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Top Podcasts for Mystery Storytelling in 2026

Curated by PodSEO

The mystery storytelling space keeps producing fresh voices and long-running favorites. This list rounds up 41 of the best, including Crime Junkie, Casefile True Crime, and MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories.

  1. Crime Junkie
    Crime Junkie
    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime ...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesCold Case InvestigationsCultureEntertainmentForensic ScienceMystery Storytelling
    +9
    Audience:
    College StudentsGen ZTrue Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Investigative
    When:
    At The GymCommutingDoing ChoresLong DriveQuick Listen
    +1
  2. Casefile True Crime
    Casefile True Crime
    Fact is scarier than fiction. Subscribe to Casefile Premium to receive ad-free episodes released one week early, along with access to bonus Q&A’s, ...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsMissing PersonsSerial KillersTrue CrimeUnsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative StorytellingSolo Commentary
    When:
    Long DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  3. MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
    MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories
    MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories is a true crime and mystery podcast that presents strange, dark and mysterious content deliv...
    Content:
    Black Women True CrimeFolk TalesSerial KillersSeries AnalysisTrue CrimeMystery Storytelling
    +1
    Audience:
    EngineersTrue Crime Fans
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  4. Morbid
    Morbid
    It’s a lighthearted nightmare in here, weirdos! Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technicia...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesCold Case InvestigationsComedyDark FictionEntertainmentMystery Storytelling
    +8
    Audience:
    Gen ZTrue Crime FansYoung Adults
    Goal:
    Following A StoryUnwinding And Laughing
    Style:
    Investigative
    When:
    Long DriveQuick ListenWeekend Deep Dive
  5. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
    My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
    My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling tr...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesComedyDark FictionExplicit ContentMature ThemesMystery Storytelling
    +6
    Audience:
    CouplesStudentsTrue Crime FansYoung Adults
    Goal:
    Emotional ResilienceFollowing A StoryUnwinding And Laughing
    Style:
    Narrative Storytelling
    When:
    At The GymBackground NoiseCommutingDoing ChoresLong Drive
    +1
  6. Criminal
    Criminal
    Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe ...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesCold Case InvestigationsCultureDark FictionElder CareMystery Storytelling
    +11
    Audience:
    College StudentsRetireesStudentsTrue Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryIn-Depth InterviewsInterviewInvestigativeNarrative Storytelling
    +1
    When:
    Background NoiseCommutingDoing ChoresLong DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  7. Someone Knows Something
    Someone Knows Something
    Christine Harron, a book-loving teenager from Hanover, Ontario, leaves for school in the spring of 1993 and is never seen again. A suspect emerges,...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsMissing PersonsTrue CrimeUnsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigative
  8. Serial
    Serial
    Our newest podcast, “The Preventionist” is out now. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. Serial Productions makes narrative podcasts that ...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsCourtroom DramasNewsPersonal StorytellingReal Life StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +8
    Audience:
    LawyersStudentsTrue Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A StorySolving Problems
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative StorytellingQ And A
    When:
    CommutingDoing ChoresLong DriveQuick ListenWeekend Deep Dive
  9. Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes
    Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes
    On Buried Bones, journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and forensic investigator Paul Holes dissect some of history’s most compelling true...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsForensic ScienceHistoryUnsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  10. True Crime Garage
    True Crime Garage
    True Crime Garage: Your Weekly Dive into Real-Life Mysteries Grab a chair, crack open a cold one, and join hosts Nic and the Captain for an immersi...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsMissing PersonsSerial KillersTrue CrimeUnsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
  11. The Magnus Archives
    The Magnus Archives
    “Make your statement, face your fear.” The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction audiodrama podcast examining what lurks in the archives of th...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +5
    Audience:
    Fantasy FansSci-Fi Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Narrative StorytellingSerialized Fiction
    When:
    Long DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  12. In The Dark
    In The Dark
    In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the m...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsCourtroom DramasForensic ScienceLaw EnforcementMissing PersonsMystery Storytelling
    +7
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative Storytelling
    When:
    Long DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  13. Welcome to Night Vale
    Welcome to Night Vale
    Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide. Never ...
    Content:
    Audio FictionBizarre HistoryClassic Pulp FictionConspiracy TheoriesDark FantasyMystery Storytelling
    +8
    Audience:
    Book LoversFantasy FansGen ZSci-Fi FansWriters
    Goal:
    Following A StoryTo Fall Asleep To
    Style:
    Narrative StorytellingSerialized Fiction
    When:
    Background NoiseLong DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  14. Sherlock & Co.
    Sherlock & Co.
    My name is Dr. John Watson, once of the British Army Northumberland Fusilier Regiment, now a true crime podcaster based in Central London. I don't ...
    Content:
    Audio FictionFictionMystery Storytelling
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
  15. Up and Vanished
    Up and Vanished
    Host Payne Lindsey heads to the edge of the arctic circle to investigate two mysterious disappearances from Nome, Alaska. Up and Vanished investiga...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesCold Case InvestigationsMissing PersonsNewsSerial KillersMystery Storytelling
    +4
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative StorytellingSolo Commentary
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  16. Bear Brook
    Bear Brook
    Bear Brook, hosted by Jason Moon, is the critically-acclaimed true crime podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio. Season 1 - Two barrels. Four Bodi...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsForensic ScienceMissing PersonsSerial KillersTrue CrimeMystery Storytelling
    +1
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative Storytelling
    When:
    Long DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  17. S-Town
    S-Town
    S-Town is a podcast hosted by Brian Reed from Serial Productions, a New York Times company. The story follows a man named John who despises his Ala...
    Content:
    Audio FictionCold Case InvestigationsFictionLocal StoriesPersonal MemoirsMystery Storytelling
    +4
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative StorytellingSerialized Fiction
    When:
    Doing ChoresLong DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  18. Alice Isn't Dead
    Alice Isn't Dead
    A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human ...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +5
    Audience:
    Fantasy FansSci-Fi Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
    When:
    At The Gym
  19. The Lovecraft Investigations
    The Lovecraft Investigations
    An investigation into witchcraft, the occult and secret government operations. From H.P. Lovecraft.
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +8
    Audience:
    Fantasy FansSci-Fi Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
  20. Mysterious Universe
    Mysterious Universe
    Always interesting and often hilarious, join hosts Joe Hodgdon and Brandon Thomas as they investigate the latest in reality, futurology, weird scie...
    Content:
    Ghost StoriesParanormal InvestigationsSpiritualitySupernatural HorrorUfo Conspiracy TheoriesMystery Storytelling
    +6
  21. Unexplained
    Unexplained
    Unexplained is a haunting and unsettling bi-weekly podcast about strange and mysterious real life events that continue to evade explanation. A stor...
    Content:
    Bizarre HistoryDark FantasyDark FictionGhost StoriesHaunted PlacesMystery Storytelling
    +11
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryNarrative Storytelling
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  22. Archive 81
    Archive 81
    Archive 81 is a fiction podcast about horror, cities, and the subconscious. New episodes will be released every other Wednesday. Start from "01 - A...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +4
    Audience:
    Sci-Fi Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  23. The Black Tapes
    The Black Tapes
    The Black Tapes is a weekly podcast from the creators of Pacific Northwest Stories, and is hosted by Alex Reagan. The Black Tapes Podcast is a seri...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +7
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
  24. To Live and Die in LA
    To Live and Die in LA
    In Feb 2018, an aspiring actress vanished from her Hollywood apartment. Rolling Stone journalist Neil Strauss was asked to help the family get answ...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsEnd-Of-Life PlanningEntertainmentMissing PersonsTrue CrimeMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative Storytelling
    When:
    Weekend Deep Dive
  25. One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries
    One Strange Thing: True Paranormal Mysteries
    One Strange Thing searches the nation's news archives for true paranormal stories and supernatural mysteries rooted in real history. Each episode e...
    Content:
    Ghost StoriesHaunted PlacesParanormal InvestigationsStrange HistorySupernatural HorrorMystery Storytelling
    +2
  26. The Dropout
    The Dropout
    Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. Ho...
    Content:
    Credentialing ScandalsReal Life StoriesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Following A StorySolving Problems
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigativeNarrative Storytelling
    When:
    CommutingDoing ChoresLong DriveWeekend Deep Dive
  27. Limetown
    Limetown
    Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. In this podcast...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FictionFictionHistoryPsychological HorrorMystery Storytelling
    +3
    Audience:
    Sci-Fi FansStudents
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Narrative StorytellingSerialized Fiction
    When:
    At The GymWeekend Deep Dive
  28. TANIS
    TANIS
    Tanis is a bi-weekly podcast from the Public Radio Alliance, and is hosted by Nic Silver. Tanis is a serialized docudrama about a fascinating and s...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionSmall Town HorrorMystery Storytelling
    +4
    Audience:
    Sci-Fi Fans
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    Narrative StorytellingSerialized Fiction
  29. Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery
    Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery
    Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a new audio drama from HartLife NFP.Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for...
    Content:
    Audio FictionDark FantasyDark FictionFictionGhost StoriesMystery Storytelling
    +4
    Audience:
    Fantasy Fans
    Style:
    Serialized Fiction
    When:
    Commuting
  30. Gumshoes & Dragons
    Gumshoes & Dragons
    Gumshoes & Dragons is a bi-weekly (the one that means once every 2 weeks) murder mystery actual play comedy podcast created and DM'd by Anthony Bur...
    Content:
    Ttrpg Actual PlayMystery Storytelling
  31. Once Upon A Crime
    Once Upon A Crime
    Step into the darker side of history with Once Upon A Crime, a true-crime podcast that delves deep into some of the world’s most gripping cases. Ho...
    Content:
    Bizarre CrimesMystery Storytelling
    Audience:
    True Crime Fans
    Goal:
    Understanding Cryptocurrency
  32. The Clearing
    The Clearing
    When April Balascio was 40 years old, something she’d feared for decades was finally proven true. Her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, really was a mu...
    Content:
    Cold Case InvestigationsSerial KillersWomen'S MemoirsMystery Storytelling
    Goal:
    Following A Story
    Style:
    DocumentaryInvestigative
  33. The Rest Is History: Mysteries & Magic
    The Rest Is History: Mysteries & Magic
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling
  34. UNSOLVED MURDERS
    UNSOLVED MURDERS
    Can you help solve a murder or spot an undetected serial killer?There are a lot of them.More than 211,000 Americans have died in unsolved homicides...
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling
  35. Mama Mystery with Kelly Evans
    Mama Mystery with Kelly Evans
    Mama Mystery is your go-to true crime podcast, delivering gripping, straightforward storytelling with a perfect balance of occasional banter. Every...
    Content:
    Unsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
  36. Roots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast
    Roots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast
    Roots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast is a narrative podcast exploring the hidden history, folklore, and true crime of the Appalachian Mou...
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling
  37. The House of Strange
    The House of Strange
    The House of Strange delves into the legends, folklore, and mysteries that have haunted humanity for centuries — stories that blur the line between...
    Content:
    Haunted PlacesLegends FolkloreSupernatural HorrorMystery Storytelling
    Style:
    Investigative
  38. CRIMELINES
    CRIMELINES
    Crimelines invites you to follow the trail of the most harrowing and enigmatic crimes from around the globe. In every episode, we dive deep into th...
    Content:
    Unsolved MysteriesMystery Storytelling
  39. The Crime Reporter
    The Crime Reporter
    Some crimes are truly unforgettable. In The Crime Reporter, Emmy Award winning Investigative Reporter Mara S. Campo answers the most compelling que...
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling
  40. The Warwick Recordings
    The Warwick Recordings
    The Warwick Recordings - An 11-episode audio drama podcast from The Deadbolt Mystery Society.Everyone has secrets.  Knox Carter, a mid-list su...
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling
  41. Signal 20
    Signal 20
    Signal 20 is a spine chilling storytelling podcast where every episode delivers twenty minutes of pure dread. Step into the static and hear voices ...
    Content:
    Mystery Storytelling