions to add to my collection. I also came across Mad Dog's Temporal Nexus which has publish dates for all RIFTS books up to 2002. I've noted those with a dagger mark † if I have not personally verified them. If the publish date is corroborated with another site I've indicated that as well.

Interesting note, as I have searched the web for sources on publication dates I am increasingly seeing this post rising to the top of my queries.
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JoshDavis
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Re: Complete Rifts by Publication Date List

Unread post by JoshDavis »

Here is the current master list of books which do not have a complete publish date. If you happen to have a first edition and wouldn't mind sending me a picture of the first page (the one with the publish date and month on it), would you please DM me?
NoteMonYearTitle
>>???1990Mechanoids 1
???1990Rifts® (Core Rulebook)
>>???1991Mechanoids 2
>>???1991Mechanoids 3
???1991Rifts® Sourcebook One™
>>???1998The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy
>>???2000?RiftsworkZ Portfolio
???2003Rifts® Dimension Book™ 6: Phase World®: The Three Galaxies™
???2004Rifts® Dimension Book™ 7: Megaverse® Builder
???2005Rifts® MercTown™
>>???2006?The John Zeleznik Collectible Rifts Coloring Book
>>???2007Rifts® Machinations of Doom™
???2010Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ Two
>>???2016Rifts Primer How to Play Rifts® and Create Adventures
>>???2020Hammer of the Forge™ Vol. 1: The Cosmo-Knight™
>>???2020Hammer of the Forge™ Vol. 2: The Reckoning™
>>???2021Rifts® RPG 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover Edition
>>???2021Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover
>>???2023Rifts®: The Cyberworks™ Collection Hardcover
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