COVID-19 hiatus

On March 17, 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 was March 12, 2020, on the five-year anniversary of the show.

On June 12, 2020, Critical Role announced that they were actively developing plans for their return in accordance with local guidelines. On June 25, 2020, they announced via YouTube that the stream would return with the broadcast of Episode 100 on July 2, 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 April 23, 2020 and May 21, 2020)
 * CR Guide (aired June 9, 2020)