Top 10 Call of Cthulhu Actual Plays
Looking to go a little mad?
Looking for a great Call of Cthulhu actual play to dive into? Whether you want a huge Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign, a Weird West horror-comedy, classic 1920s investigation, polished official Chaosium mini-series, or a deep archive of eldritch one-shots, there are plenty of excellent shows to choose from. This list rounds up 10 of the most recommended Call of Cthulhu actual plays, from modern heavy-hitters like Time for Chaos and Ain’t Slayed Nobody to long-running favorites like The Old Ways, How We Roll, and Into the Darkness.
By Ted from APW
#1
Time For Chaos
Time for Chaos is probably the easiest modern recommendation if someone wants a big, polished Call of Cthulhu campaign with serious actual-play firepower behind it. It’s Glass Cannon Network playing Masks of Nyarlathotep, which already gives it a monster hook: one of the most famous horror RPG campaigns ever, run through the 7th edition rules. The cast is a big part of the appeal, especially Ross Bryant, who gets mentioned constantly when people talk about why the show works. It has that GCN mix of jokes, momentum, and “oh no, this is actually very bad” horror spiral.
#2
Ain’t Slayed Nobody
Ain’t Slayed Nobody is one of the biggest names in CoC actual play, and for good reason. Its original hook, “Y’all of Cthulhu,” is basically perfect: eldritch horror filtered through a Weird West lens, with enough humor to keep things moving but not so much that the horror falls apart. It’s also one of the easier shows to recommend because it has a clear identity instead of sounding like “some people play a haunted scenario.” It won the 2022 Gold ENNIE for Best Podcast!
#3
Push The Roll
If you read enough of the site you'll quickly realize I'm a big fan of Ross Bryant—so here's Bryant's own CoC show. Push the Roll's hook is that each mini-adventure—only 2-3 episodes—is 100% improvised on the spot based on a random selection of title submitted by the show's Patreon backers. Every one of these are memorable and feature a stunning cast of guests and regulars. Highly recommended if you are looking for bite-sized eldritch horror.
#4
How We Roll
How We Roll is one of the older, more established CoC actual-play recommendations, especially if you’re looking for a show with a lot of actual Call of Cthulhu under its belt. It isn’t just one campaign with one premise; it has a deep back catalog of CoC 7e scenarios, often with a nice mix of mystery, panic, and table banter. It’s also connected to some very CoC-literate people, including appearances and games involving Scott Dorward, which matters if you want the show to feel plugged into the broader Chaosium/horror RPG scene. The show describes itself as a UK and Ireland actual-play show focused on D&D 5e and Call of Cthulhu 7e, and community threads keep recommending it as a reliable CoC listen.
#5
The Apocalypse Players
The Apocalypse Players is the one I’d point someone toward if they want actors taking cosmic horror seriously, but not joylessly. It has a very clear lane: fewer dragons, more eldritch doom, with British performers leaning into the material instead of treating it like background noise for jokes. People recommend it specifically for acting and production, but the bigger point is that it knows what kind of show it is: dramatic, eerie, and very comfortable letting a scene get uncomfortable.
#6
Bookshops of Arkham
Bookshops of Arkham is a great “don’t make me commit to 200 episodes” pick. It’s an official Chaosium actual play, it’s short, it’s polished, and it gives you a very clean taste of what modern Call of Cthulhu can look like on screen. The premise is classic Arkham: books, occult trouble, Yog-Sothoth-adjacent bad news, and investigators who are almost certainly not as ready as they think they are.
#7
Graveyards of Arkham
Graveyards of Arkham is the obvious companion pick to Bookshops of Arkham. It keeps the official Chaosium showcase feel, but with a different setup: four regular people pulled into cult machinery in 1920s New England. It’s a good starter for someone who wants CoC to feel cinematic and watchable without needing to know years of continuity.
#8
Great Dane Society Call of Cthulhu
Great Dane Society is another big Masks of Nyarlathotep recommendation, but with a more sprawling table-campaign feel than Time for Chaos. It comes from Quests & Chaos and has the appeal of watching a group really chew through one of the great, dangerous, globe-hopping CoC campaigns.
#9
Into the Darkness Club
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Into the Darkness is less of a single polished flagship campaign and more of a huge CoC actual-play archive. That is exactly why it’s useful. If you want to hear lots of different scenarios, Keepers, tones, and cosmic-horror setups, this is one of the deeper wells. It has a kind of old-internet club energy in a good way: people playing Lovecraftian mystery and horror because they like the material and want to explore the scenarios.
#10
Lovecraft Tapes
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The Lovecraft Tapes is a good pick if you want something that feels more like sci-fi horror found-footage-by-way-of-home-table than a big theatrical production. It has been around long enough to become one of those names that keeps popping up when people ask for CoC actual plays, and it has a pretty straightforward appeal: investigators, weird cases, humor around the edges, and an ongoing “real-play” feel.
