Last verified: April 2026. Viewership figures are from Streams Charts, third-party analytics, and YouTube’s own reporting. Creator earnings vary by niche, audience, and region.
YouTube Gaming posted 8.8 billion hours watched in 2025, a 12% increase over the prior year and the platform’s best performance to date. That still puts it behind Twitch‘s 19.2 billion hours, but the gap is narrowing. YouTube Gaming now holds roughly 24% of the live game streaming market, up from under 20% two years ago. With higher CPM rates than any other content category on YouTube and a growing live streaming audience, gaming has become one of the platform’s most profitable verticals.
How YouTube Gaming became the second-largest streaming platform
YouTube, owned by Alphabet, launched in 2005 as a general video-sharing platform. Gaming content was popular from the start, but YouTube did not create a dedicated gaming vertical until June 2015, when it launched YouTube Gaming as a standalone app and website.
The standalone app was discontinued in May 2019, with gaming content folded back into the main YouTube platform under a dedicated gaming tab. This turned out to be the right move. Rather than splitting the audience, it gave gaming creators access to YouTube’s full recommendation engine, search traffic, and 2 billion monthly logged-in users.
YouTube’s push into live streaming accelerated in 2019 and 2020 with high-profile creator signings. The platform poached several major streamers from Twitch, including contracts with creators who brought millions of followers. YouTube’s advantage was clear: creators could build a library of on-demand videos and live streams in the same place, while Twitch treated VODs as secondary to live content.
By Q2 2025, YouTube Gaming hit an all-time quarterly record of 2.2 billion hours of live gaming content watched, a 25% year-over-year increase for that quarter. Twitch, meanwhile, declined approximately 10% over the same period.
YouTube Gaming vs Twitch vs Kick: the 2026 market share breakdown
Three platforms now dominate gaming live streaming. Here is how they compare based on 2025 full-year and Q2 2025 data:
| Platform | Hours watched (2025) | Market share (Q2 2025) | YoY growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch | 19.2 billion | 54% | -4.6% |
| YouTube Gaming | 8.8 billion | 24% | +12% (full year) / +25% (Q2) |
| Kick | ~3.5 billion (est.) | 12.4% | +112% |
Twitch remains the largest platform by total hours, but its share is shrinking. Kick, backed by the online gambling company Stake, has grown explosively by offering creators a 95/5 revenue split (compared to Twitch’s 50/50 standard and YouTube’s 55/45). Kick captured 12.4% of the market in Q2 2025, up from almost nothing two years earlier.
YouTube Gaming’s growth is driven by several factors: integration with YouTube’s broader recommendation system, strong performance in mobile esports (particularly in Southeast Asia), and the platform’s appeal to creators who want a single home for live streams and uploaded content.
The most-watched individual creator on YouTube Gaming in 2025 was IShowSpeed, who accumulated 64.1 million hours watched. For esports, the League of Legends Worlds 2025 event peaked at 6.6 million concurrent viewers on YouTube.
How YouTube Gaming creators earn money in 2026
YouTube pays creators through its Partner Program, which shares ad revenue on a 55/45 split (55% to the creator, 45% to YouTube). Gaming content commands the highest average CPM on the platform at $9.20 per thousand impressions in 2026, ahead of tech ($8.40) and business/finance ($7.80).
The overall average CPM across all YouTube niches rose to $6.15 in 2026, a 27.6% increase from $4.82 in 2025. Channels in the 100,000 to 500,000 subscriber range saw the fastest revenue growth at 31% year-over-year.
Beyond ad revenue, YouTube gaming creators earn through multiple channels:
Super Chat and Super Stickers. Viewers pay to pin messages during live streams. Super Chat revenue grew 45% in 2025, driven by the increase in live gaming content.
Channel memberships. Subscribers pay $4.99 or more per month for exclusive perks. YouTube takes a 30% cut.
YouTube Shorts. The Shorts Feed ad revenue sharing model, launched in mid-2025, shares 45% of ad revenue with creators on a per-view basis. Earnings per view are much lower than long-form content (approximately $0.04 per 1,000 views versus $6.15 CPM on standard videos), but the volume can be significant.
Sponsorships and brand deals. These remain the largest income source for top creators. Gaming creators with audiences above 500,000 subscribers regularly command five- and six-figure sponsorship rates per video.
At the top end, creators like xQc and Markiplier earned an estimated $36 million and $32 million respectively in 2024 across all revenue streams, according to third-party estimates.
YouTube Gaming’s regional strength in mobile esports
One area where YouTube Gaming outperforms Twitch is mobile esports viewership in Asia and Southeast Asia. Games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Garena Free Fire generate massive live audiences on YouTube during competitive events, particularly in Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Korea.
YouTube’s mobile-first design and widespread Android adoption in these regions give it an edge. Twitch is primarily a desktop and console streaming platform in North America and Europe. YouTube Gaming reaches audiences that Twitch does not, contributing to its global growth rate.
This regional strength also explains why YouTube Gaming’s hours-watched figure (8.8 billion) may undercount its true influence. Much of the mobile esports viewership happens on the main YouTube app rather than through the gaming tab, and some analytics platforms count these hours differently.
What comes next for YouTube Gaming
YouTube’s parent company Alphabet reported $350 billion in total revenue for fiscal 2025, with YouTube advertising accounting for over $36 billion. Gaming is a growing share of that advertising pie, driven by high CPMs and increasing live viewership.
The platform continues to invest in creator tools. Recent updates include improved live stream analytics, better clip and highlight creation, and enhanced discoverability for gaming content in search and recommendations. YouTube is also testing collaborative streaming features that allow multiple creators to stream together, directly competing with Twitch’s existing co-streaming tools.
If current growth trajectories hold, YouTube Gaming could narrow the gap with Twitch further by late 2026. Whether it will overtake Twitch in total hours depends on whether Twitch can stabilize its declining viewership and whether Kick continues to siphon creators from both platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Is YouTube Gaming bigger than Twitch?
No, Twitch still leads with 19.2 billion hours watched in 2025 compared to YouTube Gaming’s 8.8 billion. However, YouTube Gaming is growing (up 12% year-over-year) while Twitch is declining (down 4.6%), so the gap is closing.
How much do YouTube gaming creators earn?
Gaming content has the highest average CPM on YouTube at $9.20 per thousand impressions in 2026. Actual earnings depend on audience size, geography, and engagement. Top creators like xQc and Markiplier earn tens of millions per year across all revenue streams.
What is Kick and why is it growing?
Kick is a live streaming platform backed by Stake, an online gambling company. It grew 112% year-over-year and captured 12.4% of the gaming streaming market by Q2 2025. Its main draw is a 95/5 revenue split that gives creators far more than Twitch or YouTube.
Can you make a living streaming games on YouTube?
Yes, but it requires a significant audience. YouTube pays a 55% share of ad revenue, and gaming CPMs average $9.20. Additional income comes from Super Chats, memberships, sponsorships, and Shorts revenue. Most full-time gaming creators have at least 100,000 subscribers.