The likes of streaming and podcasts have become one of the most popular passive digital pastimes in the modern age. Podcasts opened up a new way to engage with different creators' content, as well as allowing people to easily find more niche subjects that they resonate with or love to keep tabs on.
Though video games are well established in the mainstream, it's a medium and topic that's become far easier to find interesting discussions about. Gaming has only benefited from the prominence of podcasting, with several large and small-scale podcasts over the years catching the eyes and ears of dedicated fans.
Giant Bombcast
There are several great podcasts, from unscripted to scripted, and Giant Bomb's Giant Bombcast is arguably the most well-known gaming podcast. Its variety is one of its biggest strengths, as the Giant Bombcast places a good focus on gaming news, reviews, and interviews with different guests.
At the same time, one of its other big selling points is the entertaining way that the cast inevitably veers off-focus and into genuine, goofy comedy and banter. The podcast is a great blend of entertaining personalities with engaging and hilarious traits that make it one of the most essential gaming pods.
Castle Superbeast
When the original team behind the popular niche gaming YouTube channel Super Best Friends Play disbanded, the duo of Woolie and Pat created the Castle Super Beast podcast, sponsored by Rooster Teeth. A reference to the former group's many, many inside jokes, it succeeded the original channel's companion podcast and is one of the most laugh-out-loud, raunchy gaming discussions out there.
They have a general structure to talk about things like news in the gaming community and industry but frequently go off-topic for some unfiltered banter. For the most part, the eccentricity and humor make for a great complement to hearing about gaming's latest developments and their takes on them.
Axe Of The Blood God
Gaming journalism veterans Kat Bailey and Nadia Oxford host the RPG-centric podcast Axe of the Blood God, by USGamer. The two cover a wide range of gaming eras through the lens of this genre. They offer both an entertaining and informative look at this corner of the gaming world and go over its different subgenres as well.
Whether it's western RPGs or JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, Axe of the Blood God is a solid podcast for those who are tried-and-true fans of the genre, and those who are new and would like to get some expert insight. It can be a daunting genre, but through the duo's expertise, players can potentially open up to several beginner-friendly RPGs across many franchises.
Kinda Funny Gamescast
Former IGN presenter Greg Miller, Tim Gettys, Blessing Adeoye, and Andy Cortez serve as part of the rotating hosts of the Kinda Funny Gamescast. The weekly podcast covers the latest news and trending topics in the medium, as well as living up to its name.
Regular news and commentary get fans in through the door and they stay for the comedic personalities. The charismatic team at Kinda Funny Games also has another podcast in a daily-episode format called Kinda Funny Games Daily, which brings in veteran guests from the industry.
GamesIndustry.Biz Podcast
While many podcasts understandably center toward news, "feature-style" commentary, and entertainment, the GamesIndustry.Biz Podcast focuses on the behind-the-scenes economic and labor-related developments in gaming.
The pod is owned by the British network of the same name and, given the subject matter, leans into industry insiders as their audience more than consumers. However, the hosts are exceptional at not making the topics feel exclusive to only those in the know. The podcast makes it an enjoyable and informative listen for anyone interested in the logistics and issues within the industry.
How Did This Get Played?
Comedians Heather Anne Campbell and Nick Wiger host How Did This Get Played? for a fun and inventive gaming podcast. This show operates under the premise of some of the worst and strangest video games ever made. The pair naturally make for an entertaining and witty series, exploring some of the more obscure parts of gaming that some understandably chose to forget.
How Did This Get Played? also occasionally features celebrity guest appearances. The podcast's atmosphere avoids going into the cynical and keeps things light and upbeat. The owners, Earwolf, also host the similar How Did This Get Made? podcast, which is one of the best podcasts for movies and TV shows.
8-4 Play
The 8-4 Podcast has an interesting background to it, as it's a podcast created by a western localization studio for Japanese games. It's a broad portion of the gaming spectrum to cover, but it's another great podcast for fans and beginners looking to get into franchises like Final Fantasy and more.
Hosts Mark MacDonald, Sarah Podzorski, Justin Epperson, and John Ricciardi cover gaming in general as well as their passions in Japanese video games and culture. Japanese gaming alone is a rich part of the medium, making for an engaging show for those with even a passing interest.
What's Good Games
One of the most accessible gaming podcasts currently around is What's Good Games. The hosting trio comprised of industry veterans Andrea Rene, Brittney Brombacher, and Kristine Steimer strikes a good balance of being a fun, lighthearted, and optimistic show with some engaging and thoughtful analysis too.
Amid all the bitterness and cynicism that people can walk into on the internet, What's Good Games is a refreshing source of positivity that has plenty of substance to back it up. The podcast is a relaxing experience for those well-versed gaming fans and newcomers alike.
Game Scoop!
As one of the biggest gaming publications, IGN has several supplementary projects aside from their site and YouTube channel. They have other podcasts as well, but Game Scoop! serves as their primary one.
Game Scoop! also does an excellent job at streamlining all the biggest news in the industry for audiences every week, keeping things in a positive atmosphere along the way. Given the fast-moving nature of news, episodes keep to ~45-60-minute lengths to maintain substance and a comfortably digestible format for audiences.
Play, Watch, Listen
Sony Santa Monica Studios writer and former IGN presenter Alanah Pearce, veteran voice actor Troy Baker, game director Mike Bithell, and game composer Austin Wintery host the podcast Play, Watch, Listen.
As evidenced by the cast of hosts involved, Play, Watch, Listen is a great podcast for plenty of variety from some industry veterans with great insights. They largely cover the gaming industry but also provide analysis in other areas like movies and TV. And, as fans would expect, they provide plenty of comedic banter in between.