Video Game Streaming statistics 2026: Twitch, youtube, kick & market data
Over 36 billion hours of livestreamed content were watched. Twitch generated 19.2 billion hours but lost market share.
Video game streaming generated over 36 billion hours watched across all platforms in 2025 (Stream Hatchet annual report). The market is fragmenting: Twitch’s share fell 8.3 percentage points in 2025 to its lowest quarterly point since Q1 2020. YouTube Gaming grew 25% year-on-year in Q2 2025. Kick surged 112% year-on-year in Q3 2025. In July 2026, YouTube overtook Twitch in total livestreaming hours watched for the first time. Kai Cenat became the first Twitch creator to reach 1 million active subscribers in 2025. For broader market context, see our video game industry statistics.
Key statistics
- 36+ billion — total hours watched across all livestreaming platforms in 2025 (Stream Hatchet 2025 Annual Report via Net Influencer).
- 19.2 billion — Twitch hours watched in 2025, down from 20.8 billion in 2024 (TwitchTracker; Stream Hatchet via Net Influencer).
- 20.8 billion — Twitch hours watched in 2024 (TwitchTracker; Business of Apps).
- 54% — Twitch gaming livestream market share Q2 2025 (Streams Charts via CoopBoardGames; Icon-Era).
- 24% — YouTube Gaming market share Q2 2025, up from ~17% YoY (Streams Charts via Icon-Era).
- +25% — YouTube Gaming YoY growth Q2 2025 (CoopBoardGames citing Streams Charts).
- +112% — Kick YoY growth Q3 2025 (Icon-Era citing Streams Charts).
- 2.37 million — Twitch average concurrent viewers in 2024 (TwitchTracker; Business of Apps).
- 7.3 million — Twitch monthly active streamers in 2024 (Business of Apps citing TwitchTracker).
- 131.9 million — Kai Cenat total hours watched in 2025 — most-watched individual streamer of the year (Stream Hatchet via Net Influencer).
- $1.8 billion — estimated Twitch annual revenue in 2024 (Business of Apps).
Total market
36+ billion hours watched across all platforms in 2025 — a four-year high
Source: Stream Hatchet Total livestreaming hours watched grew in 2025 after plateauing post-pandemic:
| Year | Estimated total hours watched | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ~29B | Pandemic peak |
| 2022 | ~26B | Post-pandemic correction |
| 2023 | ~29B | Recovery begins |
| 2024 | ~32.5B | +12% YoY (market.us) |
| 2025 | 36+ billion | Four-year high (Stream Hatchet) |
July 2026 snapshot (Streams Charts direct platform data, July 2026):
- YouTube: 3.8 billion hours watched in July 2026 — platform leader.
- Twitch: 1.4 billion hours watched in July 2026.
- Kick: 571.8 million hours watched in July 2026.
July 2026 marks the clearest evidence yet that YouTube has overtaken Twitch in total monthly livestreaming hours — a structural shift that would have been unthinkable in 2021.
Twitch
19.2 billion hours in 2025 — market share declining four consecutive quarters
Source: Stream Hatchet Annual hours watched (TwitchTracker):
| Year | Hours Watched | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24.3 billion | +31% (pandemic peak) |
| 2022 | 22.4 billion | -8% |
| 2023 | 21.4 billion | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 20.8 billion | -2.5% |
| 2025 | ~19.2 billion | -8% |
2025 key figures (TwitchTracker; Stream Hatchet via Net Influencer):
- Total hours watched: ~19.2 billion (TwitchTracker confirmed ~19B; Stream Hatchet reports 19.2B).
- Average concurrent viewers: approximately 2.17 million (TwitchTracker 2025 YTD).
- Monthly active streamers: 7.3 million (2024 figure; Business of Apps).
- Market share (gaming streams): fell 8.3 percentage points in 2025 (Stream Hatchet).
- Q4 2025: 4.4 billion hours — lowest quarterly figure since Q1 2020 (Stream Hatchet via Net Influencer).
- Viewership from Twitch’s top creators fell 14.5% YoY in 2025 (Stream Hatchet).
- Kai Cenat was the most-watched streamer: 131.9 million total hours in 2025 — first Twitch creator to reach 1 million active subscribers (Stream Hatchet via Net Influencer).
Monthly active users (Icon-Era citing Backlinko/TwitchTracker):
- 2024: 235 million MAU globally; 35.6 million US.
- 2025: 240 million MAU globally; 36.7 million US.
Revenue:
- Estimated $1.8 billion in 2024 (Business of Apps).
Top content (Icon-Era; Streams Charts):
- Just Chatting: 15% of Twitch hours watched — consistently the top category.
- League of Legends: 6% of hours — most-streamed game in Twitch history.
- English: 52% of Twitch streams; Russian: 12%; German: 7%.
Twitch language dominance: English’s 52% share of Twitch channels (vs 22–23% on YouTube and Kick) reflects Twitch’s legacy US/UK-centric audience base.
YouTube Gaming
2.2 billion hours in Q2 2025 — 24% gaming market share — fastest-growing major platform
Source: Stream Hatchet
- Q2 2025 gaming hours watched: 2.2 billion (+25% YoY) (Streams Charts).
- Gaming market share Q2 2025: 24% (up from ~17% YoY) (Streams Charts via Icon-Era).
- Q3 2025 total (all YouTube content, not gaming only): 13.25 billion hours — though YouTube’s gaming share fell below 50% of its total content for the first time (Icon-Era).
- July 2026: YouTube leads all platforms with 3.8 billion hours watched in the month (Streams Charts direct, July 2026).
YouTube’s structural advantage: YouTube’s recommendation algorithm drives non-gaming VOD views that inflate total hours. However, YouTube Gaming’s gaming-specific growth is also genuine — major streamers including Gaules, Baiano, and others shifted from Twitch to YouTube Gaming in 2025, bringing large audiences.
Most-watched games across streaming platforms (2025, Icon-Era citing Streams Charts):
| Game | Hours Watched (2025) |
|---|---|
| League of Legends | 1.67 billion |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 1.6 billion |
| VALORANT | 1.03 billion |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | 800+ million |
Kick
112% YoY growth Q3 2025 — 1.7 billion hours in Q3 — #3 gaming platform
- Q3 2025: 1.7 billion hours watched — up 55% quarter-over-quarter and 112% YoY (Icon-Era citing Streams Charts).
- Q2 2025: 1 billion+ hours watched in a single quarter for the first time (Icon-Era).
- Full-year 2025: 4.5 billion total hours — up 131% YoY (Castr citing Streams Charts).
- Gaming market share (Q2 2025): approximately 11% (Icon-Era).
- July 2026: 571.8 million hours watched (Streams Charts direct data).
Kick’s rapid growth comes despite being significantly smaller than Twitch and YouTube. The platform’s Q3 2025 surge coincided with major streamer signings and high-profile events including political content and sports partnerships.
Platform comparison
Gaming livestreaming market share Q2 2025
| Platform | Q2 2025 Gaming Hours | Market Share | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch | 4.64–5.1 billion | 54% | -4.6% |
| YouTube Gaming | 2.2 billion | 24% | +25% |
| Kick | 1+ billion | 11% | +112% |
| Other platforms | ~1.26 billion | 11% | — |
Note on Twitch hours discrepancy: CoopBoardGames cites 4.64 billion for Q2 2025; Icon-Era cites 5.1 billion. Both source Streams Charts but appear to use slightly different date ranges. The 54% market share figure is consistent across both sources.
Top streamers
Kai Cenat: 131.9 million hours in 2025 — first Twitch creator to 1M active subscribers
Source: Stream Hatchet
- Kai Cenat — most-watched individual streamer of 2025 globally: 131.9 million hours watched. First Twitch creator to reach 1 million active subscribers.
- xQc — Split between Twitch and Kick; among the highest-earning streamers. $100M Kick deal signed June 2023.
- Ibai (Ibai Llanos) — Spanish-language streamer; among Twitch’s top followed. Hosts “La Velada del Año” boxing events with massive viewership.
- AuronPlay — Top Spanish-language Twitch creator.
- Ninja (Tyler Blevins) — most Twitch followers historically; returned from YouTube/Mixer; reduced activity.
- Adin Ross — moved to Kick exclusively.
Esports viewership
729 million hours in Q2 2025 — 6% growth despite 37% fewer tournaments
- Esports content: 729 million hours watched in Q2 2025 — up 6% YoY.
- Tournament count: down 37% — fewer but more concentrated events.
- The data suggests viewership consolidating around fewer, larger events rather than spreading across many smaller tournaments.
- League of Legends Worlds 2025: peak of 6,752,585 concurrent viewers — most-watched esports event of the year (SQ Magazine citing Esports Charts).
Historical context
| Year | Twitch hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | ~2.5B | Early growth |
| 2019 | ~9.4B | Pre-pandemic baseline |
| 2020 | ~18.6B | COVID-19 surge |
| 2021 | 24.3B | All-time peak |
| 2022 | 22.4B | Correction |
| 2023 | 21.4B | Continued decline |
| 2024 | 20.8B | -2.5% |
| 2025 | ~19.2B | Lowest since 2020 |
Twitch’s all-time 2021 peak (24.3 billion hours) was driven by COVID-19 lockdowns. The platform has declined every year since. At current trajectory, YouTube Gaming could overtake Twitch in gaming-specific hours by 2027.
- “Live Streaming Viewership Hits Four-Year High As Kick Surges And Twitch Loses Ground”. Net Influencer citing Stream Hatchet 2025 Annual Report, February 18, 2026, https://www.netinfluencer.com/live-streaming-viewership-hits-four-year-high-as-kick-surges-and-twitch-loses-ground/
- “Twitch Statistics & Charts”. TwitchTracker (twitchtracker.com), https://twitchtracker.com/statistics
- “Twitch Revenue and Usage Statistics (2026)”. Business of Apps citing TwitchTracker, https://www.businessofapps.com/data/twitch-statistics/
- “YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership Statistics (2025)”. CoopBoardGames citing Streams Charts, https://coopboardgames.com/statistics/youtube-gaming-vs-twitch-viewership-statistics/
- “YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership Statistics (2026)”. Icon-Era citing Streams Charts, https://icon-era.com/statistics/youtube-gaming-vs-twitch-viewership-statistics-2026/
- “Live Streaming Platforms: Overview, Comparison & Analytics”. Streams Charts direct data (streamscharts.com), July 2026, https://streamscharts.com/platforms
- “Game Streaming Statistics”. Market.us, https://market.us/statistics/online-video-and-streaming-sites/game-streaming/
- “Twitch Statistics And User Trends 2026”. Icon-Era citing TwitchTracker, https://icon-era.com/statistics/twitch-statistics-and-user-trends-2026/
- “Twitch vs Kick: Revenue, Reach, & Which Platform Is For You”. Castr citing Streams Charts, https://castr.com/blog/twitch-vs-kick/