Audio streaming giant Spotify turns 20 in 2026, and to celebrate the milestone in its history, the streamer has revealed the Top 20 most-streamed titles in each of its key categories: music, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks. As fantasy enthusiasts, we're most interested by the latter, especially after noticing that it's been dominated by fantasy novels.
Spotify is typically regarded for music and podcasts streaming, but the service introduced audiobooks into its library back in 2022, offering over 300,000 titles — a number that continues to rapidly grow. With Spotify turning 20, it has offered a look at its all-time rankings. For instance, The Weeknd's Blinding Lights is the most-streamed song ever, while The Joe Rogan Experience takes the podcast crown. As for audiobooks, the fantasy genre reigns supreme with eight of the Top 20 falling into under the fantasy umbrella — and that includes each of the Top 3.
The number 1 most-streamed audiobook on Spotify comes as no surprise: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This is the opening novel of the fantasy epic. It quickly became a phenomenon thanks to sharing on TikTok, growing a massive fandom online. Three other sequels in the series, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Mist and Fury, and A Court of Silver Flames also feature in the list. The series was in development for a live-action adaptation at Hulu, but the project was ultimately abandoned. The series rights are back with Sarah J. Maas for now, but it feels likely that an adaptation will happen at some point.
In second place, it comes as no surprise to see J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The series needs no introduction; it's a titan and a must-read for fantasy fans. Interest in the series never goes away, but there's undoubtedly been extra attention due to Prime Video's The Rings of Power and the forthcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum.
In third place is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, another fantasy novel that's had boosted visibility thanks to social media interest, especially from the 'BookTok' side of TikTok. The series' sequel, Iron Flame, also features in the list in 10th place. Fourth Wing is getting an adaptation at Amazon with Meredith Averill (Locke & Key) leading the project.
Naturally, George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is featured, but it's placed at #12 which feels a bit low. The levels of hype, at least for the novels, has fallen slightly since the show ended.
Check out the full list of Spotify's Top 20 audiobooks:
We've highlighted each novel that falls under the fantasy category.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- Lights Out by Navessa Allen
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
- A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
- Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
- It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
Of course, these rankings began in 2022, which is why so many popular fantasy novels from years earlier don't feature. Still, the fact that almost half of Spotify's top streamed audiobooks are fantasy reflects quite well on how the genre is flourishing on the platform.
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