Under the 2014 rules, it was ruled that dropping a weapon you were holding didn't require any action, not even your 1/turn free object interaction, even though RAW had no specific rules on it.
Now, with the 2024 rules: Is dropping a weapon totally "free" in terms of action cost?
Can you still drop weapons from both hands, and draw a new one or pick up one you dropped,
and still take an action and bonus action?
Dropping a weapon is only mentioned under the rules for attacking, as one of the ways you can unequip a weapon before or after an attack. So dropping a weapon can be done "for free" if you're making an attack.
The other relevant rule is the rule for object interactions. In combat, you get one object interaction for free and must take the Utilize action to interact with a second one. So what constitutes an interaction? The rules never specify it. They give a couple examples, like closing a door, but it's really left up to the DM to decide.
I would personally rule that dropping something requires absolutely no effort and would not require an object interaction, but that's just my opinion. The rules can't possibly list all possible object interactions so it's left up to the DM.
Dropping a weapon counts as unequipping it in the context of an Attack action, but this context is limited to that action:
Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You can do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it.
The inclusion of "dropping" here is part of the definition of "unequipping" in this special context. However, there is almost never a reason to drop something instead of stowing it for free as part of the Attack action, because dropping a weapon risks someone else picking it up. Thus, the Attack action rules provide additional action economy, demonstrating how exceptions supersede general rules:
When an exception and a general rule disagree, the exception wins.
It would be imbalanced and illogical to treat dropping a weapon as equivalent to actions like opening a door, pulling a lever, or sheathing a weapon. The latter actions demand time, attention, and coordination, while dropping something requires no effort, a fact corroborated by the rules for falling Unconscious:
You have the Incapacitated and Prone conditions, and you drop whatever you’re holding.
This supports the argument that dropping an item is effortless and should not constitute a Time-Limited Object Interaction.1 Otherwise, dropping a weapon would require a different action economy than any other object, even though no rules define the cost of dropping an object, and dropping a weapon is never described as a Time-Limited Object Interaction.
As another user pointed out, dropping a weapon should require no more time or effort than removing one hand from a Versatile:
A Versatile weapon can be used with one or two hands.
or Two-Handed weapon:
A Two-Handed weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.
The RAW (Rules as Written) do not assign a cost for switching between one-handed and two-handed use of a Versatile weapon or for holding a Two-Handed weapon in one hand. The 2014 PHB originally described the Two-Handed property as:
Two-Handed. This weapon requires two hands to use.
(cited here). This was clarified in the errata:
Two-Handed (p. 147). This property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon, not when you simply hold it.
The 2024 rules now explicitly state:
...when you attack with it.
This implies that holding a Two-Handed weapon in one hand is valid. Since no cost is defined for switching between hands or grips, it is eminently reasonable to infer that these actions are free.
By tying the unequipping rule specifically to the Attack action, the game avoids unnecessary complications in action economy while maintaining consistency. Treating dropping a weapon as anything other than free would create conceptual absurdities and undermine balance, forcing players to spend disproportionate resources on a fundamentally effortless act. This design choice ensures mechanics remain intuitive and balanced while preserving the intended fluidity and strategic depth of the game.
This question was updated to address dual-wielding. The assumption that dropping a weapon requires expenditure of the free environmental Interaction implies that a character cannot drop two weapons and take an action (other than Attack) in the same turn. This interpretation becomes even more problematic when considering the Dual Wielder feat, which allows stowing two weapons simultaneously but does not explicitly address "unequipping." Such a restriction would be inconsistent and absurd.
1: The designers assumed this in 2015: ...letting go of something requires no appreciable effort. But picking it up does.
According to the PHB 2024 (p. 361), dropping a Weapon counts as an item interaction in the same way as drawing, sheathing or stowing a weapon does, and it requires the same cost in terms of both effort and time (emphasis mine):
Equipping and Unequipping Weapons. You can either equip or unequip one weapon when you make an attack as part of this action. You do so either before or after the attack. If you equip a weapon before an attack, you don’t need to use it for that attack. Equipping a weapon includes drawing it from a sheath or picking it up. Unequipping a weapon includes sheathing, stowing, or dropping it.
If dropping a weapon were completely free, it wouldn't have been included on the list. The same applies to picking a weapon up from the ground or the other options you have: they're not free.
Additionally, by default, there is available a free interaction per turn involving objects (a Weapon is an object; see below). These are the rules (emphasis mine):
PHB, p. 20:
For the purpose of the rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone. It isn’t a building or a vehicle, which are composed of many objects.
Time-Limited Object Interactions
When time is short, such as in combat, interactions with objects are limited: one free interaction per turn. That interaction must occur during a creature’s movement or action. Any additional interactions require the Utilize action, as explained in “Combat” later in this chapter.
PHB, p. 24:
Interacting with Things. You can interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or action. For example, you could open a door during your move as you stride toward a foe.
If you want to interact with a second object, you need to take the Utilize action. Some magic items and other special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.
Finally, a Weapon is an Object. From the Glossary:
A weapon is an object that is in the Simple or Martial weapon category. See also chapter 6 (“Weapons”).
RAW, a sword, or any other weapon, is an object, and interactions with objects are limited to one free interaction per turn. That interaction must occur during a creature's movement or action.
Using the mentioned rules, here are some examples:
There is also an example on the PHB, p. 31, which is possible thanks to the use of the Time-Limited Object Interactions rule, in addition to the Equipping & Unequipping Weapons rule. Note that "drop" is mentioned twice on purpose.
Russell: I drop my sword and pull out my warhammer [...]
Vulnerability. An attack that deals bludgeoning damage is deadly to skeletons. Shreeve knows this from past experience, which is why she drops her sword and switches to a Bludgeoning weapon. [...]
