10 Horrifying Actual Play Shows
There's a lot of variety in this genre—if you're brave enough to listen
Horror actual plays cover way more ground than spooky D&D in a dark forest. Some go full cosmic horror with Call of Cthulhu, some lean into modern conspiracy with Delta Green, some are sci-fi panic spirals in Mothership or Alien, and some are monster-of-the-week, folk horror, or dark fantasy nightmares. This list rounds up 10 recommended horror actual plays across different systems and styles, so you can find the flavor of dread that actually sounds fun to you.
By Ted from APW
#1
Get in the Trunk
I'm putting Get in the Trunk right at the top because it's one of my personal faves, but it's also one of the easiest (and most popular) recommendations for modern horror: secret government agents, supernatural threats, compromised missions, and the constant sense that “winning” may involve ruining your life. It uses Delta Green, which is ideal if you want Lovecraftian horror dragged into modern institutions, coverups, bureaucracy, and black-ops panic. The early seasons work as scenario-based anthology play, while later seasons move into the (in)famous Impossible Landscapes campaign.
#2
Dark Dice
Dark Dice is the dark fantasy pick, and it’s probably the clearest example of an actual play that wants to feel like an audio horror story instead of a normal table recording. It's a D&D horror actual play, but the big draw is the presentation: immersive soundscapes, heavy editing, music, and a generally grim “you should not have come here” atmosphere. This is a good choice for people who like fantasy, but want it dirty, cursed, and dangerous rather than heroic and cozy. Also, uh, did you know %($*ing Jeff Goldblum guests on 2 episodes???
#3
Time For Chaos
Two Glass Cannon picks? Yes, well, it's my party, so here we go. Time for Chaos is the big prestige Call of Cthulhu pick. It’s the Glass Cannon Network playing Masks of Nyarlathotep, which is another legendary campaign in the horror RPG space, so the premise is already doing a lot of work. The appeal is that it has a big actual-play table feel without losing the slow doom of cosmic horror: funny people making bad decisions, then realizing the bad decisions have tentacles. These folks manage to be both eye-wateringly funny and drop-dead serious, and know when to do which.
#4
Ain’t Slayed Nobody
Ain’t Slayed Nobody is the Weird West pick: cowboy horror, eldritch trouble, bad omens, and enough dark comedy to keep the whole thing from becoming a funeral march. The original “Y’all of Cthulhu” hook is strong because it gives the show a very specific flavor right away. It’s not just “people investigate a creepy thing.” It’s dust, guns, gallows humor, and things from beyond human understanding crawling around under the frontier.
#5
Pretending to be People
Pretending to be People is the small-town weirdness pick. It’s usually described as Delta Green with Pulp Cthulhu influence, but the real sell is the tone: gross, absurd, funny, and genuinely unsettling when it wants to be. This is not the clean “agents in suits investigate a file” version of modern horror. It’s more like a bad local police department accidentally opening the wrong door in reality. This one comes up repeatedly in horror actual-play recommendation threads.
#6
The Panic Table: Unaccompanied Miners
Unaccompanied Miners is the Mothership pick, and it gives this list a proper sci-fi horror lane. The setup is excellent: teenagers on an asteroid mining colony, under-equipped and absolutely not ready for what space is going to do to them. It’s a good choice if you want panic, industrial sci-fi, bad workplaces, vacuum suits, and the feeling that every hallway is one mistake away from becoming a disaster. Tuesday Knight Games lists The Panic Table on its Mothership actual-play page, while Rascal’s review praises Unaccompanied Miners for using its high production quality as an access point into stronger character-driven storytelling.
#7
Red Moon Roleplaying
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Red Moon Roleplaying is the atmospheric horror anthology pick. It’s not locked to one horror system, which is exactly why it belongs here: they’ve played in a lot of dark worlds, including games like KULT, Alien, and Vaesen. The show is more serious and immersive than jokey, with in-character play, dark ambient music, and a strong interest in mood. This is a good recommendation for people who want horror RPGs to feel bleak, strange, and adult without needing everything to be Cthulhu. And they won an ENNIE!
#8
The Lost Mountain Saga
The Lost Mountain Saga is the folk horror pick. It uses Vaesen, which means the horror comes from folklore, old places, old wounds, and things people half-remember but should probably still fear. The original show takes place in the Mythic North of 19th-century Sweden, so it has a very different texture from both American occult investigation and sci-fi survival horror. Led by Glass Cannon alumna Ellinor DiLorenzo, the first season drew over 200,000 downloads, and the overall story was even made into an official book published by Free League!
#9
The Critshow
The Critshow is the modern monster-hunting pick. It uses Monster of the Week and other Powered by the Apocalypse games, with a setup about regular people becoming the last line of defense against things that go bump in the night. This is the pick for people who want horror with more forward motion: investigations, monsters, weird powers, and a little “TV season about paranormal cases” energy.
#10
Bookshops of Arkham
Bookshops of Arkham is the short, polished Call of Cthulhu starter pick. It’s an official Chaosium actual play, set in Arkham, and it gives you occult books, investigators, Yog-Sothoth trouble, and a manageable commitment instead of a giant multi-year campaign. This is the one to recommend to someone who wants the 1920s Call of Cthulhu vibe but does not want to start with a massive Masks of Nyarlathotep run. Featuring Mark Meer as Keeper, and a cast including Saige Ryan, Carlos Luna, Lucia Versprille, and Patrick Logan.
