The 15 Best Video Games Podcasts (2026)

Gaming is a whole culture at this point. These podcasts go deep on reviews, industry news, game design philosophy, and the communities that form around shared virtual worlds. From indie gems to AAA blockbusters, it's all here.

1
Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast

Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast

Kinda Funny Gamescast is the weekly deep-dive show from the Kinda Funny crew, hosted by Tim Gettys, Greg Miller (yes, GameOverGreggy himself), Blessing Adeoye Jr., and Andy Cortez. With over 1,100 episodes and counting, it's one of the most prolific gaming podcasts out there, pulling in a 4.4-star rating from nearly 3,000 reviews.

The format is pretty straightforward but effective. Each week the hosts tackle the biggest stories in PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC gaming, offering their takes with a mix of industry insight and genuine enthusiasm. Greg's background in games media gives the discussions real weight, but nobody here is trying to be an ivory tower critic. The vibe is more like sitting with friends who happen to know a ton about the industry.

What separates the Gamescast from Kinda Funny's daily show is the willingness to slow down and really chew on a topic. Where Games Daily runs through the headlines, this show spends 45 minutes to an hour on a single subject when it warrants the time. The annual prediction episodes and game-of-the-year debates are particular standouts that listeners look forward to every year.

Kinda Funny also runs a paid membership tier at $9.99 per month for ad-free listening and bonus content, though the core show remains free. The hosts have built a genuinely engaged community around the show, and the listener interaction segments prove that the audience isn't just passive. If you want a weekly gaming roundtable that balances knowledge with personality, this is a strong pick.

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2
Giant Bombcast

Giant Bombcast

The Giant Bombcast has been running since 2008, making it one of the longest-standing video game podcasts on the internet. Currently hosted by Jan Ochoa, Jeff Grubb, and Jeff Bakalar, the show drops biweekly and typically runs around two to three hours per episode. That runtime is not filler. The crew opens with what they have been playing, transitions into the week's biggest industry news, and wraps up with listener emails that frequently steer the conversation in unexpected directions.

What makes the Bombcast stand out from the sea of weekly gaming shows is its willingness to go completely off the rails. One moment they are breaking down a trailer frame by frame, and the next they are having a heated argument about fast food chains or debating some random piece of consumer tech. Those tangents are a feature, not a bug. The chemistry between the hosts keeps things moving even when the subject matter veers into absurdly niche territory.

Giant Bomb was originally founded by Jeff Gerstmann after his well-publicized departure from GameSpot, and the site's editorial voice has always leaned toward honesty over hype. The podcast carries that same DNA. You will not find much corporate cheerleading here. The show holds a 4.7-star rating from over 5,600 reviews, which is remarkable for a podcast that has gone through multiple lineup changes and ownership transitions over nearly two decades. It has earned that audience the hard way.

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3
Game Scoop!

Game Scoop!

Game Scoop! is IGN's longest-running gaming podcast, hosted by Daemon Hatfield with regulars Sam Claiborn, Justin Davis, and Mark Medina. The show has been going since the mid-2000s and has racked up over 730 episodes, making it a genuine institution in gaming media. Episodes land weekly and typically clock in around 75 minutes, which is a manageable length compared to the three-hour marathon shows that dominate this space.

The signature segment is Video Game 20 Questions, and honestly, it is half the reason people stick around. One host picks a game, and the rest of the panel tries to guess it through yes-or-no questions. It sounds basic on paper, but the back-and-forth exposes just how deep the group's collective gaming knowledge runs. Listeners play along at home, and the segment has built a cult following over the years.

Outside of trivia, the crew covers the week's news with a tone that leans enthusiastic rather than cynical. They get genuinely excited about upcoming releases and are not embarrassed to talk about nostalgia. The annual Daemie Awards episode, where Daemon shares his personal picks for games, movies, and shows of the year, has become a tradition that fans anticipate every December.

The hosts call themselves the Omega Cops, an inside joke that has been running for years at this point. With a 4.7-star rating from over 4,000 reviews, Game Scoop! has clearly found its groove. If you like your gaming podcasts knowledgeable but never stuffy, this one hits the right balance.

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4
Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast

Kinda Funny Games Daily: Video Games News Podcast

Kinda Funny Games Daily bills itself as the world's most popular daily video game news podcast, and with over 1,700 episodes and a 4.5-star rating from nearly 4,000 reviews, that claim holds up pretty well. Hosted primarily by Greg Miller, Tim Gettys, and Blessing Adeoye Jr., the show drops a new episode every weekday covering whatever happened in the gaming world that day.

The daily format is what really sets this apart from the weekly Gamescast. Each episode runs 30 to 45 minutes and moves quickly through the day's headlines, from PlayStation State of Play announcements to Xbox Game Pass additions to Nintendo Direct reveals. The hosts have enough industry experience to contextualize the news rather than just reading press releases, and they are not afraid to push back on PR spin when something seems off.

Greg Miller is the connective tissue here. His background at IGN and years building Kinda Funny into a media company give him a rolodex of industry contacts that shows up in the quality of discussion. He is also just an energetic presence on the mic, which matters when you are producing five episodes a week. The rotating co-host format keeps things fresh and brings different perspectives depending on who is on that day.

The show offers a paid tier at $9.99 per month for ad-free episodes, though the free version is the complete show with ads. If you want to stay current on gaming news without reading a dozen websites every morning, this is an efficient way to do it.

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5
The Jeff Gerstmann Show

The Jeff Gerstmann Show

Jeff Gerstmann is one of those figures who has been around gaming media so long that his name carries its own gravity. After founding Giant Bomb and spending over a decade there, he launched this solo show in 2022, and it has quickly built a loyal following. With 200 episodes, a 4.8-star rating from over 1,000 reviews, and episodes that regularly stretch past two and a half hours, this is a show for people who want the unvarnished Gerstmann experience.

The format is straightforward: Jeff talks about what he has been playing, reacts to the week's gaming news, and answers listener emails. No co-hosts, no guests most weeks, just Jeff and a microphone. That might sound limiting, but his decades of experience covering games means he can riff on nearly any topic with genuine authority. He was reviewing games before some current gaming journalists were born, and that institutional memory shows up constantly.

What makes the show work is Jeff's refusal to play the hype game. He is blunt about what he likes and what he does not, and he will happily spend 20 minutes explaining why a game everyone is excited about left him cold. There is no advertiser influence shaping his opinions, and he is openly skeptical of industry marketing. That candor is the whole selling point.

The show also leans into Jeff's well-documented obsession with energy drinks, which has become a running bit. Listeners send in obscure brands for him to try, and the reviews are oddly compelling. It is a small detail, but it gives the show personality beyond just being another gaming news recap.

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6
Triple Click

Triple Click

Triple Click brings together three of the sharpest voices in gaming journalism: Kirk Hamilton, Maddy Myers, and Jason Schreier. Schreier is probably the most well-known investigative reporter covering the gaming industry, having broken major stories about studio crunch culture and corporate dysfunction at places like Activision Blizzard. Having him as a regular host rather than an occasional guest gives this show a journalistic edge that most gaming podcasts simply cannot match.

The show runs weekly on Thursdays through the Maximum Fun network, with episodes typically landing around 60 to 90 minutes. The format rotates between several recurring segments. "What's The Deal With" offers focused explorations of specific franchises or industry trends. "Triple Play" is their game review segment where all three hosts share impressions. They also do developer interviews, mailbag episodes, and annual prediction shows.

Over 314 episodes, the three hosts have developed a dynamic where they complement rather than compete with each other. Kirk brings a thoughtful, measured perspective and often zeroes in on game design and music. Maddy covers the cultural criticism angle, connecting games to broader media trends. Jason contributes the insider industry knowledge. The conversations feel substantive without being dry, and the hosts clearly respect each other even when they disagree.

With a 4.5-star rating from over 1,100 reviews, Triple Click has carved out a niche as the thinking person's gaming podcast. It is not afraid to engage with difficult industry topics alongside regular game recommendations.

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7
Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Sacred Symbols is the PlayStation-dedicated podcast from Colin Moriarty, a name that has been in gaming media for over two decades. Colin is joined by co-hosts Chris Ray Gun and Dustin Furman, and together they produce a weekly show that goes deep on everything PS5, PS4, PSVR2, and Sony's broader gaming legacy stretching back to the original PlayStation in the mid-1990s.

New episodes drop every Monday, and fair warning, these are long episodes. Recent ones have clocked in at three to five hours, so this is a commitment. But that runtime allows the hosts to cover the weekly PlayStation news in genuine detail, share extended impressions of games they have been playing, and engage with listener questions without rushing through anything. Colin's institutional knowledge of PlayStation history means he can contextualize current Sony decisions against patterns from previous console generations.

The show holds an impressive 4.8-star rating from over 3,300 reviews, and about 400 episodes are in the archive. That is a substantial back catalog. Colin's style is opinionated and direct, which is exactly what his audience wants. He is not trying to please everyone, and the show is better for it. The Patreon supporters get early access to episodes, but the full show is available for free.

If you are specifically a PlayStation person and want a show that treats the platform with real depth rather than as one bullet point in a multi-platform roundup, Sacred Symbols is hard to beat. The hosts actually play the games they discuss, which sounds obvious but is surprisingly uncommon.

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8
Retronauts

Retronauts

Retronauts is the original classic gaming podcast, and that is not an exaggeration. Hosted by Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey, the show has been exploring video game history one title at a time for nearly 700 episodes. Their scope covers more than four decades, from forgotten black-and-white arcade cabinets to modern remakes of beloved classics.

The format works like a documentary series. Each episode typically focuses on a single game, franchise, or era, and the hosts do their homework. These are not casual reminiscence sessions where people say "remember how great Mega Man was?" and leave it at that. Jeremy and Bob research the development history, cultural context, and lasting influence of whatever they are covering. The result is episodes that genuinely teach you something, even about games you thought you knew inside and out.

Both hosts bring serious credentials. Jeremy Parish has been writing about games since the early 2000s and has authored books on game history. Bob Mackey is a longtime games journalist with a particular fondness for Japanese gaming culture. They frequently bring in expert guests who add specialized knowledge, whether that is a former developer or another journalist who covered a particular era.

The show updates weekly and holds a 4.5-star rating from over 2,100 reviews. Patreon supporters get access to bonus episodes and ad-free listening. If modern gaming news podcasts are your daily newspaper, Retronauts is the history textbook on the shelf. It rewards patient listening and genuine curiosity about where games came from and why they matter.

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9
DLC

DLC

DLC is hosted by Jeff Cannata and Christian Spicer, two friends who have been doing this long enough that their rapport feels completely natural. The show was named one of Entertainment Weekly's 20 Must Listen podcasts, and after 500 episodes, it is easy to see why. Each week they bring on a special guest from the gaming world and work through two main segments: Story of the Week (the biggest gaming news) and Playlist (what everyone has been playing).

The guest format is a big part of what keeps DLC feeling fresh. Rather than the same three or four voices every week, the rotating chair brings in developers, journalists, content creators, and industry insiders who each shift the conversation in different directions. Jeff and Christian are skilled interviewers who know how to draw out interesting perspectives without making the show feel like a formal Q&A session.

Episodes run about an hour and 40 minutes to two hours, and the tone stays conversational throughout. Jeff tends to be the more analytical voice, breaking down design decisions and industry trends, while Christian brings a lighter, more comedic energy that keeps things from getting too serious. The show carries a clean content rating, which is unusual for gaming podcasts and makes it accessible to a broader audience.

The scope is also wider than most gaming shows. DLC covers desktop, console, VR, AR, and even tabletop gaming, so you get a fuller picture of the gaming world rather than just whatever AAA release is dominating the news cycle that week. With a 4.6-star rating from over 1,100 reviews, it has a dedicated audience that appreciates the show's consistent quality and breadth.

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10
ACG - The Best Gaming Podcast

ACG - The Best Gaming Podcast

ACG stands for Angry Centaur Gaming, and host Jeremy Penter has built a reputation on YouTube as one of the most trusted independent game reviewers around. The podcast extends that same philosophy to a longer format, featuring Jeremy alongside regular panelists Silver, Rej, Abssi, and Jonny for weekly roundtable discussions that can stretch anywhere from one to four hours.

The show's tagline basically says it all: honest discussions, lively debates, no-nonsense games talk from real gamers rather than sponsored influencers. Jeremy has been adamant about maintaining editorial independence, and that commitment shows in how freely the panel criticizes games that other outlets handle with kid gloves. When a major release disappoints, you will hear about it here without caveats or softened language.

Episodes drop every Friday and cover a broad range of topics beyond just game reviews. The panel gets into development news, technology discussions, and sometimes veers into movies, TV, and even food. The longer episodes include audience interaction segments, contests, and occasionally live call-ins, which gives the show a community radio feel that bigger, more polished podcasts lack.

With 625 episodes and a 4.8-star rating, ACG has cultivated an audience that values authenticity over production polish. Jeremy's review methodology on YouTube, which uses a Buy/Wait/Never Touch scale instead of numerical scores, carries over to the podcast in spirit. The recommendations feel personal and considered rather than algorithm-driven. If you are tired of gaming media that feels like it is performing objectivity rather than actually practicing it, ACG is refreshingly straightforward.

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11
The XB2 - An Xbox & Gaming Podcast

The XB2 - An Xbox & Gaming Podcast

The XB2 is the Xbox-focused podcast hosted by Jez Corden and Rand al Thor 19, two self-described Xbox industry analysts who have been covering the platform since 2016. With over 400 episodes and a consistent weekly schedule, they have built one of the go-to shows for anyone invested in the Xbox ecosystem and Game Pass.

Episodes release on Fridays and run long, typically two and a half to four-plus hours. That is a serious time commitment, but the length allows Jez and Rand to cover Xbox news with a level of detail that shorter shows simply cannot match. Jez in particular has built a reputation as a well-connected insider, regularly sharing information and context that goes beyond what is publicly available. His reporting background means the show frequently offers perspectives you will not find elsewhere.

The dynamic between the two hosts works well. Jez brings the industry connections and analytical depth, while Rand contributes the enthusiast perspective and keeps the conversation grounded in how actual players experience these games and services. They disagree often enough to keep things interesting without the debates feeling manufactured.

The show maintains a presence across YouTube, Discord, and their website at TheXB2.com, and Patreon supporters get bonus episodes and ad-free listening plus Q&A segments. With a 4.5-star rating from 253 reviews, the audience is smaller but intensely loyal. If Sacred Symbols is the PlayStation person's podcast, The XB2 fills that same role for the Xbox community. They take the platform seriously without being blind to its problems.

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12
The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour is a weekly retro gaming and technology podcast hosted by Dan Woods, Ravi Abbott, and Joe Fox. Over 500 episodes in, the show has established itself as one of the most polished interview-format podcasts in the retro gaming space. Listeners have compared its production quality to NPR, which is high praise for an independently produced show.

Each episode follows a consistent structure. The first segment covers retro gaming and technology news stories from the past week, then the show transitions into a featured interview with an industry veteran. These guests are genuinely impressive. The Retro Hour has hosted original game designers, programmers, and executives from companies like Atari, Commodore, Sega, and dozens of other studios that shaped the industry. The interview quality is strong because the hosts clearly prepare and ask questions that go beyond surface-level nostalgia.

New episodes drop every Friday, running about 90 minutes to two hours. The pacing is measured and professional, which sets it apart from the more casual, banter-heavy retro gaming shows. Dan, Ravi, and Joe treat their subjects with genuine respect while still keeping things entertaining. They are clearly fans first, but they approach the material with a journalist's discipline.

Patreon members get access to exclusive After Hours episodes with extended interviews and bonus content. The show holds a 4.8-star rating, and while the review count is smaller at 129, that reflects its niche focus rather than any lack of quality. If you care about the people and stories behind classic games, The Retro Hour is doing some of the best work in that space.

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13
Player One Podcast

Player One Podcast

Player One Podcast has been going since 2006, which puts it among the longest-running gaming podcasts still in active production. Hosted by ex-game journalists Chris Johnston, Phil Theobald, and Greg Sewart, the show has accumulated over 1,300 episodes and built a community of listeners who have been tuning in for nearly two decades.

The format is relaxed and conversational. Each week the three hosts discuss console, portable, and PC games alongside whatever else is on their minds, which frequently includes raising kids and life outside of gaming. That personal touch is a big part of the appeal. These are not anonymous media personalities reading from scripts. They are three guys who grew up in gaming media and now bring that experience to a show that feels like catching up with old friends.

Episodes range from 40 minutes to over two hours depending on how much there is to discuss. The show runs completely ad-free, which is increasingly rare for a podcast of this size. Patreon supporters get access to bonus Friday aftershow episodes, but the main show costs nothing and never has. That listener-first approach has clearly built loyalty, as evidenced by the show's 4.5-star rating from nearly 500 reviews.

Chris, Phil, and Greg all spent years writing for professional gaming outlets before transitioning to podcasting, so the analysis carries real weight even when the delivery is casual. They know the difference between a hot take and an informed opinion. Player One Podcast rewards long-term listening, and the archive alone is a time capsule of how gaming has evolved over the past 20 years.

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14
The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast

The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast

The Back Page is a British video games podcast from Matthew Castle and Samuel Roberts, two writers with serious pedigrees in UK gaming journalism. Matthew wrote for NGamer and Rock Paper Shotgun, while Samuel held editorial roles at PC Gamer, gamesTM, and TechRadar. That background gives the show a perspective rooted in decades of professional games writing, and the British sensibility brings a different energy than the largely American-dominated gaming podcast space.

Episodes drop weekly and run anywhere from one to three hours. The format mixes current gaming discussion with heavy doses of nostalgia, industry commentary, and recurring segments like draft episodes, top 10 lists, and mailbag shows. The hosts clearly enjoy the format variety, and it keeps the show from falling into the predictable news-reactions-what-we-played loop that so many gaming podcasts default to.

With 278 episodes and a 4.9-star rating (albeit from a smaller pool of 46 reviews), The Back Page has a dedicated audience that appreciates the hosts' chemistry and willingness to go deep on specific topics. Matthew and Samuel have an easy, natural rapport that comes from genuine friendship and shared professional history. The explicit content rating reflects their candid, unfiltered style rather than anything particularly provocative.

The show occupies a nice middle ground between the huge institutional podcasts and the tiny hobbyist shows. It has enough polish and expertise to feel authoritative, but enough personality and informality to feel approachable. If you appreciate British gaming media culture or just want a podcast hosted by people who clearly love talking about games, The Back Page delivers.

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15
The Game Informer Show

The Game Informer Show

The Game Informer Show is the weekly podcast from Game Informer, one of the most recognized names in gaming media. Currently hosted by Alex Van Aken, Kyle Hilliard, Marcus Stewart, and Charles Harte, the show covers video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Episodes typically run one to two and a half hours and include timestamped segments for easy navigation.

Game Informer the magazine has been around since 1991, giving it the deepest institutional history of almost any gaming outlet still operating. The podcast benefits from that legacy through access to developers, exclusive preview coverage, and a staff that has collectively spent decades embedded in the industry. When the show features a guest interview with a game director or studio head, the questions tend to be sharper than average because the hosts have often already spent hours with the game before sitting down to talk.

The current lineup represents a newer generation of the show, with 62 episodes under this incarnation. Despite the relatively fresh episode count, the show carries a 4.5-star rating from over 1,400 reviews, many of which carry over from its long previous run. The hosts bring different strengths: some lean more toward analysis, others toward enthusiasm, and the mix creates a well-rounded weekly discussion.

Episodes land on Thursdays and Fridays and are free with ads. The production quality is professional, as you would expect from a show backed by a major media brand. If you grew up reading Game Informer magazine and want that same editorial voice in podcast form, this is the direct continuation of that tradition.

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Video games podcasts exist in huge numbers, which is both the appeal and the problem. There are hundreds of shows covering games, and most of them sound roughly the same: two to four hosts recapping what they played this week. The ones worth subscribing to do something beyond that, whether it is deeper analysis, a specific focus area, or hosts with enough chemistry that the conversation itself is the draw.

The different flavors of gaming podcasts

Good video games podcasts cover more ground than just reviews. Some of the more interesting shows focus on game design, breaking down why certain mechanics work and others do not. Others cover the business side: studio acquisitions, labor conditions in game development, how free-to-play economics actually function. Retro gaming podcasts have a dedicated audience, and the best ones do real research into development history rather than just being nostalgia trips.

Genre-specific shows can be worth seeking out if you have a strong preference. RPG podcasts that dig into lore and world-building, competitive gaming shows that analyze meta shifts, indie game podcasts that surface titles you would never hear about otherwise. These tend to be smaller but more focused, and the hosts usually know their subject deeply.

The best video games podcasts share a quality that is hard to fake: the hosts clearly play and care about games. You can tell the difference between someone who has spent 40 hours with a title and someone summarizing press coverage. For video games podcasts for beginners, start with a general-interest show that covers multiple platforms and genres. Once you know what you gravitate toward, branch into more specialized shows.

Finding your next favorite show

Video games podcast recommendations are everywhere, but personal taste matters a lot in this category. Host chemistry, sense of humor, and whether a show leans analytical or casual are all factors that vary from listener to listener. Try listening to three or four episodes of a show before deciding, since single episodes can be unrepresentative.

Most popular video games podcasts are free and available on every platform. You can find video games podcasts on Spotify, video games podcasts on Apple Podcasts, and all the usual apps. For the best video games podcasts in 2026, keep an eye on new video games podcasts that launch around major release cycles, since those often attract experienced hosts who left other shows to start something of their own. The top video games podcasts tend to be the ones that have been running for years and have built a real community around the show, but newer entries regularly break through with a fresh angle or an underserved niche.

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