Games on Substack
The top 100 Games writers on Substack's Bestsellers and Rising boards, with moves between my reads, follower counts, who's gaining recommendations and who recommends them. Boards read once a day.
Board read · moves compare with the read at Oct 31 19:47 UTC
- Writers on the two boards
- 102
- Median followers, Rising
- 1,147
- Smallest on the board
- 1
- WiscoDice, #34
- New recommendations, 30 days
- 88
- to writers whose main category this is
Rising in Games: new recommendations
Writers in this category who picked up the most new recommenders in the last 30 days. A new recommendation puts a writer in front of another publication's readers.
Ben Milton
27k followers · #15 Games Bestsellers
Gamigion
4.7k followers · #7 Games Bestsellers
Christopher Dring
13k followers · #6 Games Bestsellers
Brian Schneider
2.4k followers · #40 Games Bestsellers
Chris McDowall
9k followers · #68 Games Rising
Jornal dos Jogos
8.3k followers · #52 Games Rising
Harrison Polites
1.3k followers · #45 Games BestsellersNew recommenders per week, last 12 weeks; the orange bar is this week to date. Same scale in every panel. Dated by Substack; only recommendations still live.
Rising
Substack ranks Rising by recent growth in paid subscribers. Followers are my daily reading.
Climbed most since Oct 31: Dmitriy Byshonkov #98 to #1, Hearth and Hammer Review new at #4, Stephen Totilo #99 to #3, Christopher Dring #93 to #6, Susan @ GGJ Podcast new at #23.
| # | Move | Writer | Followers | Recommended by | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▲96 |  Dmitriy ByshonkovGameDev Reports - powered by Mellow |
10,330 | 55 +2 | |
| 2 | ▲76 |  Justin GaryThink Like A Game Designer |
39,738 | 51 +2 | |
| 3 | new |  Stephen TotiloGame File |
30,405 | 61 +2 | |
| 4 | new |  Hearth and Hammer Review@hearthandhammerpod |
pending | ? | |
| 5 | ▲25 |  TheGamerEducator-Screens& kids@thegamereducator |
5,311 | 14 +1 | |
| 6 | ▼4 |  Christopher DringThe Game Business |
13,252 | 56 +4 | |
| 7 | ▲92 |  Joost van DreunenSuperJoost Playlist |
24,143 | 60 +2 | |
| 8 | ▼4 |  Jonathan Beckett@jonbeckett |
1,949 | 26 +1 | |
| 9 | ▲48 |  Nick ViselNick Plays Chess |
947 | 9 | |
| 10 | ▲35 |  Jake SteinbergJake Should Be Writing |
1,230 | 10 +1 | |
| 11 | ▲80 |  Robert WalrodEarthly Delights |
4,324 | 50 +2 | |
| 12 | ▲20 |  Paul LefebvreGoto 10 |
6,573 | 51 | |
| 13 | ▲73 |  Nick SloanMoRE Chess |
1,048 | 19 | |
| 14 | ▲34 |  Shay AtlasThe Art of Dungeon Mastery |
10 | 0 | |
| 15 | ▲72 |  God Gamer@gitgodlygud |
248 | 1 +1 | |
| 16 | 0 |  Xania LasagnaUncrank'd Magazine |
136 | 2 | |
| 17 | ▲73 |  Carlos PereiraMobile Game Daily Report |
383 | 2 | |
| 18 | ▲35 |  Tony WonPlayer Support |
360 | 2 | |
| 19 | ▼11 |  Patrick BuechnerThe Soloist - an indie RPG newsletter |
12,845 | 52 +2 | |
| 20 | ▼9 |  LukeLudological Alchemy |
1,834 | 19 | |
| 21 | ▲13 |  The Video Game LibraryThe Video Game Library’s Substack |
8,303 | 42 +1 | |
| 22 | ▲25 |  Nicholas CRetro_loneliness |
6 | 0 | |
| 23 | ▼20 |  Susan @ GGJ PodcastGGJ Podcast |
149 | 1 | |
| 24 | new |  AJ ThomasTrue Crime Weekly |
72,527 | 29 | |
| 25 | ▼1 |  Kermit OKermit O — Community Researcher & Educator |
127 | 0 | |
| 26 | ▲18 |  SeyGood Game Lobby |
1,323 | 50 +1 | |
| 27 | ▲43 |  Massimiliano Di MarcoInsert Coin |
1,436 | 50 | |
| 28 | ▲1 |  Dylan CorneliusNintendo is Great |
1,303 | 25 | |
| 29 | ▲56 |  Ollie RingLootboxes and Leftovers by Ollie Ring |
1,147 | 12 +1 | |
| 30 | ▲38 |  Pam WallsPam Walls Game Design Substack |
1,039 | 8 | |
| 31 | ▼9 |  Mighty DiamondsGies | Video Games Industry Executive Summary |
2,265 | 11 +1 | |
| 32 | ▲31 |  Yorch Torch GamesThe Forge |
908 | 13 | |
| 33 | new |  Word TweakGlancing Hit |
pending | ? | |
| 34 | ▲32 |  WiscoDice@wiscodice |
1 | 0 | |
| 35 | ▼18 |  Tim RattrayStay Awhile and Play |
14 | 1 | |
| 36 | new |  Natural 7@natural7 |
pending | ? | |
| 37 | ▼24 |  Brian SchneiderAlternate Worlds |
2,440 | 36 +4 | |
| 38 | ▲3 |  Cartoon Ghost@cartoonghost |
170 | 3 | |
| 39 | ▼33 |  Ben MiltonThe Glatisant: A Questing Beast Newsletter |
26,795 | 53 +5 | |
| 40 | ▲16 |  Dave ThaumavoreThaumavoria |
9,083 | 52 +2 | |
| 41 | ▲1 |  Hushcrasher@hushcrasher |
1,332 | 10 | |
| 42 | ▲41 |  Matt AndersonMatt's Random Journeys |
16 | 0 | |
| 43 | ▲3 |  Mad JayPlay.Fearless |
1,587 | 34 | |
| 44 | ▲11 |  CORECORE: About Them Video Games |
2,055 | 4 | |
| 45 | ▲30 |  Warpig's Warhouse@warhouse |
114 | 2 +1 | |
| 46 | ▼11 |  Blaise BourgeoisRange Advantage |
398 | 4 | |
| 47 | ▲41 |  Copy/Paste Co-OpDavid B.'s Newsletter |
1,446 | 26 | |
| 48 | ▲41 |  Lone Legend@lonelegend |
1,199 | 7 | |
| 49 | ▼12 |  Simone TagliaferrigAMEpLAY eXP |
661 | 15 | |
| 50 | ▼29 |  Jim ManderI Play Games So You Don't Have To |
613 | 10 +1 | |
| 51 | ▼15 |  Tim BiggsPress Any Button |
479 | 9 | |
| 52 | ▼2 |  Jornal dos Jogos@jornaldosjogos |
8,330 | 50 +3 | |
| 53 | ▼44 |  MrJoeCurrSensible Gaming |
29 | 1 | |
| 54 | ▲13 |  Michael FarrisQuick Save Quick Load |
10 | 1 | |
| 55 | ▲7 |  Lawrence 'Scanlines' LichfieldScanlines’ Journal |
920 | 26 +3 | |
| 56 | ▲15 |  Michael MasbergGeschichten und Würfel |
4 | 0 | |
| 57 | ▲22 |  José PérezGamedev Pills |
244 | 3 | |
| 58 | ▼44 |  Jennifer ShahadeSee the Sideways Move |
18,009 | 41 +1 | |
| 59 | ▲33 |  ROPROP’s Playbook |
395 | 10 +2 | |
| 60 | ▲16 |  Katya RyabovaPlaying This Week |
703 | 30 +1 | |
| 61 | ▼12 |  Niamh CelesteThe Silver Spire News |
852 | 10 +2 | |
| 62 | ▼31 |  Neal HallfordThe Many Worlds of Neal Hallford |
217 | 3 | |
| 63 | ▲10 |  Chris VicariBehind the Screen |
482 | 12 +2 | |
| 64 | ▲8 |  Conner DejecacionThe Thief-Taker General |
25 | 1 | |
| 65 | ▼22 |  Mike MearlsArcane Mutterings |
1,875 | 15 | |
| 66 | ▼28 |  Filipe UrriçaVideojogos: Boas Leituras |
312 | 11 +1 | |
| 67 | ▲26 |  Jay RooneyGame & Word |
2,022 | 33 +2 | |
| 68 | ▼29 |  Chris McDowallBastionland Presser |
9,036 | 56 +4 | |
| 69 | ▼46 |  The Patch Notes - Leyla ✧˖°The Patch Notes |
173 | 3 | |
| 70 | ▼69 |  Mahj on the BeachMahj on the Beach |
4 | 0 | |
| 71 | ▼11 |  James M. SpahnJames M. Spahn's RPG Musings |
1,450 | 27 | |
| 72 | ▼67 |  The Pokémon Observer@thepokemonobserver |
329 | 6 | |
| 73 | ▼45 |  MurkdiceMurkMail |
4,434 | 50 +2 | |
| 74 | ▼59 |  The Video Game Storyteller@thevideogamestoryteller |
2,915 | 50 +6 | |
| 75 | ▼50 |  Jesse BartelDamage Per Second |
755 | 16 | |
| 76 | ▼7 |  Compleat DMThe Compleat DM: The Architecture of Play and Pathos |
589 | 12 | |
| 77 | ▼26 |  Christian CawleySense per Word |
2,466 | 4 | |
| 78 | ▼68 |  Jordan OlomanThe Postmode Newsletter |
169 | 4 | |
| 79 | ▲5 |  LucasHistoria Realis |
3,515 | 14 | |
| 80 | ▼68 |  Junta IkedaInfinite Chess |
3,129 | 42 +1 | |
| 81 | ▼48 |  Rose BeharNarrative News |
1,860 | 29 | |
| 82 | ▼30 |  Chris WainscottOn the Road to Chess Master |
313 | 8 | |
| 83 | ▲13 |  Patrick KlepekCrossplay |
16,165 | 58 | |
| 84 | ▼30 |  Cole BakerFairlight Exchange |
5 | 0 | |
| 85 | ▼8 |  Trip HarrisonThe Spieler |
530 | 13 | |
| 86 | ▼28 |  Daira RiveraSoft Reset Gaming |
9 | 0 | |
| 87 | ▼6 |  MixnmojoThe Adventurer |
405 | 4 | |
| 88 | ▼61 |  Jordan H.J.Voletic |
238 | 8 | |
| 89 | ▼30 |  Māyā Cryptic crosswords by Māyā |
153 | 7 | |
| 90 | ▼8 |  Chris MumolaGame Sense |
128 | 4 | |
| 91 | ▼27 |  JesChariTTRPG’s Substack |
820 | 9 | |
| 92 | ▼66 |  Christian LindkeChristian Lindke's Geekerati Newsletter |
3,969 | 36 | |
| 93 | ▼19 |  Harrison PolitesInfinite Lives |
1,310 | 50 +3 | |
| 94 | ▼54 |  Dalton PerrineChess Chatter |
1,480 | 20 | |
| 95 | ▼75 |  George E. OsbornVideo Games Industry Memo |
8,287 | 54 +1 | |
| 96 | ▼35 |  mobilegamer.bizThe mobilegamer.biz newsletter |
14,588 | 53 +2 | |
| 97 | ▼90 |  InvestGame@investgame |
4,591 | 5 +2 | |
| 98 | 0 |  Casinos Hate Winners@casinoshatewinners |
1,950 | 11 | |
| 99 | ▼19 |  Brian CrecenteGame (by Pad and Pixel) |
6,710 | 39 +1 | |
| 100 | ▼82 |  Santa Pazienza@santapazienzanewsletter |
2,888 | 42 +1 |
The top 20 on every read
Rank on each read of the Rising board. Darker is higher. A gap means the writer was outside the top 100 on that read.
| Writer | Oct 3107:00 | Oct 3113:00 | Oct 3119:47 | Nov 621:50 | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dmitriy Byshonkov | 98 | 97 | 97 | 1 | ▲97 |
| Justin Gary | 31 | 78 | 78 | 2 | ▲29 |
| Stephen Totilo | 99 | 3 | ▲96 | ||
| Hearth and Hammer Review | 4 | new | |||
| TheGamerEducator-Screens& kids | 35 | 30 | 30 | 5 | ▲30 |
| Christopher Dring | 93 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ▲87 |
| Joost van Dreunen | 7 | 99 | 99 | 7 | 0 |
| Jonathan Beckett | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ▼3 |
| Nick Visel | 54 | 57 | 57 | 9 | ▲45 |
| Jake Steinberg | 15 | 45 | 45 | 10 | ▲5 |
| Robert Walrod | 61 | 91 | 91 | 11 | ▲50 |
| Paul Lefebvre | 75 | 32 | 32 | 12 | ▲63 |
| Nick Sloan | 77 | 86 | 86 | 13 | ▲64 |
| Shay Atlas | 29 | 48 | 48 | 14 | ▲15 |
| God Gamer | 55 | 87 | 87 | 15 | ▲40 |
| Xania Lasagna | 37 | 16 | 16 | 16 | ▲21 |
| Carlos Pereira | 45 | 90 | 90 | 17 | ▲28 |
| Tony Won | 50 | 53 | 53 | 18 | ▲32 |
| Patrick Buechner | 6 | 8 | 8 | 19 | ▼13 |
| Luke | 80 | 11 | 11 | 20 | ▲60 |
History starts on Oct 31, 2026. Each day adds a column.
Who recommends Games writers
Publications with the most live recommendations pointing at writers whose main category is Games. If you write in this category, these are the readers' lists worth being on.