Best Sci Fi Podcasts: 14 Science Fiction Shows to Listen to Now
The best sci fi podcasts, checked on 6 November 2026: 14 shows with their format, content rating and whether each one is still running or finished.
Photo: Stephan Widua on Unsplash
Quick answer: the best sci fi podcasts for most listeners are Wolf 359, a finished space-station drama, Welcome to Night Vale, which has been running since 2012, and Escape Pod, a short-story show that posted a new episode this week. For a finished story to binge, try The Strange Case of Starship Iris. For comedy, try Mission to Zyxx.
Every show below is real, free to play and was checked on the day this page went up. We checked each one’s Apple Podcasts listing on 6 November 2026, and the show’s official site where the listing didn’t make its status clear. Shows start, pause and end, so look at the newest episode date in your app before you commit.
The status labels mean:
- Running: a new episode or bonus in the past few weeks.
- Between seasons: a season ended in 2026 and we found no date for the next one.
- Quiet: no new story episodes for a long time, but no official end.
- Finished: the creators or the listing say the story is over.
The 14 sci-fi podcasts at a glance
“Episodes in feed” is the number Apple Podcasts showed on 6 November 2026. It includes trailers, bonuses and other shows’ feed drops, so it isn’t the length of the story. The section on why episode counts mislead explains more.
| Show | Format | Status on 6 Nov 2026 | Episodes in Apple feed | Apple content rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf 359 | Serialised drama on a space station | Finished (finale posted 25 Dec 2017) | 100 | Clean |
| The Strange Case of Starship Iris | Serialised space adventure | Finished (final season ended Oct 2025) | 42 | Explicit |
| The Bright Sessions | Serialised drama about people with unusual abilities | Finished (listed as complete) | 127 | Explicit |
| Limetown | Mystery told as a reporter’s investigation | No new episodes since 2018 | 22 | Not marked explicit |
| Moonbase Theta, Out | Serialised drama set in 2098 | Main story finished Nov 2023 | 134 | Explicit |
| Archive 81 | Horror with sci-fi elements | Quiet, not officially over | 51 | Explicit |
| Welcome to Night Vale | Radio bulletins from a strange desert town | Running | 386 | Explicit |
| Mission to Zyxx | Improvised sci-fi comedy | Running | 165 | Explicit |
| Midnight Burger | Comedy-drama about a diner that crosses time and space | Between seasons | 154 | Explicit |
| Escape Pod | Short stories read aloud | Running | 300 | Explicit |
| Clarkesworld Magazine | Short stories read aloud | Running | About 1,200 | Explicit |
| The Truth | Standalone audio short films, mixed genres | Running | 197 | Explicit |
| Imaginary Worlds | Documentary about sci-fi and fantasy | Running | 320 | Explicit |
| Our Opinions Are Correct | Talk show about science fiction | Finished (last episode Nov 2025) | 210 | Explicit |
If you’re listening with children nearby, note that Apple marks 12 of these 14 shows as explicit.
Which sci-fi podcasts are finished and easy to binge?
Wolf 359, The Strange Case of Starship Iris, The Bright Sessions, Limetown and Moonbase Theta, Out have complete or long-paused stories, so you can start at the beginning without waiting for new episodes. Archive 81 is here too, with a caveat.
Wolf 359
Wolf 359 describes itself as “a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows”. Apple files it under science fiction and comedy fiction. According to the listing, Doug Eiffel is the communications officer of the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, now on day 448 of its orbit around the red dwarf star Wolf 359.
The show ran for four seasons. Its official site posted Episode 61, Brave New World, as the series finale on 25 December 2017, with a warning that the episode contains violence and the use of firearms. It’s the only show on this list that Apple rates Clean.
The Strange Case of Starship Iris
The listing for The Strange Case of Starship Iris opens with “In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials.” Jessica Best wrote it for the Procyon Podcast Network. A post in the feed in August 2025 called season three “the third and final season”, and the last episode, 3.08 Rejoice, came out on 23 October 2025.
The Bright Sessions
Created by Lauren Shippen and produced by Atypical Artists, The Bright Sessions is, in its listing’s words, “a science fiction audio drama that follows a group of therapy patients”, each with an unusual ability. The first episode went out on 1 November 2015, and Apple now marks the series complete, ending with an epilogue season.
Limetown
Limetown, from Two-Up, is a mystery told through a public radio reporter’s investigation. Its listing begins: “Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee”. The feed holds two seasons and 22 items, and its latest dated episodes are from late 2018.
Moonbase Theta, Out
D.J. Sylvis’s Moonbase Theta, Out calls itself “a queer emotional sci-fi audio drama”, set in 2098. According to a trailer in the feed, the series “wrapped up at the end of November 2023”. From January 2025 the feed added a monthly run of short prose stories, MTO Phases, narrated by Cass McPhee.
Archive 81
Archive 81, from Dead Signals, is “a fiction podcast about horror, cities, and the subconscious”, and Apple files it under science fiction. Its newest post announces the creators’ new show, Conversations with Ghosts, which they call “our first audio drama since Archive 81”. An earlier post said “no, Archive 81 isn’t over”, so we’ve listed it as quiet. If you want horror more than spaceships, start here.
Which sci-fi podcasts are still releasing episodes?
Welcome to Night Vale and Mission to Zyxx were both putting out new episodes when we checked, and Midnight Burger was between seasons.
Welcome to Night Vale
Night Vale Presents describes Welcome to Night Vale as “Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true.” The show has run since 2012, Apple lists it under science fiction, and the newest item in its 386-item feed went up on the morning we checked.
Mission to Zyxx
Mission to Zyxx is an improvised science fiction sitcom about a team of ambassadors trying to set up diplomatic relations with planets in the remote Zyxx Quadrant. It’s part of the Maximum Fun network, has run since 2017 and posted a live bonus episode on 28 October 2026. Expect strong language: Apple marks it explicit.
Midnight Burger
In Midnight Burger, from Business Goose Media, Gloria takes a waitressing job at a diner outside Phoenix and finds it moves across time and dimensions. The official Season 5 episode page shows new chapters every two weeks or so until August 2026. We found no date for a sixth season, so we’ve called it between seasons.
Short-story sci-fi podcasts for one episode at a time
Short-story shows suit you if you don’t want to keep track of a plot across weeks. You can start with the newest episode, skip around and stop whenever you like.
Escape Pod
Escape Pod, from the Escape Artists Foundation, calls itself “The Original Science Fiction Podcast” and has been running since 2005. Episodes are short stories read aloud, and the newest when we checked was Escape Pod 1070. Some longer stories are split across two episodes, so check the title for “Part 1 of 2”.
Clarkesworld Magazine
The Clarkesworld Magazine podcast has read stories from the magazine aloud since 2008, with Kate Baker as narrator. The newest episode when we checked was Hannah Yang’s “Twenty-Two Steps to Become Us”, from the November 2026 issue. The show describes its stories as science fiction and fantasy, so not every one is set in space.
The Truth
The Truth, hosted by Jonathan Mitchell and part of Radiotopia, makes “short, cinematic stories meant to be listened to closely, like short films for your ears”. Each episode has a new cast, and not every story is science fiction. The listing suggests starting with The Joke, Operation Skillshot, Here I Am, Dark End of the Mall, Silvia’s Blood or Can You Help Me Find My Mom.
Podcasts about science fiction
If you’d rather hear people talk about sci-fi than listen to a story, these two are the picks. One is still going and one has a full archive.
Imaginary Worlds
Eric Molinsky’s Imaginary Worlds says it “sounds like what would happen if NPR went to Comic-Con and decided that’s all they ever wanted to cover.” He interviews people who make sci-fi and fantasy books, films, TV, comics and games. The show has run since 2014, puts out an episode every two weeks and posted a new one the day before we checked.
Our Opinions Are Correct
Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders hosted Our Opinions Are Correct from 2018 to 2025, exploring “the meaning of science fiction, and how it’s relevant to real-life science and society”. Their last episode came out on 27 November 2025. They asked listeners to stay subscribed because they’d be back in some form, and all 210 episodes are still in the feed.
Why the episode count in your app can mislead
A podcast feed is a container, and creators put more than the story in it. Trailers, bonus episodes, live recordings and other shows’ “feed drops” all count towards the number your app shows. Three examples from our check:
- Wolf 359’s Apple feed lists 100 items, but the story ends at Episode 61, the series finale.
- Escape Pod’s listing shows 300 episodes, while its newest is numbered 1070.
- Steal the Stars, a 2017 audio drama that still appears on older best-of lists, used to sit at an Apple Podcasts address that now displays a different show, Stories from Among the Stars from Macmillan Audio. We couldn’t confirm that Steal the Stars’ episodes are still in that feed, so it isn’t on our list.
Our advice: before you start a serial, find its first episode and its newest one, and read the dates.
How to choose a sci-fi podcast
- Decide whether you want an ending. Pick from the finished list if you hate waiting, or a running show if you’d like something new every fortnight.
- Check the newest episode date. A serial with nothing new for a year has stopped, at least for now, whatever the listing says.
- Start serials at episode one. Scroll to the oldest episode or look for a “start here” trailer. Short-story shows can start anywhere.
- Check the content rating. Apple marks 12 of these 14 shows explicit, and Wolf 359 is rated Clean.
- Give a serial two episodes. First episodes have a lot of setting up to do.
- Pay only if you’ll stay. Limetown, The Bright Sessions and Imaginary Worlds offer a paid subscription in Apple Podcasts, but you can listen free first.
Sci-fi podcasts to listen to together
For a long drive or a night in with a partner, pick something you can both follow without a screen. A standalone episode of The Truth or Escape Pod fits a short trip, and Wolf 359 or Starship Iris suits a run of evenings. Mission to Zyxx is the pick if you’d rather laugh.
Afterwards you’ve got something to talk about, and our fun questions to ask can keep it going. For more plans, see our date ideas, our guide to things to do near you and the rest of our entertainment guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best sci-fi podcast to start with?
Start with Wolf 359 if you want a complete story with a crew in space. It ran for four seasons and ended with Episode 61 in December 2017. If you’d rather sample first, play any Escape Pod episode, because each one is a short story and you can stop after it.
Which sci-fi podcasts have finished?
Of the shows we checked on 6 November 2026, Wolf 359, The Strange Case of Starship Iris, The Bright Sessions and Our Opinions Are Correct have ended. Moonbase Theta, Out finished its main story in November 2023. Limetown has had no new episodes since 2018, and Archive 81 is quiet but not officially over.
Is Welcome to Night Vale still going?
Yes. When we checked on 6 November 2026, Welcome to Night Vale was still releasing episodes, and a new item had gone up in its Apple Podcasts feed that morning. The show has run since 2012, describes itself as twice-monthly community updates from a desert town, and its feed held 386 items.
Which sci-fi podcasts have standalone episodes?
Escape Pod and Clarkesworld Magazine read short stories aloud, usually one per episode. The Truth makes standalone audio dramas with a new cast each time, though not every one is science fiction. All three were releasing new episodes when we checked on 6 November 2026, so the newest episode is a fine place to start.
Are sci-fi podcasts free?
All 14 shows on this list have free episodes in Apple Podcasts. Some also sell a paid version: Limetown, The Bright Sessions and Imaginary Worlds each offer a subscription in Apple Podcasts. Check what the subscription adds, such as ad-free listening, before you pay, and try the free feed first.
