At the end of January, Mob Entertainment released the long-awaited fourth chapter in the Poppy Playtime series. I get excited when new video games like Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 drop because it means my favorite content creators or “Let’s Players” will soon line up to release their reactions to the game. As the name suggests, “Let’s Plays” (LP) are videos where someone plays a video game while providing commentary on their experience, unlike walkthroughs, where people explain how to beat it. Whether they are played live on platforms like Twitch or uploaded to YouTube, Let’s Plays allows viewers to laugh at the creator’s mistakes and enjoy the video game without actually having to play it. 

I have been watching Let’s Plays for what feels like my whole life. It started at home for me, as I sat on the floor and watched my older brother play Super Mario Sunshine on our GameCube or the Halo franchise later on the Xbox. With each new console release, I got to watch him tackle new antagonists as I tried to give him advice as a spectator. Now, it was not like I never got to play, I too loved collecting my piñata animals in Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise and fighting DC villains in Lego Batman: The Videogame. But there were some games I just did not want to play myself because they were either too complicated or too scary, and my brother did not want to play them for me. So, I turned to YouTube, where I found the gaming YouTuber Markiplier. 

Markiplier 

Markiplier is one of the more popular and recognizable Let’s Players, having around 37.4 million YouTube subscribers. I can’t remember the first video of his I watched, but I do know I started tuning in when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I kept coming back to his videos because I liked his personality and his larger-than-life reactions to jumpscares and plot twists. Anytime I got the notification that he had uploaded, I knew what my plans were going to be for the evening, and I couldn’t wait to read people’s reactions in the comments. Though I do not watch him as much anymore, I still find myself going back to his now-infamous FNAF series over and over again, despite knowing exactly what happens in each video. It’s like rewatching your favorite movie; sometimes, it is just nice to have something on in the background that you know you like. 

DashieGames 

Another Let’s Player I found around the same time as Markiplier is DashieGames or Dashie. He isn’t the best at playing video games, but his humor makes up for it. Rather than appear family friendly, he cusses often and is quick to make jokes with sexual innuendos. Some of my favorite episodes from him are his Super Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8 series. In Super Mario Maker, he plays levels created by fans, sometimes spending hours just trying to beat one level, all edited down to a 30 to 40-minute video. Mario Kart 8 is a classic game that may seem boring when playing against computer-controlled opponents, but he makes it interesting by constantly bashing his enemy Donkey Kong and singing freestyle-victory (or defeat) songs after each race. Though he still makes funny jokes, his recent videos show a more mellowed-out version of his persona, which he acknowledged in one 2022 video titled “TELLING YOU THE TRUTH.” He says he calmed down mostly because he was getting headaches from screaming and he just matured over time. 

Again, I still watch Markiplier and Dashie, but I am not as quick to watch their most recent uploads. After watching them for so long, I think I just wanted new personalities and perspectives on the games I’ve loved watching for so long, which leads me to two of my current favorite Let’s Players: Berleezy and Caseoh. 

berleezy 

Berleezy has been uploading content for a while; he joined YouTube in 2016 and has 1,102 videos as of March 2025. He isn’t the best at decision-based video games (*cough* Until Dawn,) but he makes up hilarious storylines in his gameplay that keep me coming back for more. In live streams and Twitch streams, he bickers with his fanbase, EEZYGANG, about what he should do next. Spoiler alert: He usually ignores them and dies as a result. Before tuning into his channel, I had heard about him in passing from friends, but I had never considered watching him because he mostly plays indie horror games. However, I gave him a chance with his Poppy Playtime gameplay, and I am so glad I did. Now, I get to enjoy all his older videos as I wait for him to upload more content. 

CaseOh 

CaseOh, on the other hand, is a newer talent that rose to popularity in 2022 after going viral on TikTok from clips of his NBA 2K23 gameplay. He does have a YouTube channel, but this is where he posts videos from his daily Twitch streams. Yes, you read that correctly – daily (well, except for Saturdays.) Typically, his streams last for four hours, and they have been following a typical formula recently: talking to chat/scrolling through his Discord, playing one game for 30 to 45 minutes before trying out indie video games and demos, and ending the stream with his Minecraft series. His gameplay is especially collaborative, as he creates polls for the chat about big decisions and reads comments out loud to either take the user’s advice or make fun of them. I used to casually watch clips from TikTok but now I try to tune into his streams or watch certain gameplay on his YouTube later on. His infectious personality and his bits with the chat make him so fun to watch, and I know that I always have something to watch with his frequent uploads. 

All of these Let’s Players have their own personalities and styles of gameplay that make them entertaining to watch. I think LPs are so varied that anyone can find a Let’s Player that fits their vibe. If my go-to’s aren’t for you, here are a few other options to try out: 

• jacksepticeye: He is another big YouTuber like Markiplier, with 30.9 million subscribers. He is known for being Irish and playing games like Life is Strange and Papers, Please! 
• Cozy K Games: As her name suggests, she focuses on “cozy” games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, providing relaxing streams to decompress.
• TAYTA GAMES: Like Berleezy and CaseOh, she plays indie games and has a fun Supermarket Simulator series. 
• CoryxKenshin: He is a bigger YouTuber like Markiplier who has a fanbase called the Samurai. When he is not taking months-long hiatuses, he posts funny LPs with bizarre editing. 
• Kai Cenat: One of the biggest streamers on Twitch, he broke Twitch’s subscriber record with his month-long stream. He is one of the more “showy” streamers, as he hosts celebrities like SZA, Ice Spice and Drake, to name a few. 

Regardless of what style of LPs you go for, they are a great way to pass the time and keep up with new video game releases – all without having to actually play them.