10 Audiobooks Like Dungeon Crawler Carl: What to Listen to Next

Best for: Closest overall match

Narration: Heath Miller · Solo narration · Book 1

What works: Heath Miller gives Jason the same kind of memorable, high-energy central performance that makes Jeff Hays’s Carl so addictive. Expect snark, monster fights, escalating powers, and a huge supporting cast.

Possible drawback: Jason’s snark and the extended system explanations can feel repetitive, and this is a solo performance rather than a full-cast production.

Worth the credit? Yes — the strongest first choice if you want another long, funny, character-led LitRPG binge.

Next listen: Open the He Who Fights with Monsters review

Best for: Best for hardcore progression

Narration: Travis Baldree · Solo narration · Book 1 · about 20 hours

What works: This is the choice for listeners who loved the game mechanics and escalating dungeon floors in Carl but want even more statistics, classes, skills, loot, and progression detail.

Possible drawback: It is more solitary and system-heavy than Dungeon Crawler Carl, with less of the ensemble comedy and theatrical sound design.

Worth the credit? Yes — a substantial, dependable progression-fantasy listen with a long series runway.

Next listen: Open the The Primal Hunter review

Best for: Best for epic scale

Narration: Pavi Proczko · Solo narration · Book 1 · about 23 hours

What works: The isolated survival, monster battles, loot, cultivation and steadily expanding power curve make this a natural next step for a listener who enjoyed Carl’s climb through impossible odds.

Possible drawback: The opening is more solitary and exposition-heavy, and the cultivation elements may feel slower than Carl’s joke-dense momentum.

Worth the credit? Yes — especially if you want a very long, progression-heavy listen with survival stakes.

Next listen: Open the Defiance of the Fall review

Best for: Best for immersive world-building

Narration: Andrea Parsneau · Solo narration · Book 1 Parts 1 and 2 · about 48 hours

What works: Andrea Parsneau makes the enormous cast easy to follow, giving this unusually long audiobook a warm, character-led centre. It trades Carl’s nonstop dungeon chaos for community, relationships and world depth.

Possible drawback: The opening is deliberately slow-burn and slice-of-life, and the series later introduces a narrator change.

Worth the credit? Yes — exceptional value if you want an immersive world you can live in for weeks.

Next listen: Open the The Wandering Inn review

Best for: Best for mystery and time loops

Narration: Jack Voraces · Solo narration · Arc 1 · about 23 hours

What works: The satisfying accumulation of skills and clues will appeal to Carl listeners who enjoy watching a protagonist solve a system one layer at a time. Jack Voraces keeps the academy mystery and growing cast clear.

Possible drawback: The opening is slower and more magic-academy focused than Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the performance is solo rather than dramatized.

Worth the credit? Yes — a smart, puzzle-led progression fantasy with excellent long-listen value.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings

Best for: Best cozy palate cleanser

Narration: Travis Baldree · Solo narration · Book 1 · about 12 hours

What works: Baldree’s relaxed character work makes the farming, found family, spirit animals and cultivation jokes land beautifully. It is a gentler alternative for anyone who wants warmth after Carl’s brutality.

Possible drawback: The pace is cozy and deliberately low-key, so listeners seeking dungeon danger and constant combat may find it too calm.

Worth the credit? Yes — particularly if you want funny progression fantasy without another relentless survival sprint.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings

Best for: Best polished progression fantasy

Narration: Travis Baldree · Solo narration · Unsouled, Book 1 · about 9 hours

What works: Cradle offers the compulsive progression loop at its cleanest: train, discover a new limit, fight someone stronger, and find the next impossible goal. Baldree gives the cast clarity and momentum.

Possible drawback: The early terminology takes a little time to settle, and its humour is less chaotic and darker than Dungeon Crawler Carl’s satire.

Worth the credit? Yes — a compact entry point into one of the most bingeable progression-fantasy series in audio.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings

Best for: Best for time-loop chaos

Narration: Eric Michael Summerer · Solo narration · Book 1 · about 18 hours

What works: The central gimmick creates the same problem-solving pleasure that makes Carl’s dungeon progression so compelling. Summerer carries a sprawling cast while keeping Ryan’s irreverent voice at the centre.

Possible drawback: It is cyberpunk time-loop fiction rather than a dungeon crawl, and repeated timeline attempts can occasionally slow the forward momentum.

Worth the credit? Yes — a clever, funny and highly bingeable change of setting for DCC listeners.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings

Best for: Best for card-based progression

Narration: Luke Daniels · Solo narration · Book 1 · about 13 hours

What works: This is a strong match if the build-crafting and audible progression side of Dungeon Crawler Carl is what you most want next. Luke Daniels keeps the mechanics clear while giving the coming-of-age story energy.

Possible drawback: The tone is more earnest and coming-of-age than Carl’s brutal comedy, and the production is not full-cast or dramatized.

Worth the credit? Yes — a distinctive, accessible progression-fantasy entry with a strong central system.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings

Best for: Best non-LitRPG alternative

Narration: R.C. Bray · Solo narration · Columbus Day, Book 1 · about 16 hours

What works: It swaps game mechanics for military science fiction but keeps the audio-first pleasures: comic timing, a memorable narrator, escalating action and a partnership that becomes the emotional engine.

Possible drawback: It is not LitRPG, and the opening takes time to establish the military-sci-fi framework before the larger comic space opera arrives.

Worth the credit? Yes — an excellent choice if you want Dungeon Crawler Carl’s fast, funny energy in a science-fiction setting.

Next listen: Compare it with the LitRPG rankings