COVID-19 hiatus

On 17 March 2020, Critical Role announced that it was suspending all live broadcasts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marisha Ray later clarified on Twitter that they did not wish to put any unnecessary stress on the crew, nor did they want to affect the overall experience of the show best achieved sitting and playing together at a table, so there were no plans to stream the campaign via Skype, Zoom, or other online venues. The last broadcast of Critical Role before the hiatus was 12 March 2020, on the five-year anniversary of the show.

On 12 June 2020, Critical Role announced that they were actively developing plans for their return in accordance with local guidelines. On 25 June 2020, they announced via YouTube that the stream would return with the broadcast of Episode 100 on 2 July 2020, in a pre-recorded format.

The company continued to produce limited content during the hiatus, including:
 * Narrative Telephone
 * AWNP Unplugged
 * Yee-Haw Off the Ranch
 * Explorer's Guide to Wildemount Q&A and Fireside Chat with Matthew Mercer
 * Mighty Vibes (aired 23 April, 21 May, and 10 July 2020)
 * CR Guide (aired 9 June 2020)