Noobtown Books in Order: All 9 Ryan Rimmel Books and Book 10
8 min readBy LevelUpShelf EditorialLast reviewed
TL;DR: Read the nine books by number, from The Mayor of Noobtown to The Noob Returns. Every audiobook is read by Johnathan McClain; the original Podium audiobooks of books 1 to 9 come to 136 hours 35 minutes. There is no official book 10 listing as of October 23, 2026.
The Noobtown books by Ryan Rimmel are nine LitRPG novels, from The Mayor of Noobtown to The Noob Returns (March 17, 2026). In 2026 the series also moved to a new publisher: Amazon's Kindle editions of books 1 to 3 are now Harper Voyager editions, and Audible sells book 1 in two new Harper Voyager recordings next to the original 2019 Podium one. Below is the full order with Kindle dates, page counts and audio lengths, what changed with the new editions, and where book 10 stands, checked on October 11, 2026 (audiobooks rechecked October 23). Nothing past book 1's premise.
Key Takeaways
- Nine books: Amazon numbers the Kindle editions "Book N of 9", and Goodreads lists 9 primary works.
- New editions in 2026: books 1 to 3 on Kindle are Harper Voyager editions dated March 17, 2026; the original books came out in 2019 and 2020.
- One narrator: Johnathan McClain reads every numbered Noobtown audiobook Audible lists, Podium and Harper Voyager alike.
- Book 10 is unconfirmed: no store or publisher page lists it; a book database says "tentatively expected in 2027".
- Widely recommended: named in 9 of the 10 threads behind our books like He Who Fights with Monsters list, the widest spread of any series there.
Overview
Noobtown is a comedic LitRPG series by Ryan Rimmel. Amazon's Kindle title for book 1 sums up the premise: "Die once, respawn as a fantasy mayor". The publisher's blurb adds: "Death caught him by surprise once. He isn't going to let it happen again."
The original books came out from 2019 (Goodreads dates books 1 and 2 to 2019, books 3 and 4 to 2020), with audiobooks from Podium. The author bio on Amazon still says the series is "available on Kindle and published by Podium Publishing on Audible." In 2026 Harper Voyager started publishing the series (Amazon shows the Kindle editions as sold by HarperCollins Publishers): the Kindle pages for books 1, 2 and 3 now list Harper Voyager with a March 17, 2026 date, and HarperCollins sells a new edition of book 1 in print, ebook and audio.
Readers name it often. In the 10 threads behind our books like He Who Fights with Monsters list it came up in 9, the widest spread of any series. It drew 25 top-level comments in our books like Dungeon Crawler Carl tally and 26 comments, in 10 of 13 threads, in the listener threads behind our best LitRPG audiobooks list.
Cover: Amazon product page (Harper Voyager)
Every Noobtown Book in Order
"Kindle" is the publication date and print length on each book's current Amazon Kindle page; for books 1 to 3 those are the 2026 Harper Voyager editions. "Audible" is the release date and length of the Podium audiobook. Audible ratings are as of October 11, 2026 (book 1 as of October 23, 2026) and will drift.
| # | Title | First published (Goodreads) | Kindle | Pages | Audible (Podium) | Length | Audible rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mayor of Noobtown | 2019 | Mar 17, 2026 (Harper Voyager) | 313 | Aug 13, 2019 | 9 h 3 m | 4.59 (9,627) |
| 2 | The Village of Noobtown | 2019 | Mar 17, 2026 (Harper Voyager) | 468 | Nov 19, 2019 | 13 h 43 m | 4.73 (6,964) |
| 3 | Castle of the Noobs | 2020 | Mar 17, 2026 (Harper Voyager) | 535 | May 19, 2020 | 16 h 33 m | 4.78 (5,918) |
| 4 | Dungeons and Noobs | 2020 | Jul 31, 2020 | 437 | Nov 10, 2020 | 13 h 15 m | 4.8 (6,030) |
| 5 | Noob Game Plus | 2021 | Feb 22, 2021 | 575 | May 25, 2021 | 17 h 23 m | 4.86 (6,041) |
| 6 | Nautical Noobs | 2021 | Dec 8, 2021 | 593 | Apr 19, 2022 | 16 h 57 m | 4.82 (5,210) |
| 7 | Tower of the Noobs | Dec 9, 2022 | 578 | Apr 11, 2023 | 16 h 34 m | 4.76 (1,983) | |
| 8 | The War of the Noobs | 2024 | Nov 5, 2024 | 623 | Mar 11, 2025 | 16 h 7 m | 4.64 (1,484) |
| 9 | The Noob Returns | Mar 17, 2026 | 645 | Mar 17, 2026 | 17 h 0 m | 4.64 (1,001) |
The nine Kindle editions add up to 4,767 pages, but books 1 to 3 are counted in their 2026 editions. On Goodreads, The Mayor of Noobtown has 4.01 from 9,584 ratings on the series page, as of October 11, 2026.
There is also a side story for younger readers, Jim the Curious Puppy: A Noobtown LitRPG adventure for kids (Goodreads dates it to 2022). It is not numbered and you can skip it.
Cover: Amazon product page
Step-by-Step: How to Read Noobtown
1. Start with The Mayor of Noobtown: on Kindle it is the 313-page Harper Voyager edition; on Audible, the original 2019 Podium recording (9 hours 3 minutes) or one of the two 2026 Harper Voyager recordings (see below).
2. Read books 2 to 9 by number: The Village of Noobtown, Castle of the Noobs, Dungeons and Noobs, Noob Game Plus, Nautical Noobs, Tower of the Noobs, The War of the Noobs, The Noob Returns. Amazon numbers each Kindle edition "Book N of 9".
3. Go by title if you mix editions: the titles are the same across Kindle and Audible, so match them rather than the edition dates.
4. Skip the kids' book unless you want it: Jim the Curious Puppy sits outside the numbered order.
5. Keep track on the series page: the Noobtown series page lists the nine books with a checklist for the ones you have finished.
The Audiobooks: Johnathan McClain
Johnathan McClain narrates every numbered Noobtown audiobook on Audible. The original Podium Audio editions of books 1 to 9 add up to 136 hours 35 minutes by our sum; books 2 to 9 alone are 127 hours 32 minutes, about 16 hours per book, from 13 hours 15 minutes (Dungeons and Noobs) to 17 hours 23 minutes (Noob Game Plus). McClain also reads Bog Standard Isekai, another series listeners recommend for his performance.
Book 1 on Audible comes in three editions, all read by McClain, as of October 23, 2026:
- 9 hours 3 minutes, the original Podium Audio recording, released August 13, 2019, 4.59 from 9,627 ratings.
- 8 hours 2 minutes, Harper Voyager, released August 25, 2026, 4.65 from 31 ratings (HarperCollins lists the same on-sale date).
- 8 hours 3 minutes, Harper Voyager, released October 22, 2026, no ratings yet.
On October 11 our search missed the Podium edition, and Audible then gave the October 22 recording 10 hours 14 minutes; both are corrected above. Audible also lists a Harper Voyager recording of Castle of the Noobs (15 hours 30 minutes) dated May 25, 2027, next to the Podium edition. The audio timing for books 4 to 8 ran 92 to 132 days behind the ebook; book 9 came out on Kindle and Audible the same day.
Listeners mostly talk about the humor. u/Maxxim3, in an r/litrpg thread titled "To Audiobook listeners: Is there something better than Dungeon Crawler Carl?": "If you're looking for solid laughs worked into good litrpg, look at the Noobtown series (also McClain) and Shadeslinger (Travis Baldree, who I put third in my top narrators)." (comment, December 30, 2025). Shadeslinger is book 1 of the Ripple System.
Noobtown has that same irreverent tone.
Cover: Amazon product page
GODEEPER: Noobtown made our cozy list for its low-stakes humor. Cozy LitRPG books readers recommend →
Is There a Noobtown Book 10?
Not officially, as of October 11, 2026:
- Amazon: the series page says "9 book series", and The Noob Returns reads "Book 9 of 9".
- Goodreads: "9 primary works • 10 total works", where the tenth is the kids' side story.
- Audible: no book 10 listing.
- Risingshadow: a book database page titled "Noobtown Book 10 (Noobtown #10)" says "Publication is tentatively expected in 2027." (wording rechecked October 19, 2026). It names no publisher, store page or exact date, so treat it as unconfirmed.
Book 9 came 497 days after book 8 on Kindle. If book 10 follows, the Harper Voyager move makes the publisher's own page the one to watch.
Cover: Amazon product page
What Readers Say
One reader who came from Dungeon Crawler Carl points to the tone. u/DocAculaRedux, in a January 2024 thread titled "I've listened to DCC and HWFWM, what's next?": "Noobtown has that same irreverent tone." (comment, January 3, 2024).
Not everyone ranks it at the top, and readers say so. u/OvechknFiresHeScores, in a thread where a listener shared an audiobook tier list: "Noobtown as a top favorite is definitely going to ruffle some feathers" (comment, October 7, 2025). u/dontdoxme12, who had just finished book 1, found it "not as polished as DCC" but enjoyed it "as a low stakes, silly adventure" (comment, February 2, 2026).
Tips Before You Start
- Expect jokes first. Readers recommend it for its humor and light tone.
- Check which book 1 you buy on Audible. There are three editions: the 2019 Podium recording (9 hours 3 minutes) and two 2026 Harper Voyager recordings (8 hours 2 minutes and 8 hours 3 minutes).
- Do not wait for book 10. Nine books are out, and no store lists a tenth yet.
- Spoilers: later blurbs give away earlier events. Read only the blurb of the book you are about to start.
Our take
Based on the facts above, Noobtown is a good long listen if you want something lighter after DCC: nine books, one narrator, and about 136 hours of the original Podium audio. The 2026 move to Harper Voyager is the thing to watch. It changed the Kindle dates and page counts for books 1 to 3 and added new recordings of book 1 next to the original, so check the length and date before you buy. Book 10 has no official listing, so treat nine as the whole series for now.
How we checked this
On October 11, 2026 we opened the Amazon Kindle page for each of the nine books (date, print length, "Book N of 9", publisher), the Amazon series page, the Audible product pages for the Podium audiobooks of books 2 to 9 and the Harper Voyager recordings of books 1 and 3, an Audible search for book 1, the Audible series page, the HarperCollins page for The Mayor of Noobtown, the Goodreads series page, the Risingshadow book 10 page and a Royal Road search. We re-checked the book 1 and book 7 Kindle pages and the Audible book 1 search ourselves the same day. Reader comments were copied from Reddit thread data saved on October 10, 2026. Totals and day counts are our own arithmetic. A site-agent then compared every number in this article with our source table before publication.
On October 23, 2026 we read Audible's catalog records for all three book 1 editions (1774240122 Podium, B0HF6NRJ6R and B0HKPYKCPV Harper Voyager) and the Podium audiobooks of books 2 to 9 again, and the Risingshadow book 10 page.
Related Reading
- Mark of the Fool reading order: ten books, another long series readers pair with DCC.
- Mage Tank reading order: a comedic LitRPG recommended for DCC-style humor.
- Travis Baldree audiobooks: another narrator listeners follow from series to series.
- All reading-order guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Noobtown reading order? The Mayor of Noobtown through The Noob Returns, books 1 to 9 by number.
How many Noobtown books are there? Nine, plus an unnumbered kids' side story.
Is there a Noobtown book 10? No official listing as of October 11, 2026.
Who narrates the Noobtown audiobooks? Johnathan McClain.
Why does The Mayor of Noobtown say 2026 on Amazon? Books 1 to 3 on Kindle are 2026 Harper Voyager editions.
Is Noobtown on Royal Road? We did not find it there.
References
- Amazon: Noobtown series (Kindle)
- Amazon: The Mayor of Noobtown (Kindle)
- Amazon: The Noob Returns (Kindle)
- HarperCollins: The Mayor of Noobtown
- Audible: Noobtown series
- Audible: The Village of Noobtown
- Audible: The Mayor of Noobtown (Harper Voyager)
- Goodreads: Noobtown series
- Risingshadow: Noobtown Book 10
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The LevelUpShelf desk reads the store pages and the reader threads so you can pick book 1 with the numbers in front of you. Every count is dated and linked.
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LevelUpShelf is independent: no ads, no sponsored posts, and nobody pays to be on a list. Some store links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you buy through one, and it never decides what we list (affiliate links). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Book counts, release dates, audiobook lengths and ratings are snapshots from the date we checked them; publishers and stores change listings, so check the store page before you buy. Recommendations come from cited reader discussions, not from reading we claim to have done. Articles are researched and written with AI tools, and every fact is checked against its source before publishing. See how the desk works and how we use AI.