The best Games newsletters

Regen Raygun is a weekly-style commentary newsletter on how the games industry is being reshaped by generative AI, covering AI agents playing games, user-generated game platforms and studio AI mandates. Readers get analysis of recent industry moves and the reasoning behind them, with direct reference to primary sources.

A personal essay newsletter on games, design ethics and play, mixing critiques of specific titles like Songs of Glimmerwick and Citizen Sleeper with broader reflections on dice mechanics and how design shapes behaviour. Readers get thoughtful, opinionated analysis of game design and the power of everyday objects and interfaces.

Gameplayarts is an email newsletter interviewing people who build and preserve game-based art, from arcade venue owners to media conservators. Each issue offers long-form, conversational interviews with practical detail on running spaces, legal rights, and digital preservation.

A personal, reflective newsletter by Megan Bidmead that uses games and pop culture as a way into essays on nostalgia, parenting, memory and everyday feelings. Readers get warm, candid writing about why stories matter, with the games and music serving as starting points rather than the main subject.

Austin Walker's newsletter mixes personal updates with criticism of indie games, such as his thoughts on the Umurangi Generation makers' Penguin Colony. It also tracks the Kickstarter and design process behind his tabletop RPG Realis.

Tim Broddin writes a personal newsletter about making digital products with AI assistance, such as his children's times-table app and a 3D VRT office simulator game. Recent issues mix candid reflections on burnout and overstimulation with behind-the-scenes notes on his creative process.

A newsletter by a game designer exploring how serious games teach, persuade and train, with examples from Mavis Beacon, The Oregon Trail and the White House Arcade. It also shares practical role-play games for building sales confidence among small business owners.

Wiwa is a personal newsletter by a writer who mixes photography, games and food, with reflective pieces on burnout, work and parenthood. Issues range from playful fiction about a video game to candid essays and practical tips for travel photography.

A personal curation newsletter sharing playful thinking tools, card decks, infographics and visual puzzles, each with the author's short reflective commentary. Readers get a roundup of thought-provoking resources on AI harms, social constructs, conversation design and games.

CASCADE CASCADE is a print and web magazine about the trading card game community, with a focus on Magic: The Gathering culture, design, and history. Recent issues announce a larger print edition with long-form features and share personal essays on friendship and playing card games as adults.

A personal TV blog where the author works through Halt and Catch Fire episode by episode, mixing close reading of storylines with meta updates on the schedule and writing delays. Readers get detailed, opinionated commentary on the show's characters, business plotlines and season structure.

Veteran tech writer Ravi shares personal, conversational reflections on games and gadgets, from quitting Pokémon Go to first impressions of the Steam Machine and a retrospective on Super Mario 64. Readers get witty, observational takes that mix personal anecdote with design insight.

Andrew Mitrak shares personal essays and announcements tied to his podcast A History of Marketing, including a marketing strategy game and reflections on career advice and Beatles marketing history. Readers get a mix of marketing education, career lessons and historical case studies from a practitioner with a varied background.

A poker training blog from Solve For Why that publishes hand-by-hand recaps of its Poker Out Loud cash game series and short lessons on poker theory. Readers get strategy reasoning from high-stakes pros and fundamentals such as expected value.

A personal newsletter from game designer and publisher Kay Marlow Allen, sharing monthly 'Things I Loved' lists covering food, games, books, gardening and life during chronic illness. Readers get a warm, low-pressure glimpse into a creator's everyday interests and recommendations.

The Skin Deep is an experience design studio that publishes personal essays and interviews on emotion, intimacy and relationships, alongside promotion for its card games. Its issues mix long-form human stories, such as a memoir-based interview, with playful relationship advice and marketing for its products.

A collaborative blog and newsletter for tabletop RPG enthusiasts, featuring community blogwagons, game jam entries, reviews of indie games, and calls to join live text and solo play projects. Readers get a monthly roundup of RPG ideas, reviews and community events.

Halfman is a monthly personal newsletter from a self-described disgruntled designer who shares a 'Top 10' of music, podcasts and reading, plus quirky essays on games, chess variants and everyday life. It reads as a chatty, irreverent mix of recommendations and short anecdotes.

A games-focused newsletter covering news, hardware and recommendations, including LEGO's first Pokémon sets, Intel's handheld chip push, and free open source games. Written in a casual, enthusiast voice for readers interested in gaming and the fediverse.

Wolmania is a personal weekly newsletter of quirky links, ranked lists, music picks and word-of-the-week entries, shared by a writer with strong opinions. Issues pair short editorial commentary with curious finds such as economics-and-film essays, obscure wargame stories and space history.

Updates from Fail Forward Games, a small studio making tabletop-style roleplaying games and a visual novel rooted in Indigenous folklore, with news on the Sea Beyond project, its funding struggles and upcoming events. Readers get development diaries, art previews and announcements of a quirky low-budget release.

Foolscap is a community of speculative fiction and games fans running weekly games, a reading group and a Discord, after ending its large annual convention. Its newsletter covers convention logistics, panel schedules and the group's reflections on its future.

Release notes and product announcements from ACGAO, a developer of Apple-platform apps including MeteorMath, Tanks-a-Lot and AirBear. Readers get feature lists, version histories and download links for these apps.

A fan-made newsletter sending daily printable helper sheets and hints for the New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle. Each issue points readers to an archive of tools such as word sheets, jumbles and grids.

Signals is a daily puzzle newsletter from The Mystery League built around Raddle word puzzles, each week themed on a musician's work, currently Phoebe Bridgers. Issues mix a puzzle call-to-action with short trivia notes about songs and albums, plus announcements about mystery themes and winners.

This newsletter from a Japanese mahjong web magazine mixes recurring mahjong drill quizzes, with answers and explanations, and promotional items such as game character announcements and campaign details. It mainly serves as a source of mahjong practice problems and industry and game updates.

Spoonful is a newsletter that introduces people who make games, with short profile-style issues featuring individual developers. It offers a glimpse into indie game creators and their work.

Montford Tales promotes Asher's Ridge, a no-GM tabletop roleplaying game for one to four players set in a fictional Lake District town, along with its Kickstarter campaign and add-on decks. The newsletter mainly announces sales, crowdfunding updates and product details rather than offering broader play advice.

Event announcements and speaker panels for Transformer, a conference on AI and games held in Kennesaw, Georgia. Readers get call-for-proposal details, dates, submission formats and occasional podcast or panel highlights.

Calligram Studio is an independent arthouse game studio that announces its releases, press features and Steam or Seam listings for titles like Phoenix Springs and I'M YOUR HOST. The issues are short promotional updates with links and little original analysis.