Best LitRPG audiobook series

If you like LitRPG, this is the one to start with. The whole world is the game: a galaxy-wide show where humans are dropped into a dungeon, every kill is scored, and the audience watches and sponsors their favourites. Carl and his cat, Princess Donut, are handed stats, classes and achievements, and the achievements are some of the funniest writing in the genre.

The loot boxes are a highlight. Every floor brings a pile of rewards, and the odd one is a brilliant, awful surprise. Matt Dinniman clearly loves the genre and enjoys poking fun at it, so it works both as a proper dungeon climb and as a send-up of the whole idea. It's dark in places, so don't be fooled by the jokes.

Jeff Hays is superb. He plays the system's cold, smug announcements as well as he plays Carl's grumbling, and he gives Donut a voice you won't forget. It is one of my all-time favourites.

Cradle is the series I point people to when they ask what progression fantasy is. There are no game screens here. Instead the power is part of the world: people train their spirits through stages, and the hero, Lindon, starts with nothing and a lot of stubbornness.

What makes it so good is how clear the climb feels. You always know where Lindon stands, what he needs to reach the next level, and what stands in his way, and each book pays that off. The books are quick, and the story never loses its pace or its sense of humour.

Travis Baldree reads all twelve books, and the series is one of my all-time favourites. He is dry and warm, he keeps the fights easy to follow, and he makes the characters easy to love. If you want a complete series to listen through from start to finish, this is it.

The Land is the series that made LitRPG a big name in English, and Aleron Kong's Chaos Seeds books are where a lot of listeners first found the genre. Richter, an ordinary man from Earth, is pulled into a fantasy world that runs on game-style rules. He has to build a place for himself, and the story grows from one man's survival into something much bigger.

I should be plain about one thing: this series is explicit and aimed at adults. There is strong language and sex, and the humour is crude in places. If that isn't what you want to hear on your headphones, skip it. If it is, you'll find a very enjoyable power fantasy with a lot of energy.

Nick Podehl narrates, and he brings a big, confident performance that suits the larger-than-life tone. I gave this series top marks, and it showed me how well the genre works on audio.

Mark of the Fool, by J.M. Clarke, follows Alex, a young man who dreams of studying magic. Then the gods give him the Mark of the Fool, which everyone takes to mean he can learn a little of anything but never master it. He goes to the academy anyway, and sets out to prove them wrong with study, cleverness and sheer stubbornness.

What I love is that his progress is earned. Alex works things out rather than being handed them, and every small breakthrough feels like a real win. The cast at the academy is likeable, the stakes grow book by book, and it has a warmth that the grimmer series on this page don't.

Travis Baldree narrates, and he is as good here as he is on Cradle. Ten books and counting, and I rate the whole series top marks. If you loved Cradle, this is the one I'd try next.

The idea behind this one is simple and a lot of fun. The main character is stuck in a time loop, and rather than rushing to escape, he uses the repeated days to practise, one skill at a time. Every reset is another chance to get a little better.

It is the purest form of what I love about this genre: effort turning into visible results. You watch him grind, fail, try again and slowly build something impressive, and the loop and the game-style system feed each other perfectly. The first book is one of the best LitRPG books I have heard, and the series has stayed strong since.

Daniel Wisniewski narrates, and he keeps the repetition from ever feeling repetitive, because each loop is a little different and the story keeps finding new things to do with it. Five books so far, and I rate the series top marks.

Divine Apostasy by A.F. Kay is a long, absorbing progression story in which power and the gods are closely tied together. The hero grows from a modest start into someone who has to make real choices about who he trusts and what he will stand for.

I have heard the first five books, close to seventy hours of listening, and liked every one. That is a lot of story, and it held my attention the whole time. It is a good pick if you want a big, steady epic that takes its time and rewards you for sticking with it.

Travis Baldree narrates, which is always a good sign. It's a series for people who like to settle in. If you've finished some of the shorter, punchier progression books and want something with more room to breathe, this is a very good next step.

In He Who Fights with Monsters, a cynical man from Earth is pulled into a magical world and has to learn how it works. He arrives with a sharp tongue and a very modern outlook, which makes for plenty of clashes with the people around him.

The series is long and takes its time. It mixes humour with a detailed system of magic, and it likes to dig into how the world and its rules actually work. If you enjoy a main character who is stubborn and a little bit smug, you'll probably have a good time.

Heath Miller narrates, and he gives the dry humour a good outing. I liked it a lot, and with thirteen long books it will keep you going for months.

Defiance of the Fall opens with Earth pulled into a wider world of monsters, levels and dangerous powers. Zac, the main character, has to work out the new rules while everyone around him is doing the same, and the pace rarely lets up.

It sits nicely between LitRPG and progression fantasy. There is a system with stats and classes, but the story is more about Zac's growth and the strange, dangerous places he has to explore than about numbers on a screen. I liked it a lot, and it is easy to stay with for hours at a time.

Pavi Proczko narrates, and the story is always moving forward, which suits audio well. If you enjoy a hero who learns on the job and keeps getting into bigger trouble, this will suit you.

Frostworld, which starts with Ice & Blood by Blake Arthur Peel (who also wrote Fall of Radiance), is a cold, gritty progression story set in a harsh world where survival comes first and strength has to be earned. The hero starts out with very little and has to fight, train and think his way upward.

I liked it a lot. The tone is grim, but it has real drive, and the sense of growth is satisfying: you can feel the character getting tougher as the story goes on. It is a good one if you like your fantasy a bit darker and don't need everything to be light-hearted.

Neil Hellegers narrates and keeps a steady, tense pace. There are only three books so far, so it is a shorter commitment than most here. A good choice if you've enjoyed the other series here and want something with a harder edge.

The Completionist Chronicles by Dakota Krout is a LitRPG built around a character who wants to do it all. Rather than racing to the top, he is driven to find and finish every quest, class and secret the game world has hidden away.

I loved the first book. It's a warm, cheerful series that plays with the idea of the player who clears every side quest before moving on. If you've ever been that sort of gamer, you'll understand the appeal. It has the pleasing sense of building something piece by piece.

Vikas Adam reads the first two books and Luke Daniels takes over from the third; both keep things lively. A relaxed, enjoyable listen and a good fit for long stretches of time.

The Primal Hunter by Zogarth begins when a system arrives on Earth and gives everyone levels, classes and abilities. Jake, the main character, ends up as a hunter, and the story follows him as he grows stronger in a world that has become much more dangerous.

It is a very popular series. I loved the first two books. For me the series didn't keep that up as it went on, but I can see why so many people love it. It has a steady, satisfying sense of progress and a clear love for the genre's rules, with plenty of fights and a hero who thinks his way through them. If you like a clear power curve, this delivers.

Travis Baldree, who also reads Cradle, narrates it. His voice and timing make the action easy to follow and keep the story light on its feet. Worth a try if you enjoyed Cradle and want something with more game-style systems.

The Wandering Inn by pirateaba begins with Erin, a young woman who is dropped into a fantasy world and ends up running an inn. It looks like a small story, but it grows into a huge one, with a very large cast and a world where levels and classes shape what people can do.

It is quite different from the fight-focused series here. A lot of it is about community, cooking, friendship and the people who come through the inn's doors. I enjoyed it without falling for it; the pace is slow, and the books are enormous. If you like a cosier kind of fantasy that still has a game-style system underneath, it may suit you better than it did me.

Andrea Parsneau narrates the first fifteen books and Erin Bennett takes over after that; both handle a huge range of voices with care. It is a very long series, so it is a good choice if you want something to live with for a long time.

The Divine Dungeon by Dakota Krout turns the usual dungeon story around. You follow Cal, a dungeon core, who is the dungeon itself, and the story is about building it up, designing its traps and monsters, and dealing with the adventurers who come in looking for loot.

It's a clever twist on the genre and an easy way into it if you like the idea of seeing the game from the other side. There's a lot of planning and building, and the sense of growth comes from watching the dungeon become something bigger and stranger.

Vikas Adam narrates the first four books and Luke Daniels the fifth. For me it was a fun idea that I liked rather than loved, but it is light and easy, and a good choice if you want something that feels a bit different from the usual hero's journey.

Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell is a game-world story in the classic style: a virtual reality game that feels completely real, and a player, Jason, who finds himself in the middle of it. What happens in the game starts to matter outside it too.

It is a good entry point if you like the idea of a fully immersive game. The story has a darker edge, and the choices the main character makes have real consequences, which keeps it interesting. It sits comfortably in the part of the genre where the game is the world.

It is an easy series to get pulled into, and a good one for anyone who has ever wished they could step inside their favourite game.