Like with past Discover Pods audio drama genre lists, I wanted to give newcomers to the genre and fans a few current horror audio dramas covering the wide range of what horror can be. There’s emotional, comedic, romantic, and supernatural. Not to mention monsters, murder, and mayhem—spooks, splatter, and something that goes bump in the night. Really, there’s just a horror audio drama for everyone on this list … if you dare read on.

Keep in mind that these are all serialized (with one noted exception), so they should all be started from the beginning. This list isn’t arranged in any particular order; it’s just a collection of some of my favorites.

Wrong Station

I’ve written about The Wrong Station a couple of times in the past. If you’ve never listened to this horror audio drama anthology, you’re missing out. The show was initially modeled after radio dramas of yesteryear, but as the years have gone on, The Wrong Station has become something wholly its own. The Wrong Station delivers animated and well-acted storytelling along with heavy themes and storylines that push past simple ghost stories. Each episode is raw and rough and packs an emotional punch. Since The Wrong Station often deals with heavy topics, I want to let listeners know they should check the content warnings on the episodes before diving in if they are curious about what territories and experiences the episode will cover. I’m a fan of the earlier seasons for the way they pull the listener into the story by adding a secondary POV character of ‘you.’ But the newer seasons have more nuanced and original episodes. The Wrong Station is perfect for The Black Tapes and The NoSleep Podcast fans.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts

Carrier

Carrier is an older horror sci-fi audio drama released in 2019 from QCODE. While there aren’t any more episodes airing, the whole story has already been released, so there’s no worry of an unresolved ending. The horror audio drama follows a truck driver transporting a mysterious cargo that turns out worse than anything she could have imagined. When I first listened to Carrier, it filled that want in me for more stories like Alien and Stranger Things. The bonus of Carrier is that unlike both of those stories, Carrier has a Black woman lead. So, moments and scenes throughout the show connect with my experiences, making the audio drama relatable despite its supernatural horror element. Like a few other horror podcasts on this list, Carrier is perfect for listeners who love Alice Isn’t Dead and Homecoming. 

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The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcasts

The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast is a creepypasta, horror anthology, poetry, and short fiction podcast featuring stories from across the web. That means, while the stories aren’t always the best, there is a lot to choose from. More often than not, you’ll find a new type of story like the types you’d find on Reddit or Tumblr. Each episode is dark and offers that bit of found fiction vibe that makes the stories feel more like Internet folklore. The host reads each story with nice creepy musical undertones that makes up for the less than scary stories featured on The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast. There is usually more than one story featured on each episode, so if you don’t like the first one, give it a couple of minutes, and a new story or poem will start. While listening to a few of the episodes, I got The Wrong Station and Knifepoint Horror vibes. So, if you like either of those two horror audio dramas, you’ll love The Slaughterhouse Stories Podcast.

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Pseudopod

Pseudopod is a horror podcast part of the Escape Artist podcast group, including Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Cast of Wonders. Pseudopod releases the best short horror audio fiction up there with Nightmare Magazine Horror Podcast and NIGHTLIGHT Horror Podcast. With episodes dating back to 2016, Pseudopod has an extensive back catalog of all types of horror ranging from classic vampire and werewolf stories to more literary and original tales featuring creatures, characters, and situations that are both terrifying and thoughtful. There are no cheap thrills or screams on Pseudopod. And that’s what I like about the horror podcast. Unlike a lot of horror anthology shows that tend to become one trick or have a wide range of writing levels, Pseudopod delivers well-written and entirely fascinating horror stories about people you feel for every time. A few episodes have brought both chills and tears to me. 

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Believer: A Paranormal Mystery

A new podcast to me was the horror mystery Believer: A Paranormal Mystery. When a fake psychic’s ex-girlfriend goes missing in her strange hometown, the psychic packs up and heads out to find her or at least offer some help. And there’s a solid romance plot to tug at your heartstrings as you quiver in fear. Believer: A Paranormal Mystery is the queer comedy-horror audio drama I didn’t know I was missing in my life. There is a lot of sound production—so make sure to pop those headphones on or in—and the horror is layered and paired well with the humor; that way, both are equally heightened. Sometimes the sound production gets too much, and I had to turn down the volume when there was a bit of sound for something as simple as a shirt ruffling. Believer: A Paranormal Mystery is perfect for listeners of horror audio dramas like Unwell and Less is Morgue.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts 

The Cellar Letters

If you’re into horror with a fair amount of mystery alongside its scares, then The Cellar Letters is going to be your next great listen. After uprooting and moving into a new home, a young man begins to experience strange and unusual happenings in his home. Even though there’s a single narrator, the audio production gives The Cellar Letters a fuller feeling. I loved the story and slow unfolding of the mystery, unraveling new and horrifying experiences for the character. I did find myself guessing what was going to happen next, but it was still satisfying to hear it happen. And a big part of that had to do with the audio production. I couldn’t wait to hear how they brought certain elements and events in the story to life. The Cellar Letters is a great horror audio drama for Malevolent and The Night Post fans. 

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The Way We Haunt Now

The Way We Haunt Now was the most unique and interesting horror audio drama podcast I found while compiling this list. Unlike a few others that felt a bit predictable, though exciting in their own right, The Way We Haunt Now felt specific. Like a lot of the podcasts on this list, The Way We Haunt Now uses humor to lull listeners into false states of security so that they can scare the crap out of you. There were also soft and emotional elements that made me want to know more about the story the horror audio drama was creating. And I only have 13 more episodes until I’m fully caught up. With the emotional and original horror storytelling that The Way We Haunt Now has, I think it’d be a great listen for fans of Palimpsest and Limetown.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Website | RSS | Transcripts

13 Days of Halloween

13 Days of Halloween initially aired in 2020 during Halloween as a bit of a one-off horror audio drama from a big production company—Blumhouse. But then, last year, they released an all-new season featuring new characters, new storylines, and a whole new spooky setting. Instead of being set at the Hawthorne Manor, listeners are invited to visit the eerie New England village of Direbrook in the second season, ‘The Sea.’ While the first season of 13 Days of Halloween had a great blend of humor and horror, the newer season feels more emotional and steeped in darkness. The latest season of 13 Days of Halloween is a great horror audio drama podcast for fans of Boston Harbor Horror and Deadly Manners. 

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The Other Stories

The Other Stories is a horror audio drama podcast aimed at delivering listeners a mix of stories from emerging or struggling writers and experienced professionals. Like The Wrong Station, The Other Stories is an anthology horror podcast. One thing it does different, though, is offer listeners a wide range of horror genres like Pseudopod. Also, like Pseudopod, The Other Stories accepts listener-submitted short stories that they choose from for their episodes. For listeners interested in contributing to the show, check The Other Stories submission guidelines. With fantastic audio production and sound effects accompanying every episode, The Other Stories crafts new experiences for listeners each week. I like that there are characters that show up throughout The Other Stories long back catalog of episodes. 

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Come Join Us by the Fire

Tor Nightfire is the new horror imprint of Tom Doherty Associates that’s been releasing seasons of their horror anthology podcast, Come Join Us by the Fire, since 2020. The second season ran last year in March—and I hope there’s a new season coming out this spring, too! Listeners can dive into original stories from horror writers like Nibedita Sen, Cassandra Khaw, and more. Like other horror anthology audio dramas on this roundup, Come Join Us by the Fire allows listeners a comprehensive sampling of horror stories outside the typical horror tropes. With 18 episodes, horror listeners are sure to find a tale or two to keep them up at night. Come Join Us by the Fire is similar to horror podcasts like NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast and The Wrong Station. (Disclaimer: I write for Tor Nightfire’s blog.)

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Vampires of White Chapel

Vampires of White Chapel is a full-cast horror audio drama about a group of vampires and their evil pursuits. Season three recently started in October 2021 with The Blood Reaper Chronicles. For fans of the original seasons, the newer one focuses on the vampire clan Blood Reapers. I’m a long-time vampire lover and fan, and I found Vampires of White Chapel to be a great vampire audio drama that clung close to many vampire conventions while still presenting an interesting story reminiscent of Vampire the Masquerade and Vampire High. With only one episode out of the new season, I’m curious to see where the vampire audio drama goes in the new year and how they wrap in the new bit of information given in the first episode. Vampires of White Chapel would be great for horror audio drama fans of Victoria’s Lift and We’re Alive.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts

Boston Harbor Horror

Boston Harbor Horror is a full cast eldritch horror and weird fiction audio drama about a coast guard investigating an emergency on an island in Boston Harbor. It’s got atmosphere, character, and monsters all set in a location that feels like something straight out of a Stephen King novel. Season three started in December 2021, with nearly 50 episodes for new listeners to catch up on. I’m not always a fan of eldritch or Lovecraftian horror, but I really like how Boston Harbor Horror unfolds, developing new mysteries and uncovering horrors. And as a coastal baby, I enjoy the sea theme and connection to water horrors. Fans of The Leviathan Chronicles and Archive 81 will enjoy the storytelling and horror featured on Boston Harbor Horror.

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The Town Whispers

Out of all the horror audio drama podcasts on this list, The Town Whispers has my favorite opening song. It’s beautiful and perfectly sets the vibe for the narrative horror audio drama. Along with the narrative storytelling, sound effects and music accompany each episode, giving it that audio drama lure. The Town Whispers delivers stories about the fictional town, The Fort, and its occupants. Some of the stories are directly related; others simply happen within the town, but no matter what, the stories are creepy and packed with dark events that plague the town and the folks who live there. While being an audio drama, I loved that it also felt like an anthology horror podcast. Fans of Old Gods of Appalachia and Welcome to Nightvale will enjoy the darkness of The Town Whispers.

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America After Midnight

I was on the fence about adding this horror audio drama to the list, but then I figured even though it was too much for me, there are a lot of listeners who would love this type of horror. America After Midnight is a revenge horror anthology audio drama, so there are trigger warnings for each episode because there is a lot of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and other offensive types of characters and situations at the beginning of the episodes, but by the end those people get what’s coming to them, whether or not it makes up for the opening moments, you’ll have to judge for yourself. It can be entertaining and cathartic for some, but use caution when going into the episodes and stories. American After Midnight is the first revenge horror audio drama podcast I’ve ever listened to. Still, it did remind me of horror audio dramas like Campfire Radio Theater and The NoSleep Podcast. 

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A Voice from Darkness

I’ve been searching for A Voice from Darkness for months! The first time I heard it, I was working on an article on podcasts for stoners and listened to it on another person’s account. I attributed my forgetfulness to the content I was writing about and tried to find the horror audio drama with no luck for months. Until now! A Voice from Darkness is part supernatural call-in and part American spooky folklore. I instantly fell in love with the creepy storytelling, strange events, and the way A Voice from Darkness tries to bridge a dark path into our world. There are national warnings, folktales, scary stories, and more all happening around the United States. It made it seem like the perfect blend of Welcome to Night Vale and The Town Whispers.

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Whether you’re looking for humorous horror, remakes, anthology shows, or any of the other horror audio drama subgenres, hopefully you’re able to find one new podcast to fill your ears. Keep the fright alive by considering going beyond listening to these horror audio dramas and supporting them by sharing, pledging, and reviewing them.

Haunted House Flippers

Haunted House Flippers is a hilarious audio drama that blends horror and comedy with an unlikely theme. That theme being a couple inheriting an old haunted house and deciding to flip it. The husband is one of those “YouTube ghost hunters” with a spotty grasp on reality and a real lack of self-preservation. The couple is cringe-worthy and adds another layer of tension to the story with their constant bickering and passive-aggressive communication style. It would be like if Paranormal Activity were a comedy and audio drama. Haunted House Flippers is perfect for the listener who doesn’t like a lot of gore, scares, and other intense materials but still wants a good ghost and monster mystery. Its first season is currently airing with nine episodes out, so now is a perfect time to hop on the fan wagon. 

Eastmouth

Eastmouth is packed with spooky and strange audio effects that make the audio drama really stick in your ear. The show follows a broadcaster stationed in a town with lots of secrets and hidden passages and a town council that’s been up to more than community services. The first time I listened to this horror audio drama podcast was while playing a horror survival game. If you like to game and listen to their podcasts, I super recommend this one to heighten scary games. Eastmouth puts out a new episode every month or so with episode 14 scheduled for a late July release. Another great thing about Eastmouth is that while it reminded me of other horror audio drama podcasts like Malevolent, it didn’t feel derivative or like I had experienced the story before.

Death by Dying

Do you like your horror with a bit of humor? Think Haunted House Flippers meets the TV show Bored to Death with a hint of Ian’s Gone Postal. An obituary writer goes above and beyond his duty and investigates the odd deaths in his town, leading him down a road of bizarre and sometimes supernatural involvement. Each episode dives into new mysteries that connect the main character and the mysterious town of Crestfall, Idaho. Originally aired in 2018, the dark comedy horror audio drama Death By Dying is written with a noir style, heightening both the mystery and humor. So far, there is only one season out, but the second is fully funded and on its way. New listeners can check out the first ten episodes and a few bonus ones while they wait for the drop of the new season, though.

Unwell, A Midwestern Gothic Mystery

Unwell is a horror audio drama following a young woman as she moves back to her small-town home in Ohio to look after her estranged mother. While there, she lives in her family’s boarding house that’s filled with ghosts lurking in the shadows and mystery around every bend. The full cast audio drama has aired since 2019 and is towards the end of its third season now, which means there are over 30 episodes for new listeners to catch up on as this season comes to a close. I think this horror audio drama is perfect for listeners who like Palimpsest and The Bright Sessions. There’s enough intrigue to make the scary seem tempting. Just listening to the show makes me feel haunted. 

The Dark Tome

The Dark Tome is a dark fantasy or speculative fiction audio fiction podcast that uses voice acting and sound effects to create a rounder experience for the reader. The horror audio drama uses a framing device wonderfully to make an audio fiction show within an audio drama, an audio drama within an audio fiction podcast. A teen finds The Dark Tome, a magical dark book that transports her to other worlds and stories, and the podcast unfolds from that premise. Each episode is a horror or dark fantasy story from classic horror writers like Edgar Allan Poe and contemporary writers like Catherynne M. Valente, Tananarive Due, and Martin Cahill. A full-cast production brings to life each story, truly creating another world for the listener to fall into alongside the character as she flips through the pages of The Dark Tome. With three seasons, there are over 30 episodes of The Dark Tome for fresh listeners to horrify and amaze themselves with. This horror audio drama podcast is perfect for listeners who enjoy horror anthology shows but want them to be more attached and connected. 

Old Gods of Appalachia

Similar to The Dark Tome, Old Gods of Appalachia is a cross between an audio drama and an audio fiction podcast. There’s a common setting and characters that crop up throughout the horror anthology podcast that makes this more than just a string of horror stories unrelated. Since its airing back in 2019, Old Gods of Appalachia has amassed a large and loyal following along with a lot of respect in the horror and audio drama world. It conjures a sense of place, heavy and thick, bringing readers to the southern reach of Appalachia, where ghosts, monsters, and other dark beasts wreak havoc in the woods. With 30 episodes and more on the way, this is a great horror anthology podcast for listeners interested in modern southern gothic tales. 

Read more: Old Gods of Appalachia Creates An All-American Horror

A Horror Borealis

Begun as bonus content for The Cryptid Keeper, A Horror Borealis has grown into its own audio drama show. Following three women in 1996 Revenant, Alaska, as they bond over the horrors of their life and town, A Horror Borealis is an emotional horror audio drama podcast great for listeners hungry for mystery, friendship, and monsters. The original series has over 60 episodes for new-time listeners to check out while the spinoffs or bonus stories, A Horror Borealis ’76 and LOSERS, add another few episodes and history onto the town of Revenant. Currently, the audio drama is doing a remix of Stephen King’s IT in an actual play retelling using the one-shot mystery Back to Derry by Christine Prevas. It’s AWESOME. 

The White Vault

An audio drama in collected records that sounds like found video footage for the ears, The White Vault follows the mystery surrounding an outpost in the artic. This horror audio drama podcast stands out because The White Vault features diverse voices and languages. Using such a range of a cast creates a story with greater depth and emotions. We can hear how each odd and horrific occurrence affects a greater population. The White Vault is perfect for people who love an excellent artic horror like The Thing and piecing together a mystery from various recordings and accounts. Lots of subtext and intrigue mixed with the horror! First aired in 2017, The White Vault celebrated six years and is still growing strong with a loyal fan base and over 60 episodes. 

The Grey Rooms

The Grey Rooms follows a man cursed with living someone else’s death every day, only to wake up and have it happen all over again. To say this show has lots of death would be an understatement. But death a protagonist that dies every episode isn’t the coolest feature of this horror audio drama. It’s the mystery surrounding why the character is dying over and over again like some rancid dark Groundhog Day. Started in 2018, The Grey Rooms is on its third season of scaring and terrifying listeners. The finale aired back in April, but there are several bonus episodes and other content. 

Victoria’s Lift

I actually found Victoria’s Lift through The Grey Rooms. There was a bonus episode recently released that promoted the show and offered a taste of the supernatural horror audio drama. Victoria’s Lift is about a girl who uses a mysterious elevator to help people reach their ‘transformations’. Emotional and creepy, Victoria’s Lift has over 50 episodes of travels through dark and meaningful realms. Victoria reminds me of the evil AI little girl in the 2002 Resident Evil movie. Don’t let the fact that a little girl is the protagonist of Victoria’s Lift fool you; this is not a show for young listeners. But it is perfect for fans of anthology horror audio dramas like Old Gods of Appalachia and The Dark Tome.

What’s the Frequency

What’s the Frequency has been described by creator James Oliva as “psychedelic noir” and only “horror-adjacent,” both of which are true–but this strange, innovative, form-breaking audio drama is known for sending chills down listeners’ spines. What’s the Frequency follows several stories, but primarily that of Troubles, a PI, and Whitney, his assistant, as they try to find a missing radio play writer whose work is the only thing playing on the radio stations. This podcast is riveting and throws the listener directly into the actions with gorgeous, unsettling sound design and very little explanation. It’s an intense listen that demands paying close attention but always rewards listeners with how strange, immersive, terrifying, and often funny it is.

Palimpsest

An often-overlooked genre in horror are the creeping, contemplative, psychological stories–think, for instance, of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (or even the Netflix show based on it, as different as those two are). Palimpsest takes this tone and mindset, giving the listener a slow-building, creeping terror instead of jump scares. The horror here isn’t just in the ghost story, both with the protagonist’s new house or the ghost of her sister, which she keeps asserting she’s seen. The horror is also in trying to find out whether the protagonist is an unreliable narrator or not. It’s a podcast that plays with your mind more than with just loud noises or gore, and weaves a gorgeous, delectably literary story along the way. The second season of Palimpsest is a completely different story–one of a circus, a family, and the fae. Make sure to read our interview with its creators for more insight on what makes Palimpsest tick.

Station Blue

Station Blue follows protagonist Matthew Leads as he accepts the position of caretaker for an Antarctic research facility and quickly finds he’s bit off more than he can chew. This audio drama is masterful in its command over atmosphere. Between its minimalist score, its unobtrusive sound design, and its downright visceral foley sound effect work, Station Bluetransports the listener to the station, filling the listener with as much dread as Matthew feels. Station Blue dabbles in gore more successfully than just about any audio drama I’ve ever heard, but its real horror focus is the feeling of sheer isolation it evokes. The loneliness in Station Blue is tangible, and so are its effect, slowly wearing away at the protagonist while the stakes get higher and the worries get deeper.

The Magnus Archives

Initially, The Magnus Archives feels like a collection of spooky short stories, some of which land harder than others. The production quality is lo-fi and performed by a single, unflinchingly dry narrator. The framing device here is that the narrator is tasked with turning the paper archives of a paranormal investigation business into audio files–and it isn’t long before this task starts to gain its own over-arching plot. Each episode of The Magnus Archive plays on different fears, making them more vivid and effective than expected. You’ll go into an episode about a scary doll, for instance, thinking, “Oh, this is silly”–but by the time the episode’s ended, you’ll be avoiding the toy aisle next time you hit up Target.

Janus Descending

Janus Descending is podcasting’s answer to the Alien franchise–or, at least, you know, the good movies in that franchise. Told from the perspectives of two explorers on an alien planet, Peter and Chel, the listener hears the story unfold from opposite ends of the timeline. Chel’s story progresses linearly, while Peter’s perspective is told in reverse, starting with his last audio log moving back to his first. Janus Descending is about love–the love Peter and Chel have for each other, but also the love of exploration, the love of knowledge, and the love of who we think we know. A terrifying tragedy, Janus Descending is one you won’t soon forget.

A World Where

What makes fiction anthology podcast A World Where terrifying isn’t just its sci-fi setups, pulling inspiration from works like Black Mirror. It’s how easily it can trap you in those setups, both by how narratively close to home they hit and by its stunning binaural sound design. With each episode, you’re trapped both in concept and in audio, existing fully in the scene. Whether it’s an even more nightmarish version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or an absurdist, darkly comedic take on Chopped, A World Where is stunning, upsetting, and existentially horrific.

The post Our Favorite Horror Audio Drama Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Not every inspirational or uplifting podcast is made equal, and some will work better for certain listeners. So, when compiling this best of motivational podcasts list, I tried to find some that had different styles. Not everyone will be motivated by some high-energy speaker telling them they need to grind, while others will get fired up by it. Listeners can find long, short, motivational, inspirational, life hacky, and all the in-betweens on this list starting with… 

Straight Up with Trent Shelton is a Hell of a Motivating Podcast

Straight Up with Trent Shelton is a highly-intensity and candid podcast on life, career, and love. Former NFL wide receiver Trent Shelton has since become an international motivational speaker and uses his energy to touch listeners and change their lives.

Shelton delivers honest and real talk in short episodes to get listeners fired up and engaged in their own growth and the broader conversations around self-improvement. I found each episode intriguing and motivational for quick bursts of inspiration and an extra push in the right direction. In fact, I think out of all the motivational podcasts on this list, Straight Up with Trent Shelton is the one that got me geared up the most.

Using personal stories and musical soundscapes quietly playing in the background to set the listener at ease despite Shelton’s high energy, Straight Up with Trent Shelton is a great motivational listening experience for anyone needing an extra push in the right direction.

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Therapy for Black Girls

Therapy for Black Girls is hosted by a Black mental health professional, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford. With the host’s background as a licensed psychologist, Therapy for Black Girls combines mental health and personal development tactics and habits to live a healthier life. Dr. Bradford’s focus on providing Black women more information about mental care and health is unique and beneficial.

There is a discrepancy and deficit in mental health care provided to Black women and Black people in general, so having a podcast geared toward addressing that shortage is so necessary. I like that they give a direct disclaimer that Therapy for Black Girls isn’t a replacement for a real relationship with a therapist or mental health professional. Instead, Dr. Bradford offers listeners episodes based on issues important to Black women to start a dialogue, conversation, and outreach.

Unlike Straight Up with Trent Shelton, Therapy for Black Girls isn’t done in a motivational speaker style but rather a calming chat with educated friends.

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Happier with Gretchen Rubin

If you’re a fan of self-help or personal growth, then you have come across Gretchen Rubin’s books, resources, and talks. Did you know she has a podcast? Well, she has several podcasts, but this list highlights one in particular.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin is a motivational podcast with short episodes for quick boosts of motivation throughout your day. Some episodes are as short as three minutes, with small looks at people who have made their happiest decisions to pursue their passions and follow their dreams. Sometimes that’s all motivational podcasts need to be. Not a therapy session, but just a brief reminder.

The longer episodes are filled with stories and quotes to remind listeners to slow down and appreciate the world around them. Since Rubin has a large audience base, Happier with Gretchen Rubin has a lot of community encouragement and engagement. Happier with Gretchen Rubin is a perfect blend of discussions with professionals and motivational speakers to get listeners excited about the happier sides of life. It’s what a motivating podcast should be.

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Read more: The 21 Best Business Podcasts

The Quote of the Day Show | Daily Motivational Talks

For listeners who like motivational podcasts like Straight Up with Trent Shelton, The Quote of the Day Show | Daily Motivational Talks is another short and one of the more powerful motivational podcasts. The Quote of the Day Show is excellent for people who like quotes to ruminate over and hear being discussed in a broader life context.

What I really like about The Quote of the Day Show is how entrepreneur and money mindset expert Sean Croxton uses the original sound bites the quotes were taken from to add more depth to the show. It also allows listeners to hear the original context and how the speaker initially delivered it.

While Croxton brings a quiet power, many of the quotes and sound bites are from high-energy motivational speakers or life coaches. By examining the context of the passage and thinking about how it affects his own life, Croxton gives listeners a chance to think and engage with specific inspirational quotes on a deeper level.  

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The One You Feed

The One You Feed is based on the parable that two wolves live inside you fighting for dominance. Host Eric Zimmer leads listeners in discussions with authors, healthcare professionals, and more to help them incorporate healthier thinking and behaviors into their lives. If you prefer the softer-spoken motivation podcasts, The One You Feed will be right up your alley.

Each episode is around an hour long and provides deep insight from industry professionals on a mess of topics related to personal and self-growth. Since the episodes all surround different topics, listeners can find specific episodes for their current struggles, life questions, and more. While I didn’t enjoy all the episodes, I liked some of the topics covered and the guests brought on to create a diverse listening experience in a motivating podcast.

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Motivational Speaker Simerjeet Singh’s Podcast

Like the title suggests, Motivational Speaker Simerjeet Singh’s Podcast is one of those motivational speaker podcasts where the host Simerjeet Singh speaks to the listener, encouraging them to take charge of the choices in their lives. Singh gives listeners a wonderfully motivational podcasts and inspiring listening experience with a mixture of short and long episodes.

I really enjoyed Singh’s storytelling and voice in general. Those aspects made Motivational Speaker Simerjeet Singh’s Podcast feel like an audio fiction podcast meets a motivational podcast. I found Motivational Speaker Simerjeet Singh’s Podcast great for starting or ending my day. Singh provides listeners with exciting and reflective questions to help guide them along their journey.

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The Habit Coach with Ashdin Doctor

It deserves clarification: but Ashdin Doctor is not a doctor and is a life coach specializing in habit-forming and helping people incorporate healthy ones into their lives. The Habit Coach with Ashdin Doctor is the podcast branch of Doctor’s habit coaching. Doctor blends inspirational and thoughtful motivational speaking with storytelling to create an informative and helpful podcast.

The shorter episodes are structured around storytelling, personal experience, and tackling self-growth issues. Many of the motivational podcasts on this list touch on habits and habit forming, but The Habit Coach with Ashdin Doctor is the only one that focuses specifically on it. If you’re struggling with creating healthier and more mindful habits in your life, there are so many episodes to choose from that you’ll no doubt find the support and direction you need.

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The GaryVee Audio Experience

Entrepreneur, CEO, investor, and public speaker Gary Vaynerchuk brings his unique blend of no-bullshit motivational speaking to his very own podcast. A mixture of motivational speaking, discussions with other professionals, direct questions and answers, The GaryVee Audio Experience is an excellent pick for listeners who enjoy high energy speaking and demanding self-accountability.

I found many of the episodes to center around topics related to self-improvement, life advancement, and general career smarts. Straight talk advice from Vaynerchuk’s own experiences and other stories from his work and life make up most of the podcast. The GaryVee Audio Experience blends short quick episodes and longer, more in-depth episodes for deep listening.

Because of Vaynerchuk’s high energy and in-your-face style, he tends to push a grind culture type of lifestyle. So, if that’s not your thing, steer clear!

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The Mindset Mentor

Aimed at listeners looking for a little more direction in their lives, The Mindset Mentor podcast with host Rob Dial brings low energy but inspiring motivational speaking. Like several other motivational podcasts on this list, The Mindset Mentor offers short episodes centered around specific helpful topics like focus, regret, and other self-help and life improvement tactics.

What I liked about The Mindset Mentor was that Dial provided straight talk about personal care and growth without feeling as though he was shoving it into listeners’ ears. It seems like a great morning podcast for motivation and support at the start of your day. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS 

Good Life Project

The Good Life Project brings authors, speakers, scientists, and doctors together to talk about their struggles and life on their journey to define what a good life is. Along the way, the hosts and guests try to offer tactics and inspiration for listeners from their viewpoints and experiences.

Since all the guests are writers or intellects of some sort, the conversations had and experiences shared are done in a very well-spoken and intriguing way. Several times I forgot Good Life Project was a motivational podcast. Since the style leans away from motivational speaking and steers closer toward an interview-style podcast, the episodes offer inspiration and advice in a way that may be easier for some to digest and see how they can make the right choices in their own lives. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | RSS

The post The 10 Best Motivational Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

At least, that’s what I aimed to provide with this list: a grouping of business podcasts that look at working, the workplace, and building a career from a healthy place internally. Yes, you’ll learn how to start a business, invest, and donate in a way aligned with your values, but more importantly, you’ll learn how to find out what you want and deserve in the workplace. Not only that, but there are also business podcasts for at-home creatives and people interested in designing their workplace to be a better place.

Well Workplaces

Well Workplaces features interviews with health and wellbeing leaders who help listeners find a sustainable work-life balance. They focus on all aspects of communication, wellbeing, and workplace ethics. Experts get into subjects like gamification, architecture, and even workplace design. Listeners who want to work healthily in this modern world will find a home in Well Workplaces. Well Workplaces is a great business podcast for both freelancers and in-house workers because it genuinely tries to push past barriers to make our connection to work better. I got a lot out of several episodes surrounding working from home and incorporating healthy systems to take care of my body and mind. There are also episodes surrounding addiction, mental health, and self-care that make Well Workplaces the perfect podcast for listeners interested in working in a healthier way.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Website

Own It: Starting a Business after Prison

Own It: Starting a Business after Prison focuses on helping people who were incarcerated understand how to start their own business. Through interviews with business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders who were previously incarcerated, Own It: Starting a Business after Prison offers something that many business podcasts don’t. The business podcast provides real-life advice from formerly incarcerated people on how to build a career and a business after not only a long time away from the workforce but with a record. Though the last episode aired back in June, Own It: Starting a Business after Prison is still a relevant and vital business podcast. My favorite newly discovered podcast is coming from the standpoint of how entrepreneurship can help recently released people find security, careers, and purpose, Own It: Starting a Business after Prison.

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Website

Startup Stories-Mixergy

For listeners interested in startups and building their own companies based around unique ideas, Startup Stories-Mixergy gives behind-the-scenes interviews with the minds and people behind startups in a wide variety of industries. While Startup Stories-Mixergy doesn’t give listeners tutorials on how to start their own business. What Startup Stories-Mixergy does do is provide interviews with founders, business leaders, and executives where they drill into their origins and processes to give listeners tools, advice, and insight into how startups live and die. There are many multi-million-dollar businesses and startups featured, which made it seem unapproachable for the everyday worker since many featured people came from some sort of money. However, a lot of the information beneath the rich and luxurious lifestyle was helpful, like building sites that customers love or marketing sustainably.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

The $100MBA Show

While Startup Stories-Mixergy didn’t offer tutorials, The $100MBA Show does! To say there are a plethora of lessons on The $100MBA Show is an understatement. Everything from how to build a business, level up your career, work as a freelancer, or even money management is covered on the business podcast. There are even a few episodes on reentry and moving from working full-time to owning your own business. As a freelance creative, I do want to note that there were a fair number of episodes useful to me and other content creators or writers. I also love that all the episodes were short, quick, and actionable. In under 20 minutes, I left The $100MBA Show with new strategies for my business and writing, which is my top marker for a business podcast. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Let’s Humanize the Workplace

Let’s Humanize the Workplace is a business podcast about building a better workplace for yourself to work and live in a way that satisfies you. The host gives both employers and employees tips on incorporating more soft skills into how people interact within business spaces. Using both social justice and behavioral science, Let’s Humanize the Workplace advocates for better work conditions inside and out. For new listeners, I’d recommend the spring 2021 episode “George Floyd’s Impact on the Workplace.” For people curious about the impacts of systematic racism in the workplace and how they can fight against it to create a truly safe and inclusive, that episode is a treasure trove of complex discussions and tools for the workplace.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Duct Tape Marketing

For listeners with their own business, Duct Tape Marketing provides advice from marketing experts on reaching customers and retaining them. Each episode gets into particular topics using a different expert to help listeners learn the lesson. I love that Duct Tape Marketing releases a new episode every couple of days and keeps each one relatively short. For both freelancers and in-house workers, Duct Tape Marketing teaches business owners ways to use copywriting, content marketing, and more in an easy-to-learn way. I found the episodes geared more toward people new to marketing, but Duct Tape Marketing does get into more advanced territory every now and then. There are also a fair number of episodes on general career advancement and specific workplace issues. 

Google Podcasts | Player FM | Stitcher | Website

Read more: Upgrade Your Writing Business in 2021 with These Podcasts

The Mind Your Business Podcast

The Mind Your Business Podcast is a unique business podcast focused on the metaphysical, physiological, and emotional aspects of being an entrepreneur and professional. The Mind Your Business Podcast dates back to 2016, and with over 500 episodes, it’s a business podcast with a lot to offer listeners trying to align their mind, heart, and body with their business ethics to work smarter and happier. Billing itself as a non-business business podcast, The Mind Your Business Podcast aims to take a holistic and spiritual approach to work, business, and finding a career that fuels your soul. While The Mind Your Business Podcast won’t be for a lot of people, I think it is worth a listen. Like The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast, The Mind Your Business Podcast is all about authentic and intentional work. I found the episodes I listened to interesting, but not my spiritual style.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website 

The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

From The Smart Passive Income Blog comes the companion business podcast, The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast. Another long-standing podcast on how to grow your own business from home, The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast combines interviews and the host’s own experience to help listeners scale their online business. As a freelancer, The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast was another one of the extremely informative and helpful business podcasts. But even if you’re not a freelancer, The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast is really aimed at full-time workers who want to make their side hustles lucrative so they can build secure futures. I appreciate the push for authentic business and behavior to bring in the clients and business you want.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Shopify Masters

Shopify has its own podcast all about using the platform to drive continued success for business owners who use it to conduct their business. Shopify Masters offers both inspiration and practical tips for business owners involving marketing, behind-the-scenes analytics, and more. Business leaders, CEOs, and startup founders take to the mic to get down to what they did to build their business and change the game using Shopify to propel their careers. Even if you don’t use Shopify, the episodes and subjects discussed on Shopify Masters go beyond just using Shopify. While listening, I felt like Shopify Masters was a general entrepreneurial business podcast for people who want to build their businesses or pick up lucrative side hustles. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Happiness at Work

Unsatisfied at work? Happiness at Work is a business podcast for the unhappy worker. They provide interviews with authors, business leaders, and coaches to help listeners find happiness at their jobs. Both employers and workers can find episodes and lessons on Happiness at Work. Out of all the business podcasts that I listened to, Happiness at Work was my least favorite. But I’m willing to say that it could have been the episodes I chose and the guests featured. There are a lot of hot button topics and hot takes that I always feel should be done by underrepresented voices due to the fact that they will often shine more of a light on the subject and say something new. But just because I didn’t like Happiness at Work doesn’t mean that it’s a bad business podcast or that many listeners won’t find it helpful, engaging, or thoughtful. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Spacecraft—The Workplace Design Podcast

Instead of giving listeners tips on growing their business or reaching better satisfaction in the workplace, Spacecraft—The Workplace Design Podcast looks at how the design of workspaces influences all those factors. The last episode aired back in September, but there are enough episodes in the back catalog to dive into. With the unique subject matter placed on design, architecture, and the way people are affected by the spaces they inhabit, Spacecraft—The Workplace Design Podcast is a must listen to for any business owner, leader, or human resource representative. Especially those who want to change their employees’ environment to something more inclusive, accessible, and aimed toward healthy work options. As a huge fan of how design and architecture play into our emotions, mental state, and wellbeing, I was super psyched to find Spacecraft—The Workplace Design Podcast. It also focused on a business topic that isn’t often discussed on other business podcasts, making it a refreshing listen.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher

Being Freelance

Being Freelance is a business podcast for freelancers of all types. Through interviews and introspections from other freelancers, Being Freelance gives listeners tips and advice to run their freelance business. Not only can experienced freelancers learn how to level up their business and get new clients, but I think a few of the episodes are helpful for beginning freelancers or people who are curious about how to make freelancing work for them. A few episodes also get into marketing and UI tips to help freelancers express themselves and their services better online that I found extremely helpful. New listeners are lucky, Being Freelance began in 2015, so there are TONS of episodes to catch up on. And new episodes are still dropping!

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | Transcripts
(Transcripts available by clicking on each episode)

Brown Ambition

From one of the authors of Get Good with Money, Brown Ambition gets down to the real brass tacks of what it means to be money smart. Brown Ambition teaches listeners how to budget, save, and manage their money so that they can create a sustainable business model or work toward quitting their day job or becoming an entrepreneur. Brown Ambition stands out from the other business podcasts on this list because they have over 200 episodes to get listeners in the right money mindset to handle their finances and turn their earnings into more. On top of that, they focus on helping Black professionals and highlight issues related to investing as a person of color.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Being [at Work]

Aimed at business leaders and managers, Being [at Work] tries and help listeners center themselves in their business and practice. The business podcast also gives listeners tips, inspiration, and tools to help leaders in the workplace. Focusing on solving specific issues leaders and managers face, Being [at Work] blends interviews, real-world stories, and the host’s own experience to make leadership easier. Most episodes are short (under five minutes) and deliver quick and practical strategies to tackle workplace issues from the mindful leadership standpoint. For the interview portion of the show, check out the longer episodes and get a deeper look at the topic. Being [at Work] felt like one of the perfect business podcasts for small moments when leaders need a quick reality check and info throughout the workday.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

The Broad Experience

There are a couple of business podcasts on this list for honest conversations about working as a woman and women-related issues in the workplace. Each one I highly recommend because they offer unique perspectives on gender inequality in the workplace based on real experiences. The Broad Experience not only focuses on working women and issues of interest to them, but they also get into being a person in the workplace and dealing with other aspects like neurodivergence, working with your partner, and so much more. I really liked The Broad Experience episode “Power and Body Language,” which dug into how to hold yourself in the workplace and its connections to gender and communication. While dealing with the harsh reality of gender inequality, The Broad Experience builds toward a positive and inclusive future for everyone.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | Transcripts

Black Tech Unplugged

Black Tech Unplugged is a business podcast about Black people working within the tech industry. Instead of giving listeners tips on how to work better, though there is some of that, Black Tech Unplugged interviews and spotlights Black tech workers and their journeys in the industry. Listeners can learn strategies, tools, and advice to work better through their stories and honest responses to the host’s questions. Starting back in 2017, Black Tech Unplugged is candid and a business podcast that I found unique. Most business tech podcasts don’t give Black people the tools and inspiration they need to enter the industry or continue working within it. Black Tech Unplugged does. And all from other Black professionals working within the technology industry. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Women at Work

Like The Broad Experience, Women at Work focuses on issues relevant to women in the workplace. While The Broad Experience and Women at Work both give listeners more than just topics on women at work, Women at Work from the Harvard British Review is more about actionable steps to end discrimination in the workplace and offer women tools to face common hurdles. But again, I highly recommend both! Listening to Women at Work was even helpful in providing me tools as a solo freelancer. Similar to many business podcasts on this list, Women at Work gets into the personal and vocational. And with episodes dating back to 2018, there are a lot of episodes to choose from to help workers take charge of themselves and their careers. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Website

The Unmistakable Creative

Part creativity podcast and part business podcast, The Unmistakable Creative is all about helping creatives work better at their careers, side-hustles, and passions. Using interviews from professional creatives from every industry, The Unmistakable Creative is a one-of-a-kind business podcast for understanding how to make money and live as a creative. Over 1,000 episodes make up the enormous back catalog of information available, and a new episode is released every couple of days. I found The Unmistakable Creative to help center me in my craft and business and learn how to blend my life with my creative work. If you’re at a point where you’re not sure how to be creative at work or in a career, The Unmistakable Creative has quite a few episodes focused on helping beginners. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Workplace Hugs

Don’t be put off by the name; Workplace Hugs is a comprehensive workplace podcast centered around business and work topics related to workplace culture. Fun and upbeat, Workplace Hugs dives into recent reads or topics that the hosts have discovered. Together they explore the topic and go into their personal experiences. Some of the episodes are really eye-opening, while most of them are simply interesting topics to hear the hosts talk about. While not focusing on providing listeners business or work advice, Workplace Hugs is more of a workplace talk show for people who can’t get enough of talking about how they work, where they work, and what’s out there in the world. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Website

The New Way We Work

From the debut editor of Fast Company comes The New Way We Work, a business podcast about upcoming changes to the world of business. The New Way We Work gets into work culture, money, and diversity in the workplace. Aiming to provide listeners with insight from workers and leaders within various industries, The New Way We Work tries to show business leaders how to create businesses and workplaces that are inclusive, safe, and made for the future. The episodes and topics are genuine and honest, with a hard and unforgiving look at where we are today and where we need to become a healthy work culture. The New Way We Work is for more than just leaders but for workers who want to learn how to see their work and career progressively. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

Transform Your Workplace

Transform Your Workplace is a human resource business podcast about creating a healthy workplace and building systems within your business that facilitate care, respect, and inclusion. Like a few other business podcasts on this list, Transform Your Workplace brings together workplace experts, self-help authors, and more to create a rounded view of how to make your workplace a better place to be. Despite the title, many of the episodes were more about how to transform yourself within the workplace, like how to attract good talent, deal with anxiety in the workplace, and take control of your career. It drives home the point that it’s not just about the work you do but the person you bring to your work. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website

As always, please go beyond listening or reading these podcasts. If you’ve learned anything from them, consider subscribing, reviewing, and sharing the business podcast. You can even go further if you have the means. Donate or subscribe to the podcast’s Patreon or other paid subscription community.

Bonus business podcasts

These business podcasts come from versions of this article past. We still recommend them! They remain some of the greats in business podcasts.

The Journal

If The Wall Street Journal and Gimlet Media are coming together to make a podcast, you know this is the perfect recipe for a must-listen show. Despite being a fairly new podcast (it was launched in June 2019), The Journal is already one of my top favorites. Hosted by Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson, this daily, narrative news show breaks down the top business and financial news of the day with the help of WSJ reporters. And while yes, this harkens back to a format institutionalized by NYT’s The Daily, you can’t ignore The Journal’s impeccable business reporting and insider scoops which makes this show stand out amongst daily news shows. If you want to catch up with the day’s top business news, while also gaining a deep insight into the topic, then give The Journal a listen. 

NPR’s Planet Money

The original podcast that introduced narrative storytelling in business and economics, making a subject that is often associated with mustachioed professors in tweed jackets seem fun. A production of NPR, Planet Money’s famous motto has been: Imagine you’re meeting a friend at a bar and you ask them to explain what’s going on in the economy. The show tackles some of the nerdiest topics in economics and finance (repo market, anyone?) and explains them in creative and eccentric ways. Case in point (and two of my favorite episodes): An episode on negative interest rates explained using…meadows and boxes of gold, and an episode on the 17th century spice trade explained while cooking an actual peacock with a Dutch recipe from 1612.

The Indicator from Planet Money

And if you are pressed for time, but would still like a dose of Planet Money fun, you can turn to their daily podcast The Indicator instead! In 10 minutes (or less) this podcast aims to succinctly explain the day’s top economic and financial news or tackles random, quirky subjects. From discussing the monthly jobs report, exploring if there was a financial crisis the year Jesus died to using a string quartet to explain rising healthcare costs, The Indicator makes keeping up with financial news digestible and fun.

Business Wars

Have you ever been in a restaurant and had to face the audacity of someone offering you Pepsi instead of Coca Cola? *cue ominous organ playing*

Whether you’ve found yourself sweating through the Pepsi taste challenge, or been kicked in the shins during the Nike versus Adidas war, as consumers we have all found ourselves caught between the crosshairs of a business feud. In a 5 to 6 part series, Business Wars looks into each of these rivalries, digging into their histories and breaking down the business tactics introduced by these companies to stay ahead of the game. 

And much like in the fashion of many Wondery productions, what makes Business Wars especially compelling to listen to is how it narrates these stories with dramatic music, re-enacting insider conversations and scenes from the past to paint why these feuds became so iconic.  

50 Things That Made The Modern Economy

The diesel engine? Paper? The disposable razor? How did these innovations become everyday items that changed our world and the economy? Originally the show was meant to be a short series with only 50 episodes (hence the title), but thanks to its immense popularity, the show has been extended, with new episodes being released weekly. This show will make sure you’re the one person at the party with all the fun facts.

How I Built This With Guy Raz

If Terry Gross is the queen of the airways, then Guy Raz is a close second as the king of podcasting. 

There are enough shows out there where an entrepreneur is interviewed about their flourishing business, and is asked the standard question, “Oh, but where did you get the idea for this?” There will be light banter, a lot of humble bragging, a few Pinterest-able motivational quotes, and you will walk away none the wiser. But Raz’s show goes beyond your standard two-way interview. He does not stop at asking about the seed of an idea, he goes on to ask how they went about transforming that idea into a reality. The show digs into the stories and people behind some of the most well-known brands such as Steve Madden, Michael Dell and Eileen Fisher. 

Every episode is a narrative, giving us a glimpse of the guest’s personality with beautiful scoring that sets the tone for every interview. Every episode also has a moment, when the interviewee lets his or her guard down and reveals an intimate detail about their life or their views on money, leaving you appreciating the guest, the brand and the story behind how they built this. 

Freakonomics Radio

A spinoff from the bestselling books, and hosted by co-author Stephen J. Dubner, this podcast aims to uncover the “hidden side of everything.” Didn’t have time to read the latest paper on why minimum wage should be raised? Tune in to Freakonomics instead, where Dubner has riveting conversations with some of the biggest names in academia and in the world of business, uncovering the latest trends, research and findings in the field. 

My favorite series from this show was The Secret Life of a C.E.O, where Dubner has candid one-on-one conversations with famous C.E.Os of multinational corporations, such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Virgin’s Richard Branson and Pepsico’s Indra Nooyi. His interview with Nooyi, in particular, became infamous, as she revealed on the show how the company was looking to introduce a new line of Dorito chips designed specifically for female consumers, causing the Lady-Doritos-gate scandal online. 

Death, Sex & Money

Now I admit, this show isn’t always about money. But for the episodes that does tackle the topic, host Anna Sale uncovers personal stories about how money can affect our lives and shapes our social behaviors. What are we afraid to admit out loud when it comes to how we handle money?  

For example, the spectacular 5-part “Opportunity Cost” series, produced in collaboration with Buzzfeed News, tackles how economic class affects people’s daily lives and the kind of decisions they make, from whether one has access to fertility treatments to dealing with a sudden change in financial status after a divorce.

Business Casual

If two-way interview podcasts are your thing, then you should check out Business Casual, a new podcast launched by Morning Brew, a daily business and financial newsletter. In this show, host Kinsey Grant, sits down with C.E.Os and experts to have casual yet intriguing conversations about their work and what it’s like navigating through the ever-evolving world of business. If you want insider knowledge about cryptocurrency, the future of co-working spaces, and how TikTok is changing social media, not from analysts and observers, but from people who actually interact with and are from these industries, then Business Casual is the podcast to listen to.

Money Talks from Economist Radio

The reason I’ve included Money Talks into this list, apart from my love for British accents, is because of the breadth of its global coverage. Money Talks is a weekly podcast on markets, businesses and the world economy, and while the tone of the show is very radio-BBC-esque (it is The Economist after all), I enjoy how the show covers global business trends in every episode. This can be especially refreshing after being barraged for weeks by the endless coverage on WeWork and Adam Neumann’s shoulda-seen-it-coming failures — yes, I would instead like to hear about how Nutella is planning to take over the world, thank you very much.

This is Uncomfortable from Marketplace

Money is uncomfortable. It’s not just me, even business news behemoth Marketplace thinks so. In their show, This is Uncomfortable, host Reema Kharis looks into how money interferes with life and decisions. The show has tackled topics like: how do you navigate through the awkwardness of asking a close friend about money they owe you? Or how do ‘momagers’ strike that weird balance between being somebody’s parent and manager, and why has the term adopted a negative connotation? (Unfortunately, Kris Jenner does not make a special appearance.)

Scam Goddess

Let’s be real. The only time business news is genuinely fascinating, is when a scam gets uncovered. Whether it’s an opportunity for us all to collectively raise our fists in the air and rage against an unfair system that privileges a select few and disadvantages the masses, or whether it’s because we suffer from low-key Stokholm syndrome, scams are scandalous and fascinating. 

In this weekly show, host Laci Mosley along with a fellow comedian, digs into real-life everyday scams and historic hoodwinks — what she has dubbed “true crime without the death.” Tune in for Mosley’s quick wit and her sporadic comic outbursts, as she breaks down scams people have suffered from (and how we can avoid them ourselves) and digging into epic historic scams pulled off in the past.

The post The 21 Best Business Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Well you’ve come to the right place.

Science fiction podcasts encapsulate a broad and diverse section in the audio drama and fiction world. Some listeners I’ve spoken with have even said it pretty much dominates the field of audio drama. And while I’m not sure about all that, I do know science fiction podcasts are fantastic. Due to genre conventions, science fiction audio dramas can go to places other nonspeculative fiction podcasts can’t. 

Like The Bright Sessions! It’s a typical story wrapped in science fiction trappings, giving us something to relate to, think about, and imagine. Or you can follow a kid around the galaxy as they get into wacky and wild adventures involving sentient ships, aliens, and more. The best science fiction podcasts give us the space to dream and think about our own lives simultaneously! To seek out new life and new… well, you get the idea.

It’s pretty incredible. So, for all my other science fiction audio drama stans out there, here are 35 science fiction podcasts to dive into.

As with all our lists, this article will be updated frequently to give you doses of the best sci fi podcasts. Unless stated otherwise, they should all be listened to in order.

What Makes Up The Best Sci Fi Podcasts?

We all know that the best sci fi podcasts, films, books, series, franchises, world, galaxies, and indeed, universes suck you into them. And if you’re wondering if that was a black hole joke, it most certainly was. I’m not appologizing.

So what makes a good sci-fi story? Well, first of all, there’s universe building: creating a reality that audiences can believe in, even if it’s not our own reality. Then there are characters: characters who are fully fleshed-out people with real emotions and motivations that drive them through the story.

And finally there’s twists: surprises that keep audiences guessing until the very end of the story (or sometimes well beyond).

Solutions to Problems

Solutions to Problems is a science fiction audio drama in the style of Dear Prudence advice columns. While the show is set on a spaceship traveling through the galaxy, the questions and advice they get into sometimes borders on relatable. It doesn’t just end there, though, Solutions to Problems crafts a whole world and universe across the 30+ episodes.

I will note that there hasn’t been a new season since the end of 2020. But! They announced over the winter that another season is still in the works, so now is the perfect time for new listeners to jump on one of the great science fiction podcasts. And if you’ve already listened to the show, why not refamiliarize yourself with the world, characters, and humor of Solutions to Problems before the new season airs?

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Website | RSS | Transcripts

The Bright Sessions

The Bright Sessions follows a doctor who provides therapy to those experiencing strange and unusual events. This landmark in science fiction podcasts deals with trauma in interesting and sometimes healing ways, providing a unique experience for the listener.

While The Bright Sessions is an old favorite among many science fiction audio drama listeners, during 2021, they did something a little different. A new spinoff series, the AM Archives, started to run for a few episodes before switching over to another new spinoff of The Bright Sessions, The College Tapes.

Listeners still get to spend time with the doctor, but new characters and troubles are introduced to keep the story raging on. All the series have wrapped up, so new listeners can check out all seven full seasons of The Bright Sessions universe. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts

Covid39

Year three (or is two? Three? Four?) of the pandemic. New variations are cropping up like bad pop hits, and we are all still processing the impacts of Covid on ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around us. That’s why I wanted to recommend Covid39 again.

The science fiction audio drama is set 39 years in the future but looking back on current times in a way that calls into question our existing relationships and circumstances. Are we choosing our friends and lovers based on the pandemic and our forced closeness? Covid39 follows a couple who are curious if their love stems from the fact that their families lived together during the pandemic.

Through audio recordings, letters, emails, and more, the two unearth the locked away memories of their time during the pandemic, the time happening right now for all of us. It’s a sci fi podcast that feels all too real.

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Website | RSS

Carrier

I’ve reviewed Carrier a few times in other articles because it’s a bit of a crossover and genre-bending hit from QCODE. In the science fiction horror, follow a truck driver as she takes one last job to be able to afford to make it home, but the job may end up costing her life.

Another great thing about Carrier is that it’s a completed show, though the ending feels a bit lackluster to me. Since QCODE produced Carrier, listeners can expect big-budget production, sound effects, and acting.

Those factors don’t always create a great audio drama, but that is not the case with Carrier. Listeners are in for a wild ride and experience when strapping into the science fiction audio drama.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS

Mission to Zyxx

Mission to Zyxx is an improvised science fiction audio drama about a team of space ambassadors traveling to various planets to create diplomatic relationships. Due to its adlib and free-style form, some listeners may be turned off by the unscripted show.

But let me assure you, Mission to Zyxx is hilarious! Not only is the full-cast science fiction podcast audio drama funny and imaginative, but there are TONS of queer characters and relationships all mixing in with the aliens, space travel, and talking ships. Mission to Zyxx is great for listeners who love comedy space science fiction like We Fix Space Junk and The Strange Case of Starship Iris.

There are five seasons going back to 2018, so it’s a great show to dive into from the beginning and catch up before the next episode drops. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
(Transcripts available on each episodes’ page)

Stories from Among the Stars

I like to suggest serializations or books turned into podcasts for people completely new to audio dramas. The transition from audiobooks to audio dramas is sometimes easier. If you’re new to the whole realm of science fiction audio dramas, Stories from Among the Stars is a science fiction novel serialization podcast from Macmillan Podcasts is a perfect introduction to the style.

Each season, Stories from Among the Stars takes a science fiction book and releases it in audio format. Past books include The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu and A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Initially, Steal the Stars, one of creator Mac Rogers’s science fiction podcasts, Stories from Among the Stars still holds to the original’s production and storytelling.

Take note, the episodes of Stories from Among the Stars aren’t available forever. After the season’s run, the episodes are taken down. Steal the Stars is still available, though.

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Silva Lining’s Care Plan

Silva Lining’s Care Plan is a touching and honest look at what it’s like to care for someone during a time when they need it the most. Silva Lining’s Care Plan focuses on relationships and end-of-life issues following a caregiver and their dementia client as the two try to create life in a petri dish.

To be honest, I’ve thought about this science fiction audio drama since the first time I heard it. The science-fiction element of having a petri dish of a small life form as a character adds a lot of tension, heart, and humor around a subject that isn’t often discussed or used in the audio drama world.

Even though the science fiction audio drama ended in September 2021, I still think Silva Lining’s Care Plan is a must-listen for all fans of heartwarming science fiction podcasts. 

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Dark Tides

Like Mission to Zyxx earlier on the list, Dark Tides is an improvised comedy audio drama. But unlike Mission to Zyxx, which is set in space and on various planets, Dark Tides follows two characters in a science fantasy archipelago setting as they investigate mysteries surrounding the strange location.

So, not only is there comedy and science fiction and fantasy elements, but there’s a pretty compelling mystery pushing the story forward.

Season three is currently airing with a prequel series of shorter episodes while the creators prep season four and a return to the original storyline. So, now is the perfect time to catch up on all the seasons before the new season airs!

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Science Fiction – Daily Short Stories

Science Fiction – Daily Short Stories is a science fiction anthology podcast. Listeners are treated to vintage science fiction stories of a wide variety throughout the genre. Some of the stories are a bit too vintage for me, though I am a fan of those older science fiction stories—I just have to sometimes wade through sexist, racist, homophobic, and transphobic ideologies and rhetoric.

There were only some of those aspects in the few episodes I listened to from the recent episodes. Since all the stories are creative commons science fiction stories, listeners can find classic science fiction short stories from authors like Robert Silverberg, Frank Herbert, and so many more.

If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, Science Fiction – Daily Short Stories will probably be your new favorite science fiction podcast.

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Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories

Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories is a science fiction anthology audio fiction podcast featuring imaginative science fiction and other speculative fiction stories. For fans of science fiction audios like Lightspeed Magazine Podcast and Science Fiction – Daily Short Stories, Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories is another you should add to your queue.

The main distinction and what makes Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories unique is that there are sometimes repeat characters, adventures, and locations building a loosely connected storyline. While I thought some of the stories were overly written to create a packed story, I think Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories is a great science fiction podcast for long-time fans of sci-fi.

There are stories featuring genre favorite tropes and conventions with a blend of more imaginative and genre-bending stories. 

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The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: Science Fiction Podcasts for Kids

For younger science fiction fans, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: Science Fiction for Kids is a great science fiction audio drama. It’s also great sci-fi! So, it’s a solid show for adults who love sci-fi and want a show to share with the younger members of their families.

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: Science Fiction for Kids follows a young child exploring the galaxy, having wild and imaginative adventures with aliens, robots, and more. While it’s not a full-cast science fiction audio drama, it’s still a fun listen with the blend of energetic voice acting and audio effects.

I had moments while listening where I wanted to compare it to classic science fiction like John Carter of Mars but for modern-day children.

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Asimov’s Science Fiction

Asimov’s Science Fiction is a great pick for fans of classic science fiction storytelling who want more modernized tales from diverse and contemporary science fiction authors. Asimov’s Science Fiction is the podcast branch of the long-running magazine of the same.

The Asimov’s Science Fiction podcast is one of my favorite new finds. And I’m pretty embarrassed that I didn’t know about it before. Asimov’s Science Fiction, the magazine, has been a science fiction print magazine since 1977.

With each print issue, a story is selected from the magazine and read on the podcast by the authors. The podcast has been releasing episodes since 2015, so there are a fair number of stories to catch new listeners up on what type of pieces Asimov’s Science Fiction airs. 

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Best Sci Fi Podcasts – The Excellent Bonuses from the Past

These science fiction podcasts come from versions of this article past. We still recommend them! They remain some of the greats in science fiction podcasts.

Clarkesworld Magazine Podcast

The Clarkesworld Magazine Podcast is similar to a few other podcasts on this list. It is a magazine’s audio fiction department where they record and produce stories from their issues. Clarkesworld Podcast delivers literary science fiction and fantasy and has won countless awards. Their audio fiction pushes the boundaries of literary speculative fiction to show readers the wide breadth of what contemporary writers have to offer. 

Escape Pod

Escape Pod is the science fiction branch of the Escape Artists podcast family. Operating since 2005, Escape Pod has published a wide range of authors and sci-fi subgenres. Sometimes the science fiction podcast can be literary, but some episodes are extremely commercial and accessible. With over a half-decade worth of stories, there is a lot to choose from in Escape Pods’ back catalog. 

Moonbase Theta, Out

Moonbase Theta, Out is great science fiction featuring queer stories and characters. The science fiction audio drama follows the shutting down of the Moonbase programs of the future. There’s one left, Theta. The stories and characters explore topics surrounding politics, science, and more. The third season wrapped up at the beginning of May, but several bonus episodes dropped this summer, so now is a perfect time to start the series from the beginning and catch the finale.

We Fix Space Junk

A science fiction comedy sitcom set in space in the future, We Fix Space Junk is a hilarious audio drama filled with adventures and AI and good ol’ sci-fi fun. Started back in 2018, We Fix Space Junk is currently in its mini-season run of Marilyn’s Diary. The most recent episode dropped July 11^th and finds a couple of the characters dealing with pirates. 

StarTripper!!

A road trip through space, a talking spaceship, and the whole universe unfolding before him, StarTripper!! is about Feston Pyxis’s search for adventure among the stars. Season 2 is just starting with the prologue released back in May. There are space races, cooking shows, and, yes, space pirates. It’s a wild ride with a wild guy. 

Read more: Upcoming Whisperforge audio drama, StarTripper!!, aims to lighten up fiction

Civilized

From the creators behind Alba Salix, Civilized is an improvised dark comedy science fiction audio drama podcast. Following the crew of a marooned terraforming spaceship crashed on an alien planet, Civilized delivers thematic storytelling dealing with cloning terraforming and more. With over 50 episodes and season 4 happening now, Civilized is the perfect podcast for first-time science fiction audio drama listeners. 

Oz 9

Colony ships are well-tread territory in science fiction. But every new creator, if they’re good and daring enough, makes each one unique. What’s different about the science fiction audio drama podcast Oz 9 is the diverse cast and stories that crop up over the 60 episodes. The very first episode feels a bit topical with all the news of billionaire wannabe space boys. But overall, the show is pretty funny and satirical. 

Twilight Histories

Twilight Histories is a science fiction audio fiction podcast where sci-fi stories are dramatized using music and voice acting. It’s all done in the second-person point of view where you are the character. It feels a bit Twilight Zoney and has a darkness to its science fiction. For science fiction podcast listeners who like stories that are darker and weirder than anything, Twilight Histories is a great podcast to check out. The stories featured on the show harken back to classic science fiction stories often featured in periodicals like Startling Stories and Planet Stories with a contemporary twist. 

Dispatch from the Desert Planet

Dispatch from the Desert Planet is a fictional news and music broadcast to over 200 planets, space stations, and terraformed meteors. But it’s more than that. More than fiction or an audio drama. In a way, it’s political and hopeful, inspiring. “Tech Talks/Space Serenade” was the first episode that I listened to and was instantly hooked by using fictional radio broadcasts to build and create a world, universe, and diverse set of cultures. That was their last episode back in February, so I hope they’ll be back soon. Until then, there are over 20 episodes to listen to and support.

Strange Horizons Podcast

Strange Horizons is a hub for fantastic, thought-provoking science fiction, fantasy, horror, and stories of the weird. It is a weekly magazine with an audio fiction podcast where they select stories and poems from their issues to offer them a second life in your ears. 

Lightspeed Magazine Podcast

Lightspeed Magazine Podcast is a science fiction and fantasy audio fiction podcast, similar to Strange Horizons, that publishes some of the stories from its issues on its show. Listeners can find a broad and diverse range of stories and characters on the show. It also is a great place to see what’s being published currently in the short science fiction field. 

Dirt: An Audio Drama

Most of the work on Dirt: An Audio Drama is done by Kristopher Kaiyala, who plays the main character, a man in his 30s who embarks on a fun and imaginative journey after receiving a strange letter. Season 2 is in production currently, but there are six episodes available for new listeners looking for a science fiction audio drama podcast about the things we find when we begin digging into the mysteries around us. 

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Read more: 15 Audio Drama Podcasts to Get You Hooked on Fiction

CTRL-ALT-DESTROY

CTRL-ALT-DESTROY is a science fiction audio drama podcast about a video game designer who uncovers a plot that spans nations and involves the game she created. Put out by Realm, formerly Serial Box, CTRL-ALT-DESTROY has that big-budget feel and features Summer Glau. As a gamer who also loves science fiction, I loved how the show blended gameplay with the story’s action. CTRL-ALT-DESTROY wrapped up in June, so all ten episodes are out and available for listeners.

Marsfall

Marsfall is stunningly emotional, cinematic, and immersive. It’s the story of the first colonists on Mars, and each episode is told from a different character’s perspective. As you learn more about the crew, you also learn more about Mars–and about their journey. The podcast ask questions about the objective truth and what it means to be human, about what happens when we try to start anew when our planet falls apart. It’s got the best action scene audio fiction has ever done, and one of the most beautiful soundtracks in any medium.

ars PARADOXICA

ars PARADOXICA is one of the best time-travel stories ever written. Following Sally Grissom, a scientist who accidentally discovers time travel, this podcast has some of the tightest timeline plotting out there without sacrificing great character and plot writing. Its meticulous timeline isn’t a gimmick; instead, it works to help create commentary that relates to identity, memory, isolation, and plenty of political intrigue. As a product of The Whisperforge, it’s also one of the best sounding podcasts to date, with an incredible cast the keep everything grounded.

Arca-45672

Arca-45672 has some overlap with Marsfall: they’re both space operas with fascinating AI systems, but where Marsfall focuses on that intersection between humanity and technology, Arca-45672 focuses intently on the human. It asks questions about what humans will do when they need to survive, and how humans will react to a situation they’ve created, like climate change.

Adventures in New America

If you’re looking for goofy but still steeped in cutting, scathing, rapidfire social commentary, you’re going to love Night Vale Presents’s Adventures in New America. Following IA, a man with terminal cancer desperately seeking the funds to pay for his medical treatments despite his deep depression, Adventures in New America takes place in a surreal version of New York called New New York, where the black citizens are being preyed upon by white zombie vampires from outer space.

A World Where

A World Where is an unsettling anthology podcast where the sci-fi setups seem both hyperbolic and a little too close to home. Sound designed with binaural audio–easier heard than explained, so just know that headphones are mandatory–it’s easy to slip not just into the sounds themselves, but also each episode’s plot. For episodes that are short, there’s a slow burn feeling to how intense A World Where can get. Erasing traumatic memories goes to as unexpected places as a cooking competition show do, but with completely different trajectories.

The Big Loop

The Big Loop is like if you took the concept of Black Mirror but made it a series of monologues and subtracted most of the cynicism. A deeply intimate anthology series, The Big Loop covers a wide range of genres but usually ends up in some form of sci-fi. From a ghost stories to superhero (villain?) origin stories to stories about Lovecraftian horrors and mermaids, you’ll come away from each questioning some part of the world while also being deeply moved.

Janus Descending

Starring audio fiction gems Jordan Cobb and Anthony Olivieri, Janus Descending is a story told in two alternating, opposite chronologies: one protagonist, Chel, is followed chronologically, while the other protagonist, Peter, is followed in reverse. It’s a story that begs being put together with theories as it goes, wondering how everyone got from the start to the end, what chaos happened between. The writing changes tone completely while still remaining cohesive, and the sound design is truly chilling.

The Deca Tapes

The Deca Tapes is a found audio podcast of leaked audio from a strange experiment in which people were locked in confinement together for unknown reasons. The story unfolds in a strange mystery over eight episodes, hitting unnerving and dark moments that show the perils of prison systems that thrive on capitalism.

Directive

Stuck in a life of corporate mediocrity due to crippling debt, when protagonist Frank Torrez finds himself unemployed, he has no choice but to start working for a secretive operation: the Caretaker Directive. They need people to help test a method of bodily preservation for longer space travel, and plan to send him–and a few others–deep into space with no way of being hurt, but kept completely alone, separated from the others. Each episode’s dialogue is edited to be listened to with headphones and interwoven with an inner monologue that feels just as sci-fi as it feels noir.

Moonbase Theta, Out

With short-form episodes and a sweet narrative, Moonbase Theta, Out is a series from a–you guessed it–moon base from an astronaut to his husband. While the podcast does eventually up its stakes and dive into plot, it always has a sense of kindness, sincerity, and tenderness to each episode. If you’re looking for sci-fi but not necessarily horror or a dramatic space opera, Moonbase Theta, Out is a great place to start.

The Infinite Now

Written by the person behind one of the best Twitter accounts, Richard Penner, The Infinite Now is a surreal time/space travel podcast in which the host, The TIMESCANNER, slips between different realities. It’s a bit like if Welcome to Night Vale leaned even more into absurdity and, sometimes, even more into direct scathing takedowns of current societal ills. All of those features surround strangely realistic performances, including Penner’s own hypnotically smooth voice.

Ostium

Inspired by the classic games Myst and Riven, Ostium is a podcast about a man who stumbles into information about a strange town called Ostium while looking around maps online. When he finds Ostium, he comes across a complex world of doors and mysteries. A story of exploration, escapism, and trust, Ostium is largely told through single-narrator perspectives, giving it a diary-like feel.

2298

Told in 9-minute episodes (later compiled into one whole, two-hour piece), 2298 is a classic dystopian sci-fi that feels at home with works like 1984, Brave New World, and Black Mirror. The podcast centers on 24, a man living in a universe completely dictated by social media and government surveillance. 24 doesn’t question this life, always going to work exactly as and when he’s told, until he’s visited by a strange bird–and suddenly, everything starts to change.

Within the Wires

Also from Night Vale Presents, Within the Wires is a strange, unnerving podcast with a different format each season. The first season is a set of relaxation tapes with a dark twist; the second is made up of guides listening for museums; and the third is a bureaucrat’s dictation tapes for his secretary. Ostensibly, none of these stories are sci-fi . . . until you pay attention. All three take place in the same universe, and that universe is one of strange government offices, medical facilities, and strange applications of art.

Wolf 359

Wolf 359 is one of the most beloved pieces of audio fiction, and for good reason. It’s the story of a small crew on a massive space station, and while it starts off silly, it becomes something absolutely heartbreaking and stunningly beautiful. Wolf 359 has science fiction features galore and plenty of twists, turns, suspense, and character development. It’s a true space opera, rooted in increasingly incredible writing and a phenomenal cast.

Steal the Stars

Written in partnership with Tor labs, Steal the Stars is a blockbuster audio fiction that blends a romance, a heist, a political thriller, action, and aliens. Protagonist Dakota “Dak” Prentiss works at a secret government operation to study a massive alien they call “Moss” (named for the moss that covers its body) and the deadly harp-like device found with it. In the facility, all emotional and psychical contact between employees is forbidden–which is made difficult when the gorgeous Matt Salem is hired.

Girl in Space

Voted our readers’ favorite audio drama of 2018, Girl in Space by Sarah Rhea Werner follows X, a girl . . . in space. Initially, X is isolated in her station, but as she finds other travelers in the cosmos, she finds herself pulled into a space drama and being completely disinterested in falling into the genre’s trappings. X is a captivating protagonist. She’s charismatic, jovial, astute, and so relatable (her love of cheese is so many of us). Slowly, more of her mysterious past an family are revealed, making each episode another step into a fascinating mystery.

Tides

Tides is an audio fiction that blends space travel, biology, and a great unreliable narrator. Julia Schifini plays Dr. Winifred “Fred” Eurus, xenobiologist stranded alone on an earth-like planet with tremendous tidal waves. As Fred explores, she encounters alien life, but she also talks about the humans who abandoned her here: her crew, all of whom are doing their best to save her. Fred is aggressively self-sufficient–or, at least, she thinks she is–but finds she may need help more than she wants to admit. You can read our full review of Tides‘s first season here.

The post 35 of the Best Sci Fi Podcasts to Listen to Right Now appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

The approach true crime aficionados and researchers often take with these crimes that affect real people and communities is insensitive, amoral, and downright disrespectful.

But I also understand that is a part of the true crime podcasts community: making heinous crimes laughable or seem like a bad late-night T.V. drama. It takes a bit of wind out of the sails of these events.

When I created this list, I wanted to find a middle ground. I wanted to offer long-time true crime listeners something new and shine a light on different approaches to talking about true crime podcasts. So below, you’ll find a blend of your typical true crime podcasts. But even more so, you’ll find a thoughtful and caring approach that reminds listeners of the real ramifications, victims, and societal involvements that led to these events. 

I also want to place a blanket content warning on all these true crime podcasts. Each show gets into brutal crimes, abuse, and other extremely sensitive topics. Keep this in mind and take care of yourself while listening.

Missing and Murdered

Missing and Murdered has appeared on previous Discover Pods’ true crime podcast lists, but I wanted to feature it again. Not only does the podcast cover indigenous crimes, but they do true crime coverage in the most informed and respectful way. Missing and Murdered is the perfect blend of dramatic coverage and true crime cases for true crime fans who love and prefer investigative reporting and interviews. The host creates a complete and comprehensive experience by using voiceovers, music, and sound effects to bring Missing and Murdered to life for listeners. Missing and Murdered is like a blend of Wounded and Welcome to Your Fantasy, both further down on the list because of its storytelling and cinematic elements and focus on cases involving indigenous people. Each season does a deep dive into a different case involving indigenous people who have been murdered or gone missing. Across the true crime podcast’s two seasons, two cases are covered.

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Darknet Diaries

Darknet Diaries is one of my favorite true crime podcasts on this list, with a particular focus on cybercrimes. It instantly reminded me of Marc Goodman’s informative and terrifying book Future Crimes: Inside the Digital Underground and the Battle for Our Connected World. I will give a bit of a warning; Darknet Diaries is not great for listeners who tend to fall down rabbit holes related to personal privacy. Darknet Diaries is going to inform you of all the ways people, governments, and businesses can hack, own, and sell your personal data, money, and even life. It’s a thought-provoking true crime podcast that helps listeners figure out how to better live and function in the modern connected age where crime can happen right before your eyes from thousands of miles away. 

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Read more: Why Your Podcast Sucks: My Favorite Murder’s Real Favorite Is the Cops

RedHanded

With a blend of true crime and the supernatural, RedHanded uses a unique combination of true crime and the paranormal to give listeners true crime of a sometimes bizarre nature. RedHanded is a paranormal podcast for true crime fans, a true crime podcast for people who believe supernatural elements play a hand in all strange and unfortunate occurrences. While not diving deep into crimes, listeners can still find new crimes discussed, dissected, and joked about each episode. I’ve written about RedHanded previously and thought true crime listeners would find it just as entertaining as paranormal listeners. There are many true crime podcasts on this list like RedHanded that try and keep things light while talking about dark topics and being respectful, like Sinisterhood and What Did You Do?! below. 

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Sinisterhood

Sinisterhood brings together two comedian friends who explore creepy and strange true crime cases they researched. Though it bears comedic similarities to RedHanded, Sinisterhood leans a little more toward the paranormal true crime vibes than the former. Think cults, strange disappearances, and even Santa Claus bank robberies. The banter between the hosts reminded me a lot of My Favorite Murder with tons of tangents and inside jokes and fan engagement. Sinisterhood is great for fans of true crime podcasts who want a bit of spooky without getting too far into the horror realm. And though I couldn’t get into the podcast too much, I thought it was worth recommending because they have a terrific following and community of paranormal true crime buffs. Also, there are over 150 episodes for new listeners to catch up on, with new ones releasing every week! 

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Ripped from the Headlines

Ripped from the Headlines is a Law and Order true crime podcast. You may be wondering what that means, and to be honest, it’s a pretty original and unique concept. Each episode looks at a case that inspired a Law and Order episode retelling. If you’re curious what era of Law and Order they choose, the show sticks to the original early seasons. That means their cases are often older ones, but the issues are still present and important. I’ve written about Ripped from the Headlines before in a full review of the true crime and T.V. podcast. Like most of this true crime podcast list, Ripped from the Headlines uses humor to add levity to the dark and sensitive subject matter. The setup also lends itself to some laughs. Each episode has one host recapping the episode while the other tells the true case that inspired it. 

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Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle is my favorite new find. And it’s not your average true crime podcast. Instead of focusing on the gritty and mysterious, Ear Hustle gives the mic to people incarnated to tell their stories and give listeners an unflinching look at what it’s like to be imprisoned all across the world. Ear Hustle is deeply refreshing, educating, and emotional. All the episodes offer listeners a way to connect and understand the current state of the prison industrial complex and the people it affects. Ear Hustle is an excellent podcast for activists, community members, and true crime fans—essentially, Ear Hustle is a must listen to for everyone. The hosts and guests get into topics related to getting released and re-entering society, along with how prison has affected their lives and their loved ones.

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Read more: I Am Tired of True Crime

Murder’s a Drag

I hope you’ve picked up on a theme in these true crime podcasts. They focus on the victims, the systems that lead to these crimes, and how we can help other survivors and prevent these crimes. Murder’s a Drag is no different. With a particular focus on crimes against the LGBTQ+ community, Murder’s a Drag, hosted by a drag queen, features deep dives into crimes, the people who were impacted, and how to see these crimes as more than statistics but real people with lives that were lost. Old, new, famous, and not-so-famous crimes and murders against the queer community are discussed and given the voice of someone from within the community. There is not a lot of humor on the true crime podcast, but Murder’s a Drag is a respectful podcast worth a listen. 

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Web Crawlers

Like RedHanded and Sinisterhood, Web Crawlers is a humorous, slightly paranormal true crime podcast. And if you’re a fan of holiday-themed crimes, there are a few each season! And the paranormal aspect is extremely slight in Web Crawlers, so if that’s not your thing, don’t worry. The mystical or supernatural parts of the show are things like scary clowns, mysterious deaths, and spooky highways with haunting pasts. What I liked about Web Crawlers is the banter and fun the hosts have despite talking about all manner of crime, murder, and mystery. That humor might be helpful for listeners who want to delve into the world of true crime without getting scared, sad, or, in general, too affected by the content matter. 

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What Did You Do?!

What Did You Do?! is closer to a traditional true crime podcast with the caveat still being on taking a humane look at crimes throughout the last few decades. What makes What Did You Do?! is the hosts’ background in both mental health and social work, giving an often unlooked at portrait of what leads some people to commit such heinous acts. What Did You Do?! is the first true crime podcast that I was sucked into. The hosts use humor a lot to keep themselves from breaking down while talking about cases, and it helps. There was a note in one of their recent episodes that the earlier episodes aren’t always so sensitive to the subject matter. The last episode aired back in August and was the only 2021 episode. There is a sporadic episode release history, so I hope the hosts come back and release more.

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So Violento, So Macabro

So Violento, So Macabro is a new true crime podcast that started in September 2021. I wish I could recommend So Violento, So Macabro based more on what I heard, but this is a predominately Spanish-speaking true crime podcast, though the crimes happen all around the world. I did understand some of it because the hosts switch back and forth between Spanish and English. When I found So Violento, So Macabro, I knew I wanted to recommend it on this true crime podcasts roundup list, even if I couldn’t understand it. What I could understand showed that the hosts research deeply into the people involved in the true crime cases. I even fell into listening to the podcast, catching snippets of what was discussed. For non-Spanish-speaking listeners, some of the English sections go on for several minutes before slipping back into Spanish.

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Dreams of Black Wall Street

Dreams of Black Wall Street is the most historical true crime podcast on this list. Instead of covering new cases or singular cases, in general, Dreams of Black Wall Street investigates the history, society, and times that led to one of the most heinous domestic terrorist attacks. For people who aren’t aware of the history or events surrounding the Tulsa Race Massacre, Dreams of Black Wall Street offers listeners a historical account of the events from a historian and investigative journalist perspective. It’s a historical investigation into a society and the people who needed to destroy it. There are interviews, reports, and more, making Dreams of Black Wall Street a perfect true crime podcast for listeners who want to hear from more than just the hosts. 

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Welcome to Your Fantasy

Despite my dislike of most true crime media, I have a soft spot for Goodfellas and Casino-style true crime adaptations of money, drugs, and sex stories. Welcome to Your Fantasy tells the story of Chippendales’s sex and greed-fueled history. The structure of interviews, storytelling, and recapping made Welcome to Your Fantasy give me the same feelings and vibes of those classic films. I thought the story of Chippendales ended with scanty tuxedos and muscle dancers. Welcome to Your Fantasy opened my eyes to the deep history of desire, mayhem, and debauchery that went on behind the scenes. Hosted by a historian, Welcome to Your Fantasy looks at the roots that led to the rise and fall of Chippendales told from the people involved in the scandals, dances, and orgies. The final episode aired in August 2021, so there’s no waiting for the next part in the story. Listeners can jump in and listen to the full 11-episode true crime podcast!

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Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast

Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast is similar to Missing and Murdered and focuses on crimes against indigenous communities. The main difference is that instead of spending a season on one case, Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast goes over many cases in each episode. I recommend “Missing and Murdered: Two-Spirit,” an episode that focuses on crimes against indigenous trans and two-spirit communities. I will also note that Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast is the only true crime podcast I listened to that used content warnings to keep their listeners aware. Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast is an eye-opening true crime podcast for true crime fans who don’t know the issues indigenous populations face today, right now. There are no jokes on Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast because nothing about these cases is funny. Touching, informing, and handled with care, Wounded: A Native True Crime Podcast is a required listen for any true crime fan.

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Scam Goddess

If you’re like me and always on the lookout for scams to protect yourself and your loved ones, Scam Goddess is the true crime podcast for you. Each week the host gives listeners an informative heads up on current or past scams to look out for and their ramifications on communities. What I love most about Scam Goddess is the in-depth take on each scam. It’s not just a warning, but an education on how not to be fooled, how to operate safely in our modern world, and more. It’s exciting and entertaining because the host really brings the energy. And I mean Scam Goddess is hilarious. I laughed so hard during every episode I listened to; I couldn’t stop listening. It also reminded me of a humorous Darknet Diaries.

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Crime in Sports

My least favorite of the true crime podcasts I came across was Crime in Sports. Crime in Sports is a true crime podcast that blends humor and sports to fill listeners in on crimes involving players. If you want some sensitivity and thought behind your true crime, Crime in Sports is not the show. Crime in Sports is meant to entertain true crime listeners who wish to avoid the dark side of crimes and focus on stories involving sports players, fans, and coaches in the spotlight. There are almost 300 episodes, with a new one releasing every week for new listeners. What threw me off Crime in Sports was that it seemed to be insensitivity was the point. Make fun of these people, the victims, and the events surrounding the crimes in the cruelest ways possible. But I know they have a lot of fans and community, so that type of take is obviously welcomed. Just not by me.

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That’s Spooky

For fans of odd-true crime podcasts like Web Crawlers and Redhanded, That’s Spooky is a gay, funny, and unusual true crime podcast just for you. So, it’s a true crime but featuring animal stories, weird happenings, and more from around the world. While That’s Spooky is funny, I didn’t die laughing like I did with Scam Goddess, but it is more amusing and a bit more sensitive than Crime in Sports. I love the segments like Spooky Gay Bullshit and Outterwatch. But what stuck out to me about That’s Spooky is the community surrounding the podcast. People are involved in finding cases for the hosts to research and talk about, check-in on past cases, and more. Listening to That’s Spooky makes it feel like you’re part of the podcast and the true crime spookyville the hosts create.

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O.C. Swingers

For true crime podcast listeners who enjoy the cinematic and reporting experience, O.C. Swingers follows the recent case against Dr. Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley. The ten-episode series is over—or at least the first season is—so if you’re unaware of the case, this is the perfect place to start. I didn’t think I’d have a favorite theme song, but O.C. Swingers had great musical production. The theme song and undertones played during the show are all really good and rather catchy. Like many true crime podcasts on this list, O.C. Swingers features interviews, recordings of broadcasts about the cases, and more. I enjoyed how the host works to paint the picture for some of the recordings so that the listener has a clear image of the scene.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
Transcripts available on each episode’s page

Up Against the Mob

Up Against the Mob is another true crime podcast for fans of Goodfellas and Casino. From a retired attorney who prosecuted several mob members, Up Against the Mob recounts stories from the host’s past trying the mob in court. That means all the stories featured on Up Against the Mob are told from the perspective of someone who was involved in the cases. There’s humor and storytelling, so don’t think you’re just going to get the boring parts of court retellings. The host aims to give a complete look at the mobsters he has tried. It’s very dramatic and honestly does feel like listening to an audio of Casino. There’s even an episode about the real people behind Goodfellas! Since Up Against the Mob is hosted by a former federal and state prosecutor, the episodes and stories have a closer and more personal feel. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
Transcripts available on each episode’s page

I hope you can find at least one new true crime podcast to your list of favorites. If you did, consider subscribing, reviewing, pledging to their Patreon, donating, or sharing. Your support always goes a long way.

Bonus true crime podcasts

These podcasts and blurbs come from previous versions of this list. We still recommend them! This article is routinely updated to bring you the new best of the best true crime podcasts.

Missing and Murdered: Finding Cleo

From the same CBC team that brought us Who Killed Alberta Williams? comes Finding Cleo, once again shedding light on the unsolved cases of Indigenous women in Canada, in this case that of Cleopatra Semaganis, who was taken from her family by the Canadian government’s initiative to re-home Indigenous children with white families. This is a skillfully designed podcast, from the sound to the script to the interviews, and sensitively structured. Reporter Connie Walker, an Indigenous woman as well, is a conscientious investigator who never lets the work become exploitative or sensationalist as Walker tries to help the family find closure in their missing person’s case. (Editor’s note: This blurb appeared on a previous edition of this article, written by Elena Fernández Collins.)

The Doorstep Murder

From the BBC Scotland, comes this look into Scotland’s most infamous unsolved murder: Alistair Wilson’s shooting on his doorstep in 2004. Host Fiona Walker makes it very clear up front that she is not out to solve this case, and the materials she’s collected in the podcast is restricted to what she could obtain both legally and ethically. The Doorstep Murder’s episodes are broken down into the different aspects, like an episode fully dedicated to the gun, and one on the impact the crime had on the family and the town.

Death in Ice Valley

This cooperative investigation between the BBC World Service and the Norwegian NRK is a this serialized podcast looking into the Isdal Woman, an unidentified woman who was found in the icy wilds of Norway in the 70s. The weaving of the story and the slim pickings for interviews mean they need to blend in personal stories and outside resources (such as a Norwegian crime writer who’s done a lot of research about the Isdal Woman), in ways that are sharply reminiscent of parts of S-Town.

Bundyville

OPB and Longread’s investigation into the Bundy family and the Bundy standoff is hallmarked by reporter Leah Sottile’s lengthy, in-depth interviews, sharp observations, and in-person experience of both people and place. If you don’t know about the Bundys, the super brief rundown is that Cliven Bundy, a rancher in Bunkerville, Nevada, initiated an armed standoff against the federal government due to cattle-grazing and raising livestock laws. Sottile’s approach to the Bundys is tone-perfect: factual, but empathetic; empathetic, but without approval for their actions.

Pretend Radio

Pretend Radio is not fiction; these are people’s real lives about pretending to be people they are not, fictionalizing their own existence. True crime and psychology interlock with some of the strangest interviews and audio clips I’ve heard in a while from a podcast. The anthology opens with the three-part investigation into the Word of Faith Fellowship and an interview with an escapee from an environment involving things like mass beatings and abusive discipline. Pretend Radio is one of the most innovative approaches to this realm of true crime podcast, a respectful host who builds a story from the ground up with no doubts as to what the reality is.

Bear Brook

In 2015, new forensic techniques were applied to the Bear Brook murders, a cold case surrounding the discovery of four bodies inside of two barrels, discovered in 1985 and in 2000. They went unidentified until DNA profiling determined they were all maternally related, and advanced forensic testing determined the areas in which they lived the longest. Host Jason Moon, along with the NHPR team, dive into the history, the break this case had with the advances of the twenty-first century, and the ripple effects throughout the community.

Alibi

Alibi is an award-winning radio story and true crime podcast from South Africa, a response to a desperate plea of innocence from Anthony deVries, a man incarcerated for double murder and robbery under apartheid. Follow journalist Paul McNally and co-presenter Freddy Mabitsela through these old secrets as they try to uncover what really happened at a supermarket in 1994, only a few weeks before their first democratic election. This a story about racism and skewed justice systems, about how politics touches everyone’s lives.

Undisclosed

At a time when justice runs rampant over civil rights, digging into wrongful convictions in the U.S. justice system is a necessary part of uncovering the flaws, failures, and biases in the actors participating in that system. Originally created as a spin-off of Serial and following the continuing story of Adnan Syed, Undisclosed presents cases of wrongful conviction with the careful consideration afforded by people dedicated to advocacy for marginalized peoples. They present legal matter, like court recordings and interviews, and journalistic items, like press conferences and news reports.

Darknet Diaries

Living in the digital era that we live in now, tales of cyber crimes run rampant, sensationalized and overblown or underrated and underreported. Indie true crime podcast, Darknet Diaries, dives deep into the types of crimes that hit very close to home right now. The technological aspect is explored in depth and in an accessible fashion for all listeners with stellar production values. Jack Rhysider is an incredible host with both a flair for the dramatic and a conscientious mind for fact-checking and narrative building. (Editor’s note: This blurb appeared on a previous edition of this article, written by Elena Fernández Collins.)

The Dream

Hailed as one of the best investigative podcasts of 2018, The Dream goes deep into what it means to be involved in MLMs, multi-level marketing companies. Jane Marie is the host of a podcast that dives into pyramid schemes that often target women, who invest large amounts of sums and never make any of that investment back. The research, investigation, and undercover work involved in this podcast is breathtaking, especially considering the dangerously litigious nature of several of these companies.

The Lost

This five-part miniseries from Radio New Zealand is a cautiously intimate exploration of five missing people cases in by Canadian-Peruvian reporter Paloma Migone. This is a sensitive podcast, built up from interviews with witnesses and remaining family members, that hopes to both re-examine the evidence and bring out the beating heart of these lives left bereft so they are more than just the paperwork.

The Dropout

The story of Elizabeth Holmes has attracted attention since 2015, when a journalist first questioned the validity of their revolutionary blood-testing methods. The Dropout is one of the must-listen investigative podcasts of 2019, which goes deep into Holmes’ conspiracy and the Theranos company. This podcast contains edited testimony from the Holmes trials, a fascinating look into the con artistry involved in science and business, and how the word genius leverages trust.

Curtain

Out of Australia comes Curtain, an independent podcast about the racism faced by Indigenous Australians in the justice system, hosted by Amy McQuire, an Indigenous Darumbal reporter, and Martin Hodgson, an advocate for Indigenous prisoners. This serialized investigation is about Kevin “Curtain” Henry, accused of murder in 1992, but takes as its big picture the rampant issue of wrongful convictions of Indigenous people. It’s a smartly designed podcast, with descriptive, clear storytelling on the part of the hosts, spine-tingling musical choices, and an extremely respectful approach to talking about the murder and the victim.

Sound Africa: They Killed Dulcie

The newest season of this radio documentary podcast out of South Africa deals with the unresolved assassination of Dulcie September, an anti-Apartheid activist. Sound Africa, in conjunction with Open Secrets, calls out the systematic forces that exiled her, from her work, her country, and her history. This is a heart-wrenching, incisive look into the life of an erased activist, who deserves justice and respect for the struggles she endured to help end Apartheid, and the power of government-enforced espionage over political activists.

74 Seconds

A Peabody-winning podcast from Minnesota Public Radio, this is the story of the 74 seconds of Philando Castile’s death and every painful second afterward. They are straightforward coverage of the trial of Jeronimo Yanez with a second-by-second narrative of Castile’s death and deep coverage into the cultural and societal context surrounding both Castile and Yanez. Even knowing how this ends, 74 Seconds is a must-listen for anyone who wants an in-depth understanding of the current face of racism in policing and the courts.

Sick Sad World

Sick Sad World is a podcast hosted by two Black hosts, Jasmine and Mari, look at both true crime and paranormal, bringing many much-needed perspectives, including actively participating in creating a non-ableist space within the true crime community. I highly encourage listening to the episode “Marginalized in True Crime”, between Mari and guest speaker Kitty, where they discuss how privileged lenses approach true crime stories and investigations and why there’s a need to support marginalized voices.

The Fall Line

The Fall Line focuses on the missing people of marginalized communities in the Southeast, on uncovering information and presenting their family’s stories so that anyone who may have information can come forward. The first season, about missing twins Dannette and Jeannette Millbrook in 1990, is an experience in frustration and despair as law enforcement appears uninterested in helping the family and, when the girls turn 17, remove them from the missing children’s database. It’s infuriating and depressing, but necessary work, and the people behind this podcast execute it with passion and tenderness.

Fruit Loops

This energetic, high-powered podcast covers the subject of serial killers of color, which are often either ignored or totally skewed in media coverage. Hosts Wendy and Beth have such magnetic chemistry and infectious laughter on mic that it’s hard to not get swept up into their ventures. Their racial and gender analysis is crucial to their breakdowns, especially when tackling cases where certain angles are overlooked due to systemic racist barriers.

Uncover: The Village

The third season of the CBC’s Uncover tackles the serial killer lurking in Toronto’s Gay Village, where for eight years, men disappeared and no murderer was sought until the arrest of Bruce McArthur in 2018. The police are now looking into cases going back to 1975. Justin Ling covered the story at the time, and is now here to investigate deeply into the case that went ignored due to sexuality, skin color, and systematic oppression. Ling’s treatment of this case falls in line with the CBC’s classic honest and respectful handling of true crime, while creating a riveting experience.

The Unseen

Out of the UK comes this calm, clear podcast covering missing people and unsolved cases. Host Caprice has a very precise and structured manner of speaking, partly using a script that has been carefully written to have a strong narrative arc. Caprice has ensured a solid presentation of facts without lingering on gory details, a small amount of speculation, and overall, a very respectful and kind discussion of cases that deserve to be heard and known.

The post The 20 Best True Crime Podcasts (Beyond Serial and S-Town) appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

2020

• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

2021

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

The post Radio at the End of the World appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

If you happen to find an audio drama or audio fiction podcast you like below (which I’m sure you will), go beyond listening to it. Support the podcast and its creators by sharing, donating, and/or subscribing. These acts help show the creators that people are interested in what they are creating and encourages new episodes and new stories. 

The Drabblecast

The Drabblecast has appeared in a couple of my review articles because they put out weird dark fiction in a way that borders on audio drama and is absolutely engrossing. Simplistic storytelling with music accompaniment at times drives these episodes into listeners’ minds. Like a few audio fiction podcasts on this list, The Drabblecast has been a long-time favorite. Sometimes the show becomes a bit focused on the host’s music but skipping past those earlier episodes to get to the actual stories is well worth it. For listeners who enjoy a blend of older speculative fiction from writers like H.P. Lovecraft and James Tiptree Jr, The Drabblecast mixes in some of those older stories with original ones, sometimes, bought for the podcast. All the stories are dark, strange, and mind-bending, making The Drabblecast a great listen for fans of The Dark Tomb or No Sleep Podcast.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts

Witchever Path

One of my favorite discoveries in the world of audio drama is Witchever Path. A horror and mystery choose your own adventure audio drama series, Witchever Path takes listener engagement to a whole new level. The creators put the characters’ fates and choices in the audience’s control. As a fan and writer of interactive fiction, Witchever Path grabbed me instantly with its interactive component, and I’ve gone back to it many times since. They just started their newer season back in October 2021 focused on family and told in the second person—so they’ve taken the interactivity just a bit further. Even though listeners can’t contribute to the trajectory of the old seasons’ stories, they are all still worth a listen. Each gives listeners a different story and experience—some with heavy metal music.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
(Transcripts available on each episode’s page)

Nightmare Magazine

Nightmare Magazine Podcast is the podcast arm of the monthly horror fiction, poetry, and nonfiction online magazine, Nightmare Magazine. The stories found in Nightmare Magazine are some of the best literary horror stories on the net, meaning listeners can experience those groundbreaking stories in the audioverse. Similar to The Drabblecast, minus the musical elements, listeners can find a comprehensive sampling of horror stories about monsters, cannibals, and more, all wrapped in beautiful prose and thematic writing that makes sure the stories stay with you past the page. I’ve listened to Nightmare Magazine Podcast for years, often going on sprees of listening to hours of the horror stories dating back to 2012 and the magazine’s first issue. It’s never disappointed!

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS | Transcripts
(Transcripts available on each episode’s page)

The Lesbian Romantic

The Lesbian Romantic is a lesbian romance audio drama featuring long romantic story arcs that build the romantic and sexual tension between the characters to sometimes unbearable heights. Radio at the End of the World taught me that I’m kind of into romance audio dramas, especially queer ones. The Lesbian Romantic was one of the first romance audio dramas I listened to during the run of the ‘A Blogger Story Sequel: More Than Fun and Games.’ I’ve heard a couple of the other stories in the +200 back catalog of episodes and have found each to be just as engaging and butterfly-inducing. It’s also great to see how the host and writer has grown in their style over the years.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS

Levar Burton Reads

LeVar Burton Reads is a great way to experience a wide selection of stories from different genres, styles, and experiences. Carrying his tradition of making reading fun and approachable, LeVar Burton brings readings of recent and old stories in an anthology format. There are even excerpts from longer works! Some of the recent picks have included stories from Sarah Gailey, Tananarive Due, and Stephen Graham Jones. Not all the stories are speculative fiction, but a fair amount are—and that touches my dark mechanical heart. As with other anthology podcasts on this list, I tried to find one episode to recommend and just couldn’t. Every single one has something for someone. The top-selling point for this podcast is really the host, though. It’s hard to beat the storytelling talents of LeVar Burton. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS

Ian’s Gone Postal

When I originally wrote about Ian’s Gone Postal for Radio at the End of the World, I related it to Welcome to Nightvale but British, and that description still stands! Post-grad, Ian, works as a postal worker in a small town where a man can control pigeons, a woman who has a litter of children that connect to random encounters throughout the town, and other odd happenings. Ian’s Gone Postal perfectly captures that feeling of unrest and absurdity after leaving school. Well, except in Ian’s case, he must deal with the strange characters from the ex-mining town where he works, and most people just have to deal with retail. But still! The show pokes fun at the mundane while still bringing in the extraordinary. 

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | RSS

Radio National Fictions’ “Corona Tales”

Radio National Fictions’ Corona Tales’ appeared in January 2021’s Radio at the End of the World installment. At that point, I was coming up on a year in lockdown and isolation. There were a lot of emotions going through me that were spoken so clearly on the five-part series. A year later and two years into lockdown and isolation and listening back through the stories and dramatization of real experiences told through emotional narratives feels just as healing and connecting as it did back then. Radio National Fictions is an Australian audio fiction podcast highlighting and showcasing the best stories and writers from the continent. The five-part ‘Corona Tales’ focuses on the small intimacies many people found during the pandemic’s first few months and year. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Player FM | Website | RSS

That’s it for Radio at the End of the World. I hope you’ve found at least one new podcast to add to your to-be-listened-to list. For a complete list of all the previous year’s reviews and roundups, check here and read reviews for over 100 audio drama and fiction podcasts.

Below you can find some bonus picks of audio dramas I’ve loved that didn’t make the top seven cut. 

Extra Picks

1. Maeltopia
2. Moonbase Theta Out
3. Tales of the Text
4. Tumanbay
5. In Strange Woods
6. Moonface
7. The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
8. Meet Cute
9. Silva Lining’s Care Plan

The post Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup December 2021 appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

The Wrong Station offers listeners a chance to be a part of the story—at least for the first few seasons. In the recent fifth season, the podcast seems to have abandoned, for the most part, the incredible introductions that made the first few seasons so engrossing. 

But I’ll get into that later.

Diving into The Wrong Station

Aiming to keep each episode concise, The Wrong Station brings listeners horror and dark speculative fiction stories related to current events. Since 2016, the show has delivered on most of that. Taking ten episodes from their past five seasons, I’ll examine the show, its growth, and its storytelling. 

To be honest, I was surprised by what I discovered once I dove into a deep listen. Now, it’s worth noting that I chose all the episodes randomly based on the short descriptions attached. 

First off, I love the audio fiction mixed with audio drama storytelling. This structure provides a genre blend setup that’s dynamic and unique. It also makes each episode feel like its own audio drama and podcast. Listeners can also choose from a swath of stories without worrying about missing out on some critical detail. 

And don’t expect surface-level stories, either. 

The Wrong Station predominately leans toward telling emotionally heavy horror stories that depict a wide range of monsters, tropes, and settings. One of the things I did notice is that most of the stories revolved around home, family, and abuse of some sort. During the first few seasons, the openings started as though the listener was sitting with the storyteller sharing stories. That structure adds to the themes that are so intimate and personal it brings the listener into the telling. There are even moments in some of the early seasons where the storyteller engages the listener more intensely in the story through jarring and exciting questions or statements. 

Read more: 17 Horror Audio Drama Podcasts (Beyond “The Black Tapes”)

Episode reviews for The Wrong Station

“Family Photos”

So, I went back to the beginning and picked the episode “Family Photos.” As a starter, it sorted set the tone and mood for the next few episodes I listened to. There is a content warning for child abuse and the death of a parent. The lack of readily available content warnings for the episodes was a huge surprise considering a majority of The Wrong Station dealt with, depicted, or referred to some form of abuse. Most of the stories, I believe, were written by Alexander Saxton, the producer, and this episode about a family haunting was no different. After a man’s father dies, he takes his wife and daughter back to his childhood home to pack it up and sell it with his mother. While there, he asks his mom about his angry father and what caused him to be that way. 

The story leads the main character to realize a darkness haunts his family, and he has just put his daughter in its sights. The story itself was amazingly creepy and terrifying, that is, without a doubt. While the story’s main themes centered on generational trauma and an abusive spirit haunting a family, the tale dug beyond that. It was also about the fear and pain that exists across time and the horrors held hidden by our families to protect us from the past’s dangers, brutalities, and atrocities. 

Definitely heavy stuff and a whopper of an episode to start with. I highly recommend listening to it!

“Outward Bound”

The next first season episode I listened to was ‘Outward Bound,’ which was a different pace from ‘Family Photos.’ Looking back on a troubled time in his life, a man tells the story of going to a camp for troubled youth where he had to spend a few nights alone in the woods. A city kid with too much on his mind and a lot of anger in his heart, the silence of the woods begins to close in on him. Then he starts waking up in odd places accompanied by the feeling of not being alone and a soft child’s giggle. While not as terrifying as ‘Family Photos,’ ‘Outward Bound’ was still a very creepy story that ends on an even more bizarre note, leaving the listener haunted now as well. 

‘Outward Bound’ is one of The Wrong Station’s more engaging stories, with the storyteller reaching out, in a sense, to the listener. I did start picking up on a slight tendency to lean into trauma and abuse as an element of terror and horror. But I pressed on into the second season and listened to the episode ‘Cheveux de lin’. 

At this point of my review listening sessions, I had listened to a handful of stories without finishing most because I couldn’t find an episode that didn’t center on family stories of trauma or abuse. I love emotional horror and deeply thematic stories, but the use of abuse and the number of episodes that feature it is a bit overbearing to the point of being expected.

‘Cheveux de lin’ didn’t center abuse, which was nice to find, and the tension and emotion of the show weren’t hurt. A person watches as their father ages and loses his partner, who seems to be only a keystroke away. Sticking to telling deep stories of personal hauntings, The Wrong Station constantly delivers beautiful storytelling and voice acting.

One of the episodes almost brought me to tears, and like ‘Family Photos,’ I recommend it as a stellar emotional horror story that is truly scary.

“War Comes Home”

That episode is “War Comes Home” from the second season. In the episode, a wife recounts her husband’s return from the war and the strange occurrences that take place with his arrival: their dog no longer trusting him, his fear of loud sounds, and his absolute change in demeanor. Her suspicion that the man living in her home is not her husband builds until the man who came home from the war reveals what’s hidden beneath his quiet exterior. There is a content warning for PTSD depictions.

Even though, once again, The Wrong Station uses trauma and abuse as the leading hook in “War Comes Home,” the use of engaging storytelling and original depictions of shapeshifting made it stand out and touch me. The themes of veteran and mental health treatment are strong, building to an unforgettable climax where the overarching metaphor for PTSD becomes very literal. The story had great emotional beats and pacing, allowing it to truly pack a punch. 

I had to take a break after “War Comes Home” to give myself space to recover from all the stories of abuse and trauma. It was nice to return to my listening session of The Wrong Station to the third season episode, “Flynn’s,” which didn’t have mentions of triggering and dark themes.

There is a pretty gross and awesome hair scene that I won’t spoil. 

“Flynn’s”

Focusing on themes of gentrification, “Flynn’s” follows a man who ends up getting a job at his college haunt as a bartender years after leaving college. In a neighborhood that’s being overrun and outpriced with new buildings catering to new tenants, Flynn’s bar is the last to give up the good fight—or is it. 

Listen as an old college bar gives its new neighbors something to scream about. While not a terrifying episode, “Flynn’s” was enjoyable and satisfying to listen to. 

“Aquarium”

By the third season, more episodes branch out of the trauma horror that fills many earlier episodes. My second pick from the third season was another refreshing, though a bit dull, episode called “Aquarium.” The episode was about a strange fish coming to an aquarium and wreaking havoc on not just the workers but the world. The story itself centers on that scary feeling of otherworldliness.

A part of me believes “Aquarium” was my least favorite episode since I don’t fear fish or water. For people who do, “Aquarium” might just be a terrifying story of fish horror. 

“Pollo Rojo”

I went into the fourth season of The Wrong Station optimistic at the third season’s turn away from the repetitive themes of the first couple of seasons. But then I listened to “Pollo Rojo.” Though it breaks away from both family trauma and the engaging storyteller opening, it features a lot of child, animal, and workplace abuse. The episode is about a teenager who gets his first job as an inexperienced butcher at a new restaurant specializing in whole roasted chicken.

As you can imagine, there’s a lot of meat gore, almost to the point where the story suffers from all the gratuitous descriptions of rotting and butchered meat.

“The Door”

The next episode of the fourth season I listened to was “The Door.” The episode holds a content warning for suicide. After moving into an apartment with a mysterious door, a young woman becomes obsessed with figuring out what’s behind the door. The obsession drives her to madness but also to answers.

Answers that lead to her death.

Since so many episodes focus on abuse, when the stories break outside of that theme, it’s interesting to see what types of terrors and storylines The Wrong Station explores. “The Door” isn’t a scary episode, but it is an unsettling one that will make you curious to explore the hidden spaces in your home.

“The Inductor”

This year, The Wrong Station entered its fifth season. I didn’t like many of the stories as much as those from the earlier seasons. I do think the season shows the writer’s growth and willingness to experiment with story, themes, and new terrors. 

The first episode I picked was “The Inductor.” They totally abandoned the storytelling aspect that I enjoyed from the first couple of seasons, which is unfortunate. It makes the audio drama seem like every other audio drama anthology podcast. This episode has a couple of content warnings for medical abuse and police brutality.

‘The Inductor’ was one of The Wrong Station’s more imaginative stories. In the episode, a teenage boy gets arrested in a police state dystopia where there is a sort of brainwashing process called the induction. While the story was pretty imaginative at times, it still relied on the hinges of abuse, which by this season it feels a bit much or redundant.

“Moderation”

And the final episode I listened to was “Moderation” from the fifth season as well. A story about a moderator who must flag or delete sensitive videos from the internet. Most of the videos they must watch are horrific, but they flow over the main character as everyday occurrences. Then a new video comes across their monitor, making them genuinely sick. Struggling with their will and wanting to keep their job, the moderator does all they can to limit the spread of the offensive video that just won’t die. 

It was oddly meta by the time I got to it. Over the past couple of weeks, I’d listened to quite a few episodes of The Wrong Station. As I’ve pointed out many times, the episodes deal with a lot of sensitive topics to the point of saturating me in sometimes repulsive content, just like the main character. By the end, like the main character, I felt like even though I walked away from the podcast, many of the stories still stuck with me. 

An overall review of The Wrong Station

I don’t rate because what kind of scale can weigh the might of story? What I will say is that The Wrong Station is worth a listen with the caveat of taking care of yourself. After so many stories of abuse and trauma, spend some time showing yourself love. 

I also think the later seasons offer a wider selection of themes than the earlier seasons. The Wrong Station won’t be for every horror listener, but I think there is an episode for most horror fans. 

The post “The Wrong Station” and the Horrors of Home appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

The end of the year. And what a year it has been! 

Radio at the End of the World was here every month to bring you new stories, characters, and podcasts. Whether you’re new to audio dramas (or audio fiction) or not, I tried to provide a comprehensive sampling of listening experiences. And based on feedback, I believe I did just that. Whether you’re a returning reader or this is your first venture into Radio at the End of the World, I thank you for giving any of these audio drama podcasts a listen.

If you happen to find an audio drama or audio fiction podcast you like below (which I’m sure you will), go beyond listening to it. Support the podcast and its creators by sharing, donating, and/or subscribing. These acts help show the creators that people are interested in what they are creating and encourages new episodes and new stories. 

SCIENCE FICTION

The Phenomenon 

The Phenomenon, now The Phenomenon: Survivors, is an apocalypse audio drama about an invasion that comes from the sky and leaves all those who encounter it changed. The first episode of The Phenomenon hooked me with the mystery of the attack and how each of the characters fits together. It was both a thrilling and somewhat scary audio drama—I was hooked from the first few minutes! It reminded me so much of another apocalypse audio drama also named Survivors and of one of my favorite apocalypse TV shows, Z Nation. Though the original series began back in 2017, the whole show feels appropriate as we move ever deeper into the pandemic. While the earlier episodes focus on the invasion and how people learn to survive hunkered down together, the newer season, The Phenomenon: Survivors, explores those left behind. The Phenomenon is great for listeners who love a bit of horror mixed with their science fiction.

Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Website | Transcripts

HORROR

The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast

The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast is a new horror audio fiction anthology podcast that started in October of this year. To be super upfront, I didn’t like most of the episodes I listened to of this new podcast. But! And this is a huge but: The Shadow Storytellers: a Horror Fiction Podcast did provide a wide range of short horror stories, and it was apparent a lot of work was put into the stories and episodes. For me, what didn’t work was the method of their storytelling. Instead of being active and engaging, it felt too familiar and not unique enough. It is their first season, though, and I found one pretty good episode that stuck with me. ‘Something Else is Coming to Town’ was released at the beginning of December and not in November, but we’ll look past that. It is a horror Christmas story about a child genius who discovers what’s actually sneaking into people’s homes every Christmas Eve. 

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FICTION

Phoebe Reads a Mystery

Phoebe Reads a Mystery is an audio fiction podcast where the host reads a mystery novel, one chapter an episode. I’ve come across a few different podcasts set up like this (I even feature a children’s one below!). These are great ways for audiences to access stories they wouldn’t or couldn’t normally. Phoebe Reads a Mystery is a top pick due to the simple and clear audio production. It provides a great listening experience that feels like you’re sitting with a friend listening to them read from their latest book obsession. Not every book featured on the audio fiction podcast is a mystery. Some are just classic works from across many genres. I also love that there is an extensive back catalog of readings of novels like Jane Eyre, Dracula, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Currently, the host is reading Little Women, and I was able to catch the first couple of chapters before falling back to my horror classic Frankenstein from an earlier season.

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CHILDREN’S

Beloved Children’s Books

Like Phoebe Reads a Mystery, Beloved Children’s Books is an audio fiction podcast that reads children’s books on air. And like Phoebe Reads a Mystery, the storytelling is not overstimulating or distracting. Beloved Children’s Books is not a bed or nap time podcast, but it could easily work as one. There is a wide range of children’s books read from, and with episodes dating back to 2020—when they were released every day—listeners are sure to find their favorite picture book read. Each episode is short, with most being around five minutes of light but animated reading. My favorite episode from November’s releases was ‘Way Too Mank Latkes: A Holiday in Chelm by: Linda Glaser.’ I’ve read the picture book before but had never heard a reading or recording until then. And it was a treat!

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DARK SPECULATIVE FICTION

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio is a horror-comedy audio drama podcast similar to the SCP Archives and the TV show Eerie, Indiana. The Dead Letter Office is where all the weird, unusual, and strange letters go. The show features letters, stories, and characters found within The Dead Letter Office. The letters are sometimes scary, sometimes peculiar, but all-around interesting. While it reminded me of a lot of other podcasts, the flash, almost micro-fiction stories featured are original and gave me a wide gambit of themes and scenarios. The storytelling was also so captivating and enthralling that I ended up listening to about four or six episodes without realizing it. Like a few other audio dramas on this list, The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio is pretty new. The first couple of episodes took me a while to get into, but the later season ones are better paced. 

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Read more: SCP: Where’s Eddie?

FANFICTION

Audio Fanfic Podcast

My favorite audio fiction podcast that I found in November was Audio Fanfic Podcast. This was the first fanfiction podcast that I’ve listened to because I’ve been apprehensive of how they would turn out. I’m glad Audio Fanfic Podcast was my introduction to the genre! Audio Fanfic Podcast is an excellent podcast for fanfiction readers and people new to the form. It offers a wide variety of pairings, genres, and fan universes like Law and Order, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more. While listening to a few of the back episodes, Audio Fanfic Podcast took me back to my days of being a huge fan of fan fiction. Like Phoebe Reads a Mystery, Audio Fanfic Podcast isn’t overly acted or produced, which worked great for the structure and content. Fair warning, some (possibly all) of the episodes are steamy—which I loved. 

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That’s it for this month’s roundup of audio drama podcasts. I hope you can find at least one new podcast to add to your to-be-listened list. 

Usually, I offer up my socials and contact for audio drama creators or writers to contact me for a chance to get featured on this list. I can no longer offer that as Radio at the End ends after next month’s installment. If you want to stay in the know about where this series is moving, consider signing up for my readers’ group newsletter or following my website for updates on where to find Radio at the End of the World after January. 

The post Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup November 2021 appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Whether you’re at the very beginning stages of coming up with a game idea or figuring out how to debug your code and perfect your level design, this list will cover it all. I’ve broken this article up into two sections. There’s the art section for the technical aspects of building your game because what is excellent code if not art? Then there’s the business section for the game designers needing to understand how to work and market as an indie game developer. 

The Business of Being an Indie Game Developer

The game development and design podcasts featured in this section will go beyond simply teaching you how to work and act as a professional indie game designer. They will also give you resources on building your game, getting work in the industry, and how to design games your players will love.

Elite Game Developers Podcast

The Elite Game Developers Podcast is run by the people behind Elite Game Developers. The show offers interviews with industry professionals in various roles within the game development and design industry. What the show tries to help listeners get a grasp on is finding success in building and running a successful game company or team. As an indie game developer, Elite Game Developers Podcast teaches you how to run your indie game company in a sustainable and intelligent way. One of my favorite episodes that interests me as a hobby game designer is their episode with Simon Hill about “How to Develop Games Differently.” Instead of focusing on the design side of building games, Hill and Joakim Achrén, the host, talk about how to approach bringing games to players. 

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The Debug Log

Like the Elite Game Developers Podcast, The Debug Log features interviews with industry professionals, though they focus more on triple-A games than solely indie game designers. The Debug Log is both parts business and art with episodes ranging from where to start in game design, optimizing performance in your game, and worldbuilding. With over 100 episodes, the folks behind The Debug Log get into a wide range of game design, development, and marketing principles where they intersect with education, accessibility, and community. When I first heard of The Debug Log, I thought the game design podcast would highlight debugging problems. I wasn’t disappointed at what I found in the informative and, often, hour-long episodes. If you comb back through to the episodes from back in 2015, you will find a treasure trove of resources for designing with the game engine Unity.

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GDC Podcast

If you’re an indie game designer like me, then you’ve dipped more than a toe into the plethora of resources from GDC, the Game Developers Conference. Going to the Game Developers Conference isn’t as accessible to many indie game designers out there. Still, GDC makes it a bit easier for designers and developers to see and hear the lectures from the conference. Through the GDC Podcast, indie game designers can catch some of the lectures and workshops from previous conferences. While most of the lectures currently available focus on bigger-picture narrative design and the business side of indie game development, there are a couple of episodes leaning more toward the design side. I wish there were more episodes and topics covered, but it is a newer podcast from 2019 with new episodes still coming out. It gives me hope that the GDC Podcast will eventually be just as expansive as its other resources. 

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Think Like a Game Designer Podcast

Based on an extremely informative game development book for beginners of the same name, Think Like a Game Designer Podcast is hosted by the author and game designer Justin Gary. Aimed more toward the game designer who wants to go from indie to the traditional side, Think Like a Game Designer Podcast is an interview-style podcast where the host brings on game designers, developers, and publishers to discuss parts of working in game design and development. The episodes cover a wide variety of topics, with a few main subjects per episode they go more in-depth in. There aren’t many technical episodes, but there are tons of episodes to help indie game designers learn how to market and network their games and build careers in the game industry. 

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Read more: Every Super Smash Brothers Fighter as a Podcast (UPDATED 10/5/21)

GameDev Loadout

Like, Think Like a Game Designer Podcast, GameDev Loadout focuses on teaching indie game developers and designers how to build their games and careers in the game industry through detailed interviews with industry professionals. The host asks questions surrounding the guests’ careers, schedules, and design habits to give listeners a well-rounded view of how professional game designers and developers work. There are a fair number of episodes specifically on player mentality and getting your player more engaged with your game and building a game design team. These episodes are beneficial for indie game designers looking to understand where the player fits in the game and how to find the right people to help make their game more than scribbles on a page. GameDev Loadout was a long-standing game design podcast with more than 100 episodes. Unfortunately, GameDev Loadout stopped airing back in 2020, but there’s always hope for a new season coming out. 

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Indie Game Movement

Indie Game Movement is an indie game developer podcast focusing on covering topics related to business and marketing. There are interviews, deep dives, and tutorials to help developers figure out how to get their game in front of more players, investors, and publishers. Like the title of the indie game podcast suggests, Indie Game Movement is all about empowering indie game designers and developers. Though Indie Game Movement just released a hiatus update on their page, listeners still have access to the back episodes. A few episodes that stood out to me were “How to Crush Your Steam Marketing with Bruno Laverny” and “How Indie Devs Can Understand and Influence Consumer Behavior.” Since the show is hosted by Andrew Pappas behind RenGen Marketing—an indie game marketing community and education hub—the episodes from Indie Game Movement surrounding marketing are packed with actionable tips on how to get more players and revenue. 

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The Art of Being an Indie Game Developer

This section is all about the technical, coding, and design side of being an indie game designer. If you need to debug your level design or figure out how to make your enemies scarier and your narrative design tight, these indie game design podcasts will guide you in becoming a better designer. 

Clockwork Game Design

Clockwork Game Design is where indie designers go to find in-depth tutorials and discussions on designing and coding the mechanics of their games. The host teaches through his own personal history of indie game development and interviews with professionals within the field about the importance of smooth design. For a newcomer to game design and development, I appreciated how accessible Clockwork Game Design is by giving an overview of the topics they cover. Because of the indie game design podcast’s setup of having episodes featuring both professionals in the field and his own experiences in game design, it offers a similar learning experience to the indie game design podcast Design Doc, further down on the list.

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Level Design Lobby

Level design is a skill that not every indie game designer possesses. For those needing to sharpen their level design skills and get a firmer grasp on making each level just as compelling, engaging, and well-crafted as the last, Level Design Lobby offers a masterclass in level design. They pull information and tips from interviews, movie scene analysis, and so much more to provide countless resources, examples, and tactics to approach level design. Level Design Lobby doesn’t just cover level design, though, the indie game design podcast also teaches game designers about narrative design, working in the gaming industry, and other aspects of game design. A recent episode released at the beginning of October, “Reading Materials #45”, is a reoccurring episode where the host shares specific resources to help further listener understanding of game design. 

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Game Dev Field Guide

Game Dev Field Guide is one of my favorite indie game podcasts on this list. I started listening to Game Dev Field Guide a few months back and have found the podcast incredibly insightful and helpful at getting me to think about specific mechanics and features in games. Made by an indie game designer for indie game designers, Game Dev Field Guide aims to offer listeners a comprehensive and community-driven approach to becoming a better game and system designers. The host goes into technical design and coding subjects surrounding designing assets, animation, and a slew of other topics. I really love the Game Dev Field Guide because each episode comes with some homework to help take the lessons covered even further. Listeners share their responses to the assignment in the very engaged and encouraging online community. Homework that covers the topic in an exciting and comprehensive way is then shared on the podcast for others to learn. 

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RPG Design Panelcast

RPG Design Panelcast is a game design podcast featuring panels from game developers and designers on various topics. The panel format is a great way to hear diverse perspectives on game design and mechanics. And like the title suggests, this indie game design podcast is explicitly focused on role-playing games. Started in 2012, the panels originally came from a wide range of conventions and places, but as of 2016, most are from that year’s Metatopia, the game festival. One of the longer-standing indie game design podcasts on this list, RPG Design Panelcast, has covered just about everything when it comes to role play game design. And yet, they are still releasing new panels that introduce nuanced topics related to design—check out “Heartwarming Gaming During the Plague Times”!

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The Game Design Round Table

If you are an indie game designer of tabletop, board games, or card games, The Game Design Round Table is one of the few indie game design podcasts on this list that is made for you. The folks over at The Game Design Round Table bring together both video game and tabletop game designers to discuss designing both types of games but with more focus on tabletop over digital. Indie game designers can learn how to prototype, design, and build their games through interviews and roundtable or panel-like discussions with the hosts and their industry professional guests. One of the greatest aspects of The Game Design Round Table is their back catalog. If you’re new to the indie game design podcast, then you have over 200 episodes to catch up on and more coming each month. 

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Design Doc

Design Doc is an indie game design and development podcast where listeners learn through the hosts making their own games. I believe since the beginning of the show, the hosts have made two games where they take listeners on the journey from idea to marketing and release. Each episode goes into specific systems, mechanics, features, and narrative design choices the hosts/game designers have made for the game they are designing. Unlike a fair amount of indie game design podcasts on this list, Design Doc had the cozy feeling of listening to friends talk about the creative projects they love. That type of setup may not work for some, but if you prefer to learn through someone else’s close experience, then this is the podcast for you. 

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Level Design Podcast

Like the Level Design Lobby, Level Design Podcast is aimed at indie designers who want to learn from professional-level designers how to create better levels for their games and players. Level Design Podcast takes game design professionals from the most successful and groundbreaking level design games out there and asks them how they do what they do so well. They offer listeners an inside peek into how top level designers work, what the level design industry is like, and insight into level design theory. Like a few indie game design podcasts on this list, Level Design Podcast straddles the line between a technical podcast and a business one. While they don’t outline exactly how to build better levels, the theories and examples of how professional level designers have created their levels gives listeners a starting point to begin with their own level design.

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Nerdlab Podcast

Another indie game podcast for card game designers is the Nerdlab Podcast, a podcast hosted by an indie card game designer on his journey to build his next game. Along with his tutorials and inside looks at his process, he also interviews game designers, both indie and triple-A, to help other indies design better games. There’s a mix of technical and business episodes to cover all concerns indie game designers may have. Nerdlab Podcast was like a cross between Design Doc and Clockwork Game Design, though less technical than both. There aren’t a lot of indie game design podcasts out there right now that provide as detailed tutorials for card game designers as the Nerdlab Podcast, which is why it’s another favorite to recommend.  

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Board Game Design Lab

Another excellent indie game podcast for board game designers is Board Game Design Lab. Through interviews from professional indie game designers, Board Game Design Lab gives listeners insightful episodes on specific topics related to building, marketing, and designing more ingenious board games. It was great to learn some new game design techniques from the diverse guests appearing on the podcast. A few episodes that jumped out and were of huge interest to me were “Designing Roll and Write Games with Joe Hout” and “How to Design Trick Taking Games with Fertessa Allyse.” Though I don’t build board games, hearing these designers talk about their journeys in game design and how they approach design was absolutely fascinating. Board Game Design Lab has been around for a few years now, so there are way more episodes of interest for listeners to check out. 

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One of the things about designing games as an independent or on a small team is that you’re in charge of your growth and education. While these podcasts will help you bridge some patches in your education, they won’t do everything. These indie game design and development podcasts have more resources outside of their episodes, and some even offer communities where indie game designers can interact and learn together. 

So don’t forget to support whatever indie game podcast you end up learning something from any way you can. 

The post Design Your Next Indie Game with These Podcasts appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.