55 Best Small YouTube Gaming Channels You Need to Follow!

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There’s no shortage of big name gaming YouTubers that are worth following. We all have our favorites and I’m subscribed to dozens of channels…and that’s pretty moderate compared to a lot of people I know.

Nothing wrong with that. But how do you find the really good small gaming channels on YouTube? The ones doing some really awesome gaming stuff, but that haven’t taken off the way some of the big names have? At least not yet.

No worries – we’ve got you covered!

Here are 54 of our favorite small YouTube gaming channels that deliver exceptional content from really cool gamers who are just as dedicated to creating great videos as they are to gaming.

Important Note: These are not in any particular order. These gaming channels vary widely, have very different styles of videos and focus, but one thing they have in common is that they’re all awesome from #1 to #55.

Go check some out and show these amazing content creators some love!

Our Favorite 54 Awesome Small YouTube Gaming Channels

Make sure to check out some of these great YouTubers, subscribe, and show them some love!

#1: Time to Grind

Time to Grind is a great channel that had just a touch over 5K subscribers when I found them. This is a channel that’s big in content with over 670 videos with a strong emphasis on Let’s Plays and Gaming Reviews. The games tend to be in the genres of Indie Games (always a great topic), Roguelites, and FPSs.

The reviews are really fantastic and one thing I appreciate are comments on the gameplay and aspects he likes/dislikes even during a let’s play as opposed to a review.

But the actual in-depth reviews of games are gems. I discovered this channel through his review of the game Littlewood, and knew I was going to be subbing immediately.

The reviews on this page are exceptional and do a really amazing job while the Let’s Plays are enjoyable while still providing good information for potential buyers on what works, what doesn’t, and really gives you a great view as a gamer as to what the whole package is.

Video We Love: Littlewood Review

YouTube Channel Link: TimeToGrind YouTube Page

#2: Lady Shelab

A wonderful streamer who plays a great variety of games while chatting in a very cheerful tone, if you want to take a look at the many fantastic slice of life farming sims like Stardew Valley, Pumpkin Days, and My Time at Portia then Lady Shelab is a streamer you will adore.

She was actually the reason I discovered My Time at Portia, a game I fell absolutely love in with over 100 hours of gameplay later. She has an amazing long Let’s Play series of My Time at Portia as well as equally long and impressive playthroughs of other farming sim/life games, as well as adjacent games like Castle Builder, Pumpkin Days, No Place Like Home, Hokko Life, and more.

Add in a delightful personality to go with the pleasant selection of games and this is a channel that I know many of our readers will adore. Go subscribe and say hi!

Video Series We Love: My Time at Portia (Full Release)

YouTube Channel Link: Lady Shelab YouTube Page

#3: Inquisitive Otter

There is no lack of great Civ 6 streamers on YouTube, big or small. Several were just too good to keep off this list and Inquisitive Otter was one of them! This channel has a wide variety of topics related to the ever popular Civ 6 (of which Shane is a huge fan), and in my opinion some of the best content out there.

Many Civ 6 channels are about Min-Maxing, but you get playthroughs here while also getting intentionally (devastatingly) hard challenges like Mali, a desert civ, on a resource barren bit of polar Arctic ice to start. Or creating a mod to make resources super scarce because why not have everyone struggling and starving?

The informational videos are some of the best, too. Everyone debates production vs food early game. He runs simulator scenarios of two twin cities to see what choosing one over the other results in. Top notch content if you’re a Civ fan, find and subscribe to this channel!

Video We Love: Worst. Start. Ever. Civ 6 Deity Mali

YouTube Channel Link: Inquisitive Otter YouTube Channel

#4: Scardey Ginge

I don’t know what strange twist in the YouTube algorithm let me discover Scardey Ginge’s channel but I’m so so glad I did. One of the few times the YT algo worked perfectly 🙂 The games she plays are incredibly varied from deep emotional game streams that are part of charity drives for war orphans to personal experience stories dealing with supernatural experiences, narcolepsy, and more.

This is really a lovely, brave, and incredible channel from a streamer slash YouTuber who has a lot to offer a wide audience. Take a look at some of her Vlogs and playthroughs, then make sure to subscribe and say hi.

I’m really excited to watch this channel grow and look forward to see more of where it goes in the future.

Video We Love: My Time at Portia Let’s Play & Narcolepsy: My Life Was Changed Forever

YouTube Channel Link: ScardeyGinge YouTube Channel

#5: Wilder

Wilder’s channel has a great mix of guides, list videos, and Let’s Play. The occasional in-depth look on a topic video also pops up, and includes our favorite where he goes over the really old school Harvest Moon titles and looks at the ones that deserve some remake love versus those that don’t. While these aren’t the only style of games he plays, these types of farming sim/life sim games do make up the bulk of the play videos.

Recent Story of Seasons, Harvest Moon remakes, Rune Factory 5, and Animal Crossing all see time here. But you can also catch videos on Paper Mario, Pokemon, and other classics.

Great laid back vibe that still has solid energy and really good knowledge of the games being played. Outstanding little channel that deserves more love than it’s received so far.

Video We Love: 5 Harvest Moon Remakes I Want to See

YouTube Channel Link: Wilder’s YouTube Channel

#6: Boesthius

Tons of Civ 6 Content from one of the best Civ 6 channels out there, big or small, in my opinion. There are some great strategy and tier videos, as well as a huge amount of campaign play throughs (on Deity, of course).

Boesthius is relaxed, has a great vinyl collection, and feels like that cool buddy you’re always happy to see or talk to. He is very active on Twitch and has also started producing videos on Human Kind.

We love the fact that while everyone has done a best special unit tier list or a best city state tier list, no one looked at the music for each faction and that makes the video delightful. Even if you’ve watched many Civ 6 streamers, or generally haven’t been that interested, he finds way to bring new delight in this complex game over and over again.

We’re really excited to be following his channel and seeing where the content continues to grow in the future.

Video We Love: The Music Tier List for Civ 6 That Nobody Asked For

YouTube Channel Link: Boesthius YouTube Channel

#7: Dranina

Dranina has a fantastic channel with a few really well done guide and tips videos, and a delightful array of Let’s Plays that I’ve enjoyed immensely. The recent Slime Rancher playthrough is delightful, and watching another player discover this game for the first time is fantastic. The Portia videos are really outstanding, and although some of those names are familiars, there are others that I had never heard of until stumbling upon this channel.

Anna’s Quest and Gris are just two examples, while some videos go to games like Metro 2033 or RimWorld.

In other words, you’ll see a very healthy mixture of excellent games that go between the well known and the very niche, from big titles to independent projects. Dranina is a delightful narrator and it’s always exciting to see which game is getting a video next.

Video We Love: What Did I Learn After 1 Year in Portia – Top 10 Tips

YouTube Channel Link: Dranina YouTube Channel

#8: IMO – Saloz94

Wonderful unboxings, detailed game reviews of many interesting, niche, or unknown games, and several laid back Just Play videos with friends lead to a very diverse channel that consistently puts out videos on a new game or topic we missed – and often in a video that is absolutely exceptional.

In fact, we find many of the IMO (“In My Opinion”) reviews are surprisingly in-depth, go over many different details and aesthetics of each game, and give all the information you need via voiceover while seeing the game in action.

You know whether or not this is a game for you by the end of the review and I’ve seen plenty of reviews on other channels where that wasn’t the case.

Many of the reviews are very fair measuring good and bad. But when a game really biffs it, he isn’t afraid to tell you in no uncertain terms that they missed the mark. There’s a lot of really good stuff here and I’m surprised the reviews haven’t gained more traction – many of them are absolute hidden gems.

Video We Love: In My Opinion – Daymare 1998 Review

YouTube Channel Link: IMO Saloz94 YouTube Channel

#9: Foxy Fern

The videos that seem to catch the most attention on Foxy Fern’s channel are the Stardew Valley videos, and for good reason. From a fantastic 4-part Min-Max guide to looking to see how to weather the unique challenges of the beach farm, there’s an amazing array of top notch Stardew Valley content.

There are many other great game series, as well. Planet Zoo and Graveyard Keeper are both ones I’ve enjoyed watching immensely. And although even many of my friends didn’t know about Yonder, there’s a playthrough of this great game on the channel as well, interspersed among playthroughs of No Man’s Sky and Slime Rancher.

There are a great variety of games on this channel and Foxy is a great guide with solid energy and clear explanations that make every video enjoyable to watch.

Make sure to subscribe so you can call yourself part of the Foxy Gamers and if you love animation, check out her side channel: Foxy Fern Animation for more really cool videos focusing on the animation side of things.

Video Series We Love: Min-Max Guide to Stardew Valley (Link is to part 1)

YouTube Channel Link: Foxy Fern YouTube Channel

#10: Mr. Terry Gaming

If you’re a history buff, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled upon Mr. Terry History. That’s a great channel full of reaction videos from Mr. Terry giving the perspective of a history teacher to a wide variety of different history related videos. It’s a fantastic channel if you’re into history, and he’s also a gamer.

This is the gaming channel, focusing on a nice blend from vintage NES games (he has a very impressive collection) to Fallout 4 and everything in between.

This channel features many streams and the sheer variety of different games is something gamers who like playing a little bit of everything will certainly relate to and enjoy.

Video We Love: Most Underrated Mario Game Ever?

YouTube Channel Link: Mr. Terry Gaming YouTube Channel

#11: Nova Rains

A great small gaming channel featuring a host with a great personality, while I found it from the Littlewood guide videos (which are excellent) this channel covers a wide variety of games outside of the farm/life sim genre. Multiple gameplays on Rimworld, Yakuza, and Omori are just some of the titles covered on the channel.

And of course since I’m a travel fanatic, I absolutely love the tips for first-time travelers to Japan, as well.

Video We Love: 13 Helpful Tricks & Tips for Littlewood & Tips for First Time Travel to Japan

YouTube Channel Link: Nova Rains YouTube Channel

#12: Bob World Builder

A rock solid D&D channel that continues to rocket since we first discovered it, Bob does a great job of takin topics that most of us don’t even think of when playing 5th Ed Dungeons and Dragons and makes them interesting by testing them in real world situation. From testing difficult terrain to hiking 25 miles in a day, do testing the stats of the average “commoner” in DnD, these videos are great and keep you coming back for more.

Other videos on Homebrew items, rules, and multiple DM guides based on setting make this channel an absolute winner for any big D&D fan or any beginner looking to get involved.

Trust me, it’s very easy to spend hours on this one channel diving down the YT rabbit hole. The most recent video of “Which D&D Books Should you Buy?” was good enough to be a video we love, but the testing of D&D commoner stats by gamers clearly out of their element was just amazing in every way.

If you’re a 5E fan, or a fan of large channels like Nerdarchy then you’ll want to sub.

Video We Love: D&D Commoner Strength

YouTube Channel Link: Bob World Builder YouTube Channel

#13: C.M. Simpson

A great channel I discovered from some great My Time at Portia playthrough videos but there’s so much more here. C.M. Simpson reminds you of a kindly mother figure who plays games, shares her writing (she has published several books – her Amazon author page can be found through that link) as well as readings of her poetry, flash fiction, an of course, plenty of gameplays.

The videos have a relaxed vibe I really enjoy, and I think many of you will, as well.

Video We Love: Staring Out in Pumpkinvale – Pumpkin Days

YouTube Channel Link: C.M. Simpson YouTube Channel

#14: Backlog Battle

This channel is off the beaten path of the games that I’m usually exposed to from my friend group…and I love it. Focusing heavily on JRPGs, Japanese games, and niche story games that could easily fly under a casual gamer’s radar, Alex’s channel is fantastic. Tales of Arise, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Zanki Zero, Atelier Ryza are just a few of the games reviewed and played on the channel.

The videos are well put together, the reviews are fantastic and in-depth, with several focusing on the Switch build of popular titles. Good energy that isn’t overpowering, and you have a great indie-friendly channel here.

Video We Love: Sakuna Of Rice and Ruin Review

YouTube Channel Link: Backlog Battle YouTube Channel

#15: Pepp’s Indie Reviews

The title of this channel says it all. If you love indie games, love supporting indie studios, and want to know abut indie games you may have missed, this is the channel for you. The playlist “Steam Hidden Gems” is LOADED with games I’ve never even heard of. That’s really, really hard to do.

The reviews are concise but detailed, make comparisons to slightly better known titles, and really give a great sense of what the game is about and whether or not you would enjoy it. There are a lot of good video game review sites out there, and ‘s my belief this is one of the better ones.

And you can get in and subscribe before it breaks out big 🙂

Video We Love: Tangledeep Review (Roguelike RPG)

YouTube Channel Link: Pepp’s Indie Reviews YouTube Channel

#16: Before You Play

Getting back to our group’s roots with a rock solid board game channel, Before You Play is the channel of a young married couple who are passionate about board games and give fantastic reviews in videos that start with a rules/how to play overview, an actual game (when the game has a 2-player mode), and then an overview on thoughts/feelings of how the game played.

This is a fantastic channel where that hard-to-balance combination of chill feeling and high energy is met creating a wonderful viewing experience. Their review of the Stardew Valley Boardgame is also one of the best I’ve seen online anywhere deep diving the game.

Video We Love: 10 Board Games That Got Us Into the Hobby

YouTube Channel Link: Before You Play YouTube Channel

#17: The Indie Gaming Guild

A combination of First Impressions and Review videos across a wide variety of independent games makes The Indie Gaming Guild channel a gem and like many others on this list, we can’t believe they haven’t received more attention yet. These reviews look at indie games of all genres, styles, and across multiple platforms like Xbox, Switch, or PC.

If you’re like us and you believe we’re in the golden age of gaming (not thanks to big studios) then any channel that gives you wide exposure to the many amazing indie games out there is a good one. And the Indie Gaming Guild is a great review channel that is clearly a cut above most of the rest.

Video We Love: 10 Exciting NEW Indie Games – 2021 (Look, there’s a reason Geoffrey made this a channel trailer video)

YouTube Channel Link: The Indie Gaming Guild YouTube Channel

#18: Multiplayer Media

Multiplayer Media plays many great games. The channel is especially heavy in Spyro, Crash, and Civ 6 but also features many other games, as well. Occasional non-playing videos include great topics like looking ahead to the challenge of Civ 7, what’s great about being a gaming YouTuber, and high-energy gaming news videos looking at upcoming releases.

I enjoy the energy from this channel and the willingness to play games that he enjoys – and the discussions of how he sees game mechanics. It’s a fun channel that has plenty to offer gaming fans.

Video We Love: What Is GREAT About Being a Gaming YouTuber

YouTube Channel Link: Multiplayer Media YouTube Channel

#19: A Casual Gamer

Kat is a gamer out of Canada who runs an excellent channel looking at indie games (especially those that bring up memories of vintage games) with a bit of a skew to RPG, various life sims, and cute games. Older videos focus heavily on vintage games or the old vintage unboxings and classic systems with some really cool stuff.

This is a channel that has a great variety of videos and games, and Kat shows a chill personality on the Let’s Play videos that makes

Video We Love: A Peaceful RPG – Littlewood Gameplay & First Impressions

YouTube Channel Link: A Casual Gamer YouTube Channel

#20: Sarah Sunstone

Right now this channel is simple in its focus: it’s a channel all about the upcoming game Coral Island. Chances are if you’re a fan of any of the farm/life sim games like Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, or others, then you’ve been waiting for Coral Island. Sarah’s YouTube channel is one of the best following this game’s development, reporting on what’s allowed, and bringing that clearly authentic enthusiasm of a gamer loving the experience of a new game they’ve just been waiting on.

This is a really cool channel focusing on a game I’m thrilled to see coming out. The passion of this channel comes through, and it makes it a must-follow for those of us looking forward to Coral Island.

Video We Love: Coral Island – 5 Things I DON’T Want to See in the Game!

YouTube Channel Link: Sarah Sunstone YouTube Channel

#21: Strawberry Farmer

There are many channels that pretty much just focus on light hearted sim-type games. Strawberry Farmer is definitely not one of them! Erin plays a variety of games and isn’t afraid to dive into the nitty-gritty titles that offer great story and game play. Extended series of Let’s Play videos for Disco Elysium, Ghost of Tsushima, Plague Tale and more.

This is a great array of really quality games that don’t stick with the user streamer fare which makes them all the moer enjoyable.

Video We Love: I’m A Detective! – Disco Elysium

YouTube Channel Link: Strawberry Farmer YouTube Channel

#22: Wayward Prophet

Wayward Prophet was a channel I discovered while writing my Best Games Like Stardew Valley article because of his Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley inspired game World’s Dawn, an excellent RPG Maker farming/life sim game that made the list. It’s a game I dumped 60+ hours into and while it has a few obvious signs of being a first project, it’s a rock solid game that draws you in the more you play it.

This is the channel of the solo developer behind that game and the recently released A Story Beside. The Developer’s Let’s Play series is fantastic as you not only really see the game but you learn the inspirations, the inspirations, and the early programming limitations that led to the game becoming what it was. To me, that’s incredible.

Super cool little channel and a great way to support an indie developer.

Video We Love: World’s Dawn Developer’s Let’s Play Part 1

YouTube Channel Link: Wayward Prophet YouTube Channel

#23: Therm

Therm has a great YouTube channel that focuses on a solid array of games but also hits heavily on Pokemon, Stardew Valley, and Terraria, as well as other farm life/sim games related to the genre like Slime Rancher. From speed run challenges in Slime Rancher to building that awesome year one farm on Stardew Valley, to exploring mods on other popular games, there’s a really solid array of content here.

His dry sense of humor and great narration skills make many of these videos extremely entertaining to watch and makes this an easy choice for our top 50 small YouTube gaming channels.

Go say hi and help his channel continue to grow!

Video We Love: I Played 100 Days of Stardew Valley

YouTube Channel Link: Therm YouTube Channel

#24: Kitty Bit Games

Great games, chill attitude, and adorable cat-based figures standing in for the channel owner while playing or talking…what more could you want? There’s a wide array of games on here including extensive Final Fantasy XIV guides, Summer in Mara, Monster Hunter Rise, and My Time at Portia. and more.

Great channel with a lot of specific how-to videos and a chill talking Samurai cat to walk you through it. Again, what more do you want?

Video We Love: Early Game Money Making Tips for Gols My Time at Portia

YouTube Channel Link: Kitty Bit Games YouTube Channel

#25: Al’s Gaming

There’s a strong S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community out there and for good reason. It’s a great series of games. In fact for those former Fallout fans who lament how Bethesda annihilated this series, you should check out the STALKER games for your fix. Al’s Gaming takes an in-depth look at this heavily underrated series with multiple great videos as well as mods.

Through in some great retrospective videos and you have a small channel

Video We Love: Deus Ex Retrospective – 20 Years Later

YouTube Channel Link: Al’s Gaming YouTube Channel

#26: VTea

I have a deep admiration for anyone who has gotten good with using animation software to create good YouTube videos, and VTea is definitely in that elite group.

Solid bare bones art interspersed with excellent talking points and a good personality if you wonder about the history of Harvest Moon, why Harvest Moon titles suck now, interspersed with short funny vids many YouTubers and gamers can relate to, this is your channel.

Video We Love: There Will NEVER Be Another Good Harvest Moon Game

YouTube Channel Link: VTea YouTube Channel

#27: The Board Game Show

James has a channel all about board games, a topic that is definitely close to our hearts. Covering a wide range of games from simple to complex, strategy to luck-based, there’s a lot here to love. One highlight that’s hard to find: solo playthroughs of board games explained and shown.

That’s a great benefit for those of us always up for a game but sometimes without a partner. These solo play guides are excellent ways to see how to go through a game when you have to play by yourself in detail, leaving you confident to try the game on your own after a single viewing.

If you love board games, you will want to add this channel to your list of subscriptions.

Video We Love: Pandemic Solo Playthrough with James

YouTube Channel Link: The Board Game Show YouTube Channel

#28: The Scarlet Seeker

You want a wide, wide array of Let’s Play videos? The Scarlet Seeker has them in abundance! From post apocalyptic indie darlings to a wide array of science fiction games, to zombie apocalypse and terraforming games of all types, The Scarlet Seeker has plenty of reaction and review videos covering them all.

Video We Love: Until We Die – Overview, Gameplay & Impressions

YouTube Channel Link: The Scarlet Seeker YouTube Channel

#29: Tantrum House

Fantastic board game group featuring a large group of friends who all love gaming. There’s a board game show, news, tons of listicles and game reviews, and coverage on all things board games. The large group means plenty of different points of view, which I find delightful. This also means more games reviewed and games that cover a wide array of tastes.

Great small board game channel that we hope just explodes in the coming years.

Also check out their website for the podcast as well as the excellent annual Table Flipping contest. It’s a delightful idea, and one we’re excited to throw our hat into next year 🙂

Video We Love: Gloomhaven – Jaws of the Lion Review

YouTube Channel Link: Tantrum House YouTube Channel

#30: Emerald King

Emerald King so far is all about the Project Zomboid…and I’m all about that. A game that has been amazing over a 10 year development yet also incredibly difficult and challenging, it’s amazing how difficult it can be to find good substantial videos on the game or reflections on a 10 year evolution…which honestly is amazing!

The “Evolution of Project Zomboid” is an amazing video detailing this. We’re really excited by what we see so far on this channel and look forward to seeing what the future holds

Video We Love: Evolution of Project Zomboid

YouTube Channel Link: Emerald King YouTube Channel

#31: Pathea Games

Not often a game developed by a small studio becomes a giant hit and then it’s very interactive YouTube channel remains small (or smallish at least). But Pathea Games is just that.

There were several niche indie games but the breakout hit was My Time at Portia, and the now extremely highly anticipated release of My Time at Sandrock, the sequel.

If you want news or updates on this game, or wants to watch how the progression of marketing and building up excitement for a game before release by an indie studio happens, this is a great channel to follow.

Video We Love: My Time at Sandrock Livestream

YouTube Channel Link: Pathea Games YouTube Channel

#32: Ezlily

A great channel focused on “comfy games,” the majority of content right now is Stardew Valley heavy. Featuring videos on tips, tricks, and advice for achieving certain in-game goals, the mix of videos is great. From seeing incredible goals done in video to fantastic videos about the types of players who play Stardew, if you’re an SV fan, you’ll adore this channel.

Video We Love: 5 Types of Players in Stardew Valley

YouTube Channel Link: Ezlily YouTube Channel

#33: The Nerd Shelves

Another fantastic board game channel that brings a wide array of great board game videos, a mixture of classic games as well as newer titles that you may not have heard of up to this point. There are also some great DIY videos for creating a gaming table and a gaming table topper. If you love board games, you’re going to love what The Nerd Shelves brings to the table.

Video We Love: Top 10 Board Games of All Time – in Our Collection

YouTube Channel Link: The Nerd Shelves YouTube Channel

#34: Weave the Tale

You want great RPG stories? Weave the Tale has years of fantast RPG stories. Multiple Call of Cthulhu campaigns that had me hooked, one-shots galore, as well as some great TTRPG series’ that many players haven’t heard of like Masks and Zweihander. In other words if you love TTRPG stories, this channel has them in huge numbers.

Whether one-shot or series, they have you covered. Fantastic channel TTRPG’ers should love.

Video We Love: Masks of Nyarlathotep Ep. 1 One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

YouTube Channel Link: Weave the Tale YouTube Channel

#35: The Terminator

Featuring Strategic War Games like Dei, Total War, Hell Let Loose, Medieval Kingdoms, and more, there’s a lot on this channel that old school war strategy gamer will love. While I’m a fan of several of the Total War games, the video on why they fail brings up some great points and sure enough features issues that even fans would generally agree with.

Great breakdowns of the game, and the news videos on up and coming releases in this genre of games are some of the best we’ve seen.

Video We Love: 3 Reasons Why Total War Games Fail to Deliver

YouTube Channel Link: The Terminator YouTube Channel

#36: Redd Forman

What’s better than one great Coral Island channel? How about two? This is another channel that has spun up looking at the game Coral Island and does a really good job keeping up on news, looking at announcements, and creating videos on great thought-provoking questions surrounding what is undeniably one of the most hyped farm/life sim games since Stardew Valley.

Video We Love: Coral Island Game | Should You Play the Alpha?

YouTube Channel Link: Redd Forman YouTube Channel

#37: Lisa Juliette

Lisa’s excitement for the games she plays shows through in each video, and shows a gamer who knows what she likes and loves sharing the games that excite her. Farming and life sim games like Sun Haven, Graveyard Keeper, and Hokko Life just scratch the surface of this channel, however.

Other titles like Sakuna Of Rice and Ruin, Carto, Diablo I & II, and Genshin Impact show the wide variety of games that get attention on this channel. These Let’s Play series of games hit a wide spread of great titles that will keep you coming back to see what’s next.

Video We Love: In-Depth Overview Sun Haven

YouTube Channel Link: Lisa Juliette YouTube Channel

#38: DariaPlaysRPGs

A channel that deep dives the vintage RPGs run by a YouTuber with an often understated but hilarious sense of humor, DariaPlaysRPGs scratches that vintage itch. Going in-depth on old school RPGs found on NES, SNES, Genesis, and the original Play Station, this channel is loaded with great content that is perfect for old school gamers.

Plus you get gems of lines like this: “If dungeon machoism is your kink, and you can’t ignore the adorable…”

I’ll forgive you if you open a new tab to go subscribe right now. The article will still be here when you get back.

Video We Love: The SNES Fans’ Guide to Genesis RPGs (and Vice-Versa)

YouTube Channel Link: DariaPlaysRPGs

#39: Play with Josh

Not only are popular games like Rune Factory 5, Sun Haven, and Story of Seasons covered on this channel, but many reviews of slightly lesser known games. Whether this is looking at demos for upcoming games, reviewing hidden gems, or taking on challenges like “Is the $1 farming RPG worth it?” Josh’s channel manages to bring plenty of originality and great videos about games that don’t always get the full coverage they deserve.

A good mixture of streamed Let’s Plays, actual reviews, and the occasional short guide makes this a great gaming channel and one of our favorites that is on the rise. His ability to read Japanese means you sometimes see games early that aren’t set for North American release until much later – which is super cool.

Video We Love: 10 Beginner Mistakes to Avoid in Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town

YouTube Channel Link: Play with Josh YouTube Channel

#40: DoctorDDub

DoctorDDub loves the farm/life sims, and loves going an unconventional route with his videos to put a fresh spin on things. The Stardew Valley games are modded to provide a viewing experience that feels authentic and different…and the choice of mods are for people who love the game and don’t necessarily want to just “left field” it.

Other games like Graveyard Keeper and East Shade receive attention as well as news for upcoming games, some of which are well known some which are flying underneath the radar. He has also been on top of Sunny Side which is a game that is incredibly intriguing for anyone who likes this genre of games and has been wondering when someone was really going to try something different to shake the genre up.

Great videos, clear excitement and knowledge of the topic, and insight on games that hadn’t caught my attention – that’s a winning combination.

Video We Love: A Farm Sim Unlike Any Other (Yes, Even Stardew Valley) – SunnySide

YouTube Channel Link: DoctorDDub YouTube Channel

#41: Wimpy Warrior

We couldn’t have a top small gaming YouTube channel list without a Minecraft channel. Hard part is finding a great one that hasn’t already blown up. Well, we found it – courtesy of Wimpy Warrior!

Very good editing, great direct informational videos and musical montages, and plenty of Minecraft building, and a great overall channel. Very impressive videos made by the young man and looking forward to seeing more in the future.

Video We Love: Things That TRIGGER You in Minecraft

YouTube Channel Link: Wimpy Warrior

#42: Kristen’s Epic Adventures

Fantastic D&D YouTube channel that is especially newbie-friendly. It can be easy to forget how intimidating D&D can be the first time you go through it. Even before the first campaign is over you often feel like an old hand, but I remember looking to play druid the first time and deciding…you know what, ranger just looks less…confusing.

Very few DnD channels are true-beginner friendly and Kristen’s channel fills that niche extremely well diving into topics that true newbies, beginners, and even moderate level players will appreciate.

Video We Love: How to Use the Starter Set – Learning to Play D&D

YouTube Channel Link: Kristen’s Epic Adventures YouTube Channel

#43: Bageltop Games

Featuring heavy into Legendary, a Marvel-based deck building game, this gives a Magic alternative to deck builder fans. This channel is loaded with streams of Legendary solo games that also veer off into chaos, randomizer, and viewer choice modes that make each video high energy, interesting, and different from the last.

If you like deck builder games, this is a great channel to add to your list of YouTube subscriptions.

Video We Love: ANNIHILATION Unboxing & Overview – Marvel Fantastic Four Expansion 2021

YouTube Channel Link: Bageltop Games YouTube Channel

#44: TheGamingGuru51

Did someone ask for a channel that offered Zelda, Zelda, and more Zelda? The Gaming Guru 51 delivers with great playthroughs of Breath of the Wild, as well as old school titles like The Minish Cap, Link to the Past, Zelda II, and more.

If you love The Legend of Zelda, you’ll thoroughly enjoy everything that this channel has to offer!

Video We Love: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Blind)

YouTube Channel Link: TheGamingGuru51 YouTube Channel

#45: Mossy

This is the type of Stardew Valley content I live for. Not just Let’s Plays or basic guides, but really in-depth videos that explore “The Stardew Valley Iceberg” that makes the game so unique. Who is Linus, really? What about M. Jasper? What secrets have you forgotten about the game? What about the underbelly or dark side that adds reality and depth to this world?

This is a fantastic channel that really dives into the best and deepest of what SV has to offer.

Video We Love: Solving the Mystery of Linus and M Jasper & All Your Stardew Valley Pain in One Video

YouTube Channel Link: Mossy YouTube Channel

#46: Faeviolin

A great energetic young streamer, Faeviolin creates great videos on farm sim, management, cure RPG games, and other popular games in these related genres while also occasionally busting out a beautiful violin cover. She’s a talented YouTuber and streamer who has plenty of great content already up on a channel that deserves way more subscribers than it currently has.

If you love amazing non-gaming content check out some of her violin videos. This is a very talented streamer and we’re really excited to watch as her channel continues to grow on both YouTube and Twitch.

Video We Love: New Fantasy Indie RPGs: Lawmage Academy, Eastward, Potion Permit, Alchemic Cutie

YouTube Channel Link: Faeviolin YouTube Channel

#47: Jakstalgia

Great channel that dives into the golden age of vintage Nintendo. Videos aren’t single game reviews but talk about topics like the fall of Metroid, SNES as the golden age of Nintendo, what happened to Harvest Moon, and more. These mini-documentary style of videos have amazing information, great energy, and outstanding energy.

These are videos that took a TON of love and effort, and it shows. Do yourself a favor and subscribe for some really amazing videos. One of my favorite discoveries of the past year on YouTube.

Video We Love: Metroid Spinoffs: The Rise and Fall of Metroid

YouTube Channel Link: Jakstalgia YouTube Channel

#48: Dork Forge

Like optimizing off the beaten path D&D builds in 5E? Wondering how changes from Tasha’s affect current build options? This is your channel for plenty of amazing builds, build concepts, and a deep dive into what the rules changes and options in Tasha’s means for creating new characters.

Channel seems to be on a bit of hiatus, but hopefully that changes soon as there’s so much great content here it would be a shame not to see a lot more!

Video We Love: Sharpshooting Artificer – Battle Smith Heavy Crossbow Build

YouTube Channel Link: Dork Forge YouTube Channel

#49: TheCivLifeR

He’s crass, he’s crude, he has no issues telling barbarian hordes to go F off – the super high energy YouTuber TheCivLifeR puts out content at an incredible rate. You can expect game play footage released pretty much daily with guides, strategy vids, or other topics related around Civilization 6.

While this channel isn’t the size of Potato McWhiskey (Yet) you have to love the energy and if you love Civ 6 or want to see what it’s all about, this is a great channel to check out. As long as the kids aren’t in the room when the swearing begins 🙂

Video We Love: The 12 Mods You NEED To Get for Civilization 6 (2021)

YouTube Channel Link: TheCivLifeR YouTube Channel

#50: The Brothers Murph

One of our favorite small board game based YouTube channels, this brothers-run YouTube channel is an outstanding option that has all kinds of great content from top lists to gameplay to rules to random ideas that many of us have had (like playing through the entire board game collection in a set time). The energy is great, these brothers clearly love board games and this leads to a fantastic channel from people who are passionate about the topic.

Choosing a video we love was so hard with this channel because there were several that were just SO good. Try their Top 10 Cooperative Board Games or Top 10 Underrated Board Games if you just can’t get enough great board gaming content.

Video We Love: Can We Play Our ENTIRE Collection in One Week?

YouTube Channel Link: The Brothers Murph YouTube Channel

#51: Waligug

Waligug has a great Stardew Valley based channel that gives fun facts about the game, the developer, and does a lot of deep dives into player theories on characters, looking at potential updates, and more. This is a great channel for players who love SV content but want more than another play through.

The 100 days in Stardew Valley video is also really great, and there’s plenty of other Stardew Valley content on Waligug’s channel that is definitely worth watching through if you’re a SV fan.

Video We Love: Does Stardew Valley Need 1.6?

YouTube Channel Link: Waligug YouTube Channel

#52: I Heart Board Games

A great group (who were actually the first to raid us on Twitch and welcome us into the creator community) these guys have a great Twitch channel and a rock solid YouTube channel where the group gives off a chill relaxing atmosphere that is easy to enjoy as they play an amazing array of games.

The occasional top 10 list breaks up the individual board let’s play videos and this is a channel that is simply worth following if you like a relaxed vibe with your board game fix.

Video We Love: Pandemic Legacy Season 0: 4p Playthrough

YouTube Channel Link: I Heart Board Games YouTube Channel

#53: SkullSplitter Dice

If you’re in a D&D group and someone has super nice dice, chances are you’ve at least heard of SkullSplitter Dice if not seen them directly. They are well known for being one of the premium RPG dice companies the US for producing amazing metal dice.

What even many dice fans don’t know is that they have an outstanding YouTube channel that goes beyond dice making and has outstanding 5E DnD content on the site. From ultimate guides on terrifying but underrated monsters to class builds, mechanics, uncommon race guides, and more, there’s a lot of outstanding content here.

Video We Love: Aboleth 5E – Ultimate Guide for Dungeons and Dragons

YouTube Channel Link: SkullSplitter Dice YouTube Channel

#54: Tikyjo

This channel is dedicated specifically to overlooked and underrated board games, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. This a fantastic channel and Tia does a great job getting to the heart of what makes each game work and using her experience as a gamer to know the questions that would naturally come up from people looking at this games who were unfamiliar with them.

Videos on two player or even solo one-player game modes means there’s plenty of unique content here that you just don’t find on most channels. This is a great small gaming channel that deserves more love!

Video We Love: My TOP 10 Favorite Solo-Flexible Board Games

YouTube Channel Link: Tikyjo YouTube Channel

#55: Assorted Meeples

I mean…you didn’t really think we’d leave ourselves off this amazing list, did you? Look, when you have a group of cool kids like this, you just really want to join in!

Aside from that, we’re actually really proud of some of the amazing videos that we have put out, and based on how filming of season two of Unqualified Experts went, some big-time ideas we have for the future, and Old Man Callahan getting his wood shop and 3-D printing workshop set up for winter…it’s only going to get better.

If you haven’t checked out Table for Two or Unqualified Experts – please do!

Some of our favorite videos to this point:

YouTube Channel Link: Assorted Meeples YouTube Page

Plenty of Amazing Gaming YouTube Content for You

I hope you enjoyed this list. There are some really amazing YouTubers on this list, many of whom do YouTube and Twitch. Some have already begun really taking off even as we were writing this list. Some were under 500 when I started researching and are now above10k subs, and that is AWESOME to see!

In our eyes these are simply the best small gaming channels on YouTube, and we hope each and every one of them

If you find yourself ever looking for something a bit different or a bit new, you should have plenty of content to watch on this list and then some. Thanks for reading this far and please subscribe and support these awesome content creators!