As of writing, there are 17 classes that Wizard of the Coast recognize as official DND classes excluding the ones from The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying game. 12 of the 17 is featured in the standard Players Handbook, those classes are the Barbarian, the Bard, the Cleric, the Druid, The Fighter, the Monk, the Paladin, the Ranger, the Rogue, the Sorcerer, the Warlock, and the Wizard.
The other 5 classes are additional content and come separately, they are the Artificer of the Eberron Campaign setting, the Gunslinger from the Gunslinger class book made by Valda’s spire of spire of secrets, the Monster Hunter from the Grim Hollow: Players Guide, the Illrigger from the Illrigger revised, and Blood Hunter from the collaboration with Critical Role collab.
Due to the sheer number of character classes and associated subclasses, I will not be able to cover all the of them in detail. What I will be able to do however is give brief description of the classes and their gimmicks and then list associated subclasses with a description to what they are based on, their gimmick, and the book they came in so that you can find the class you like and go find yourself. Remember to check with your DM to see if subclass is okay to play before picking it.
It is recommended to at least own a Players Handbook before picking up DND. Some subclasses when used on “DND Beyond” need the 2014 version of the character class to work, these subclasses will have an * Infront of them. Note that both the 2014 and 2024 version of the classes found in the Player Handbook and the Blood Hunter class come free with DND Beyond.
Each of the following subclasses are from books I personally own and one that I have read over.