8-4 Play

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

8-4 Play 9/11/2026: TORNEKO ATSUME

As the kids say, "nothing but bangers and mash": Zelda, Onimusha, Orbitals, MGS4, Final Fantasy III / VI (?), Star Wars: Zero Company plus everything from the recent Nint

Sep 11
2 h 15 min

8-4 Play 8/28/2026: SALTY MOONTEARS

A tight 60 (ok 70ish) about The Duskbloods network test, Marvel Tōkon, Beast of Reincarnation, and various Gamescom opening night hijinks. 01:08 – Nicknames 03:41

Aug 28
1 h 10 min

8-4 Play 8/14/2026: RED LED REDEMPTION

It's a brand new ep with a whole lot of old: two lost Virtual Boy games, a recap of Quintet's SNES hits, and a return trip to Halo with Campaign Evolved. How many Gabes d

Aug 14
1 h 23 min

8-4 Play 7/31/2026: BOOYAH BROTHERS

Ay? Ay! (Have you been playing Splatoon Raiders? Because we sure have!) Plus the latest in the worlds of video game news and sudden Tokyo summer electrical storms.

Jul 31
1 h 05 min

8-4 Play 7/17/2026: SCORCHED EARTH

It's 8-4 Play's Summer Sale! 25% off hosts! 90% off our usual topics! The death of physical media! More layoffs! And balloon animals for the kids! 01:04 — Nicknames

Jul 17
53 min

8-4 Play 7/3/2026: COCKY LITTLE FREAKS

Star Fox, Adventures of Elliot, and a now-quaint lil' discussion on physical games (recorded prior to PlayStation's bombshell announcement). 00:47 – Nicknames 06:47 –

Jul 3
1 h 01 min

8-4 Play 6/19/2026: VACATION WELL WASTED

Special guest Robert Ashley stops by to talk about his amazing podcast A Life Well Wasted, old EGM / 1up.com memories, and (as required by law in 2026) AI and Xbox. 00:

Jun 19
1 h 19 min

8-4 Play 6/5/2026: BLAME IT ON THE RAIN

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES (a couple days ago): Game-by-game-by-game analysis of PlayStation's latest E3 June State of Play, plus…well, mostly that, honestly. 01:44

Jun 5
1 h 06 min

8-4 Play 5/22/2026: TOUCHED FUZZY, GOT DIZZY

Special guest hosts Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen, and Willie Nelson celebrate episode #420 by discussing the new Steam controller, Nintendo retirees, and how all our celebrity

May 22
55 min

8-4 Play 5/8/2026: FANTASTIC MR. STAR FOX

Up-to-the-minute Star Fox hot takes, week-or-two-old Saros first impressions, and the ancient mobile flip-phone Japan-only Xenosaga spinoff review you never knew you want

May 8
51 min

8-4 Play 4/24/2026: STROOP, THERE IT IS

17-Bit's Jake and Raj join the crew to chat about dat indie dev life, dat Pragmata life, and dat Tomodachi Life, with a very special message on the dangers of drinking wh

Apr 24
1 h 14 min

8-4 Play 4/10/2026: NOT MY SYRCUS

Do pirates do pilates? Clench your AnEarth and climb Gabe's favorite tower to find out as the crew explores the Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, makes a retu

Apr 10
1 h 08 min

8-4 Play 3/27/2026: CHAIRING IS CARING

Craft yourself a seat by the river and take a load off as we share first thoughts on Pokémon Pokopia, check in on the current state of Monster Hunter Wilds, and catch up

Mar 27
1 h 19 min

8-4 Play 3/13/2026: ALICE IN CHAINSAWS

Th-th-the gang t-t-talks the g-g-good, the bad, and the silly of Resident Evil Requiem, plus more Zelda, Minishoot Adventures, and Project Helix in news. 01:38 – Nickna

Mar 13
1 h 12 min

8-4 Play 2/27/2026: LEGEND OF AWAYSIS

17-Bit's Jake Kazdal stops by to talk Zelda anniversary memories, his upcoming game Awaysis, Virtual Boy do's and don'ts, and all the big news out of Microsoft and PlaySt

Feb 27
1 h 36 min

8-4 Play 2/13/2026: SEEING RED

Strap on your climbing gear and watch out for vertigo as we scale the dizzying heights of Cairn and plumb the stereoscopic depths of the Virtual Boy. Plus news! 00:58 –

Feb 13
1 h 07 min

8-4 Play 1/30/2026: NO ONE CAN STOP MR. TETROMINO

The crew checks in (hotel humor!) on the 3.0 update and Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the good and bad of Xbox's latest developer direct, and the hor

Jan 30
1 h 03 min

8-4 Play 1/16/2026: YOU, ME, AND LINDA'S CUBES

Linda Cubed, DQ7 Reimagined, Castlevania 64, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance highlight a mish-mash of new and old impressions alongside the latest news as we kick off 2

Jan 16
1 h 19 min

8-4 Play 1/2/2026: BALL DROPPIN' NEW YEAR'S FREE-FOR-ALL

Friend of the show and former EGM editor Che Chou joins us to ring in 2026 with another freeform Q&A ep fueled by bourbon and filled with New Year's resolutions, holiday

Jan 2
1 h 15 min

8-4 Play 12/19/2025: PRIME MINISTRY

Ring in the holidays with extended Metroid Prime 4 thoughts and an audio tour of the Nintendo Museum's new art exhibit, plus Game Awards recap / reax in news! Time

Dec 19 2025
1 h 15 min

Chart trend

Position in the Video Games chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#100#199JunJulAugSep

#26

all-time peak

days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where 8-4 Play ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 17, 2026).

#90 ▼ 30 Video Games US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Been listening for about 6 years now, still my favorite podcast. Besides overall excellent gaming discussion also really enjoy the off topic slice-of-life talk regarding living in Japan in general.

Captain Cab · May 2022

These guys work in the industry localizing games among other things in Japan and their expertise and joy put into the podcast makes it stand out in a crowded field of video game podcast. The other one worth listening to is Kotaku Split Screen.

SuperBaudMan · Oct 2019

Updated 6/1/18: the show has seen a lot of upheaval over the last year or so with longtime co-hosts and fan favorite new folks leaving. I was worried, but they’ve handled it with aplomb. Some chairs are rotating a little more now (I love Masa’s perspective!) and we are getting a little more everyday BS, which I know isn’t everyone’s bag, but I personally love. Looking forward to many more debates about questionable cheap “tacos.” Original review: Not everyone is on every episode - even Mark who typically hosts - but every episode is worth listening to if you're truly into "games, Japan, and Japanese games". Guests are typically memorable and even when I haven't known who they were before their appearance it is quickly apparent why they're there (see: Kevin Gifford on the NES & SNES retrospectives.) Keep up the great work!

dgnmoo · Jun 2018

2017 is shaping up to be one of the best years ever for video games and I love following along with what people are playing by listening to this podcast. It gives a great Japan-focused overview of the industry and is super-fun.

n0m00n · May 2017

I really enjoyed this show early on but the political talk is just too much. I come to be entertained and listen to life in Japan and video games. Instead every episode they go into politics, and how many times do I have to hear why you’re no longer on X aka Twitter and only on Blue Sky. Great, just tell me where you’re at to find your messages, I don’t care why you left one for another. If someone caught one episode in the past 2 years they would know why, it doesn’t need to be repeated. Nobody cares. Otherwise this is a fantastic show, pick on Gabe less too.

Sinizar360 · Nov 2024

A gaming podcast covering a lot more then most and longer then standard 1 hour podcasts is great. But the "friend of the show" humblebrag name dropping makes me want stop and skip sections. Bleep or edit them out please.

MidniteArcade · Jun 2018

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.