Live streaming hit 36.4 billion hours watched in 2025, just short of the 2021 pandemic peak of 37.1 billion. Twitch finished the year with 19.2 billion hours but lost 8.3 percentage points of market share. YouTube Gaming posted its best year ever at 8.8 billion hours, a 12% annual gain. This article breaks down the latest YouTube Gaming vs Twitch viewership statistics heading into 2026.
YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership Statistics (Top Findings)
- Twitch recorded 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025, while YouTube Gaming reached a record 8.8 billion hours.
- YouTube Gaming grew 12% year-over-year in 2025; Twitch’s viewership declined roughly 10%.
- Twitch held 54% of gaming live stream market share in Q2 2025, down from 71% in Q3 2023.
- Kick surged 131% to 4.5 billion hours in 2025, capturing about one-eighth of total live streaming.
- Twitch generated $1.8 billion in revenue during 2024, an 8.1% drop from the year before.
How Many Hours Were Watched on Twitch vs YouTube Gaming in 2025?
Twitch ended 2025 with 19.2 billion hours watched, according to Stream Hatchet’s annual trends report. That total made it the most-watched gaming platform by a wide margin, but it also reflected continued erosion. Q4 2025 produced just 4.4 billion hours, the platform’s lowest quarterly figure since early 2020. YouTube Gaming recorded 8.8 billion total hours for the year, setting a new annual record and growing 12% compared to 2024. The gap between the two platforms has narrowed from roughly 3:1 two years ago to just over 2:1 today.
| Platform | 2023 Hours (Billions) | 2024 Hours (Billions) | 2025 Hours (Billions) | YoY Change (2024–2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch | 21.4 | 20.8 | 19.2 | -7.7% |
| YouTube Gaming | ~7.1 | ~7.9 | 8.8 | +12% |
| Kick | ~1.0 | ~1.9 | 4.5 | +131% |
Source: Stream Hatchet 2025 Live Streaming Trends Report
What Is the Gaming Live Streaming Market Share in 2026?
As of Q2 2025, Twitch held 54% of the gaming live streaming market based on hours watched. YouTube Gaming captured 24%, and Kick took 11%. Twitch’s share has been sliding steadily since peaking at 71% in Q3 2023. In the broader live streaming market (including non-gaming content), YouTube held over 47% of total hours watched by year-end 2025, well ahead of every other platform. Twitch accounted for about 15% of total live streaming across all categories.
| Platform | Gaming Market Share (Q2 2025) | Q2 2025 Hours Watched | YoY Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch | 54% | 4.64 billion | -4.6% |
| YouTube Gaming | 24% | 2.2 billion | +25% |
| Kick | 11% | ~1.0 billion | +112% |
| Others | 11% | ~0.9 billion | Varies |
Source: Stream Hatchet Q2 2025 Report; Streams Charts
How Many Users Does Twitch Have Compared to YouTube Gaming?
Twitch reported 240 million monthly active users in 2025, with 35 million logging in daily. The United States accounts for 37.2 million of those monthly users, about 23.1% of the global total. YouTube Gaming doesn’t publish a separate user count because it sits inside YouTube’s larger ecosystem of over 2 billion monthly logged-in users. That integration is a core advantage: gaming content on YouTube reaches audiences who may never visit a dedicated streaming site.
| Metric | Twitch | YouTube Gaming |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Active Users | 240 million | Part of YouTube’s 2B+ MAU |
| Daily Active Users | 35 million | Not separately reported |
| Avg. Concurrent Viewers | 2.09 million (Jan 2026) | Not separately reported |
| Unique Channels (2025) | ~8.4 million (Q4) | 2.8 million (+54% YoY) |
| US Users | 37.2 million | Not separately reported |
Source: DemandSage; TwitchTracker; Stream Hatchet
YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership by Region
Twitch’s strength is concentrated in North America and Europe. The US leads with 23.1% of Twitch traffic, followed by Germany at 8.6% and Russia at 8.5%. YouTube Gaming performs better in Southeast Asia and Latin America, where mobile gaming titles like Mobile Legends and Free Fire generate large audiences during tournaments. Spanish-language content has become the second-largest language category on Twitch, and YouTube Gaming benefits from an established presence across Latin American markets.
| Country | Share of Twitch Users | YouTube Gaming Strength |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 23.1% | Strong |
| Germany | 8.6% | Moderate |
| Russia | 8.5% | Moderate |
| France | 6.0% | Moderate |
| Brazil | 7.2% | Strong |
| Indonesia | Low | Very Strong |
| Philippines | Low | Very Strong |
| South Korea | Exited (2024) | Strong |
Source: Streams Charts; Stream Hatchet
Twitch and YouTube Gaming Demographics
Both platforms skew young and male. About 72% of Twitch users are under 35. The 18–24 age group makes up 34% of Twitch’s audience, and 25–34 year-olds account for 38%. The gender split on Twitch stands at 65% male and 35% female, with US numbers slightly more balanced at 63/37. YouTube Gaming doesn’t release separate demographic data, but its mobile-first presence in developing markets likely draws a broader age range. Younger audiences also engage with multiplayer gaming content at higher rates than older demographics.
Twitch Age Distribution
| Age Group | Share of Twitch Users |
|---|---|
| 18–24 | 34% |
| 25–34 | 38% |
| 35–44 | 22% |
| 45+ | 6% |
Source: Business of Apps; DemandSage
What Are the Most-Watched Games on Twitch and YouTube Gaming?
League of Legends held the top spot on Twitch in 2025 with over 1.67 billion cumulative views. GTA V came in second with about 1.6 billion hours. Just Chatting, while not a game, was actually the largest category on Twitch overall, pulling in more than 2 billion hours and roughly 309,000 average concurrent viewers. On YouTube Gaming, IShowSpeed led all individual creators with 64.1 million hours watched for the year. Esports tournaments drove major viewership spikes on both platforms, with the League of Legends Worlds 2025 reaching 6.6 million peak concurrent viewers.
| Game / Category | Platform | 2025 Hours / Views |
|---|---|---|
| Just Chatting | Twitch | 2+ billion hours |
| League of Legends | Twitch | 1.67 billion views |
| Grand Theft Auto V | Twitch | ~1.6 billion hours |
| Counter-Strike | Twitch | ~1.2 billion views |
| VALORANT | Twitch | ~1.03 billion views |
| Mobile Legends | YouTube Gaming | Top mobile title in SEA |
Source: TwitchTracker; Streams Charts
How Do Twitch and YouTube Gaming Revenue Models Compare?
Twitch earned an estimated $1.8 billion in 2024, down 8.1% from $1.96 billion in 2023. Subscriptions made up about 58% of that total ($1.05 billion), advertising contributed 33% ($667 million), and Bits plus other sources covered the rest. The standard Twitch revenue split remains 50/50 for most partners, though the Partner Plus program offers 70/30 for creators hitting 350 recurring subscriber points. YouTube gives creators a flat 70/30 split on memberships from day one. Kick, which has pulled several high-profile streamers, offers a 95/5 split heavily favoring creators. Understanding these dynamics matters for anyone tracking esports and streaming revenue trends.
| Feature | Twitch | YouTube Gaming | Kick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription Revenue Split | 50/50 (70/30 Partner Plus) | 70/30 | 95/5 |
| 2024 Platform Revenue | $1.8 billion | Not disclosed separately | Not disclosed |
| Ad Integration | Pre-roll, mid-roll | Full YouTube ad suite | Limited |
| VOD Monetization | Limited | Full (ads on replays) | None |
| Tipping/Donations | Bits | Super Chat, Super Stickers | Direct tips |
Source: Business of Apps; StreamMetrix
YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership: Quarterly Growth Trends
Twitch has posted four straight quarters of declining viewership. Q1 2025 started at 5.26 billion hours, but by Q4 that number dropped to 4.4 billion, the lowest in nearly five years. Part of this dip came from a crackdown on viewbotting that stripped out artificial engagement. YouTube Gaming hit an all-time quarterly record of 2.2 billion gaming hours in Q2 2025. The platform’s growth was fueled by cross-platform content strategies and mobile esports events in South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
How Is Kick Affecting the YouTube Gaming vs Twitch Viewership Race?
Kick grew 131% year-over-year in 2025, reaching 4.5 billion total hours watched and roughly 1.8 million unique channels. Its 95/5 creator split has lured streamers away from both Twitch and YouTube. Among creators who broadcast more than 1,000 hours on Kick in 2025, 27% averaged over 100 viewers per airtime minute, nearly double the 14% figure from 2024. But Q4 2025 was Kick’s first quarter of declining viewership since its launch, suggesting the initial surge may be stabilizing. The three-platform race between Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Kick is now the defining story of the gaming streaming market.
Esports Viewership on Twitch vs YouTube Gaming
Total esports hours watched reached 2.8 billion across all platforms in 2025, a 6% annual increase. Co-streaming accounted for half of all esports viewership, totaling 1.4 billion hours. The League of Legends Worlds 2025 event hit 6.6 million peak concurrent viewers. YouTube’s share of Esports World Cup viewership rose from 31% in 2024 to 43% in 2025, while Twitch’s share fell from 49% to 30%. On YouTube Gaming, the MPL Indonesia Season 15 Grand Final reached 4.13 million peak viewers, setting a new record for Mobile Legends competitive broadcasts.
| Esports Metric (2025) | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Esports Hours Watched | 2.8 billion |
| Year-over-Year Growth | +6% |
| Co-streaming Share | 50% (1.4B hours) |
| LoL Worlds 2025 Peak Viewers | 6.6 million |
| Esports World Cup Total Hours | 168 million (+73% YoY) |
| YouTube EWC Share (2025 vs 2024) | 43% (up from 31%) |
Source: Stream Hatchet 2025 Annual Report
FAQ
Is Twitch still bigger than YouTube Gaming in 2026?
Yes. Twitch recorded 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025 compared to YouTube Gaming’s 8.8 billion. Twitch also holds 54% of gaming live stream market share. The gap is shrinking, but Twitch remains the larger platform for gaming content.
How fast is YouTube Gaming growing compared to Twitch?
YouTube Gaming grew 12% year-over-year in 2025 and hit 25% growth in Q2 specifically. Twitch declined about 10% over the same period. At current rates, YouTube Gaming could close the gap further by late 2026.
Which platform pays streamers more?
Kick offers the highest split at 95/5. YouTube gives 70/30 on memberships from day one. Twitch’s standard split is 50/50, though Partner Plus members get 70/30. YouTube also monetizes VOD replays, adding long-term earning potential.
What is the most-watched game on Twitch in 2025?
League of Legends was the most-watched game with over 1.67 billion cumulative views. Just Chatting was the top category overall with 2+ billion hours. GTA V ranked second among games at approximately 1.6 billion hours.
How many people use Twitch monthly?
Twitch had 240 million monthly active users as of early 2026, with 35 million daily active users. The United States accounted for 37.2 million of those monthly users, representing about 23% of the global audience.
