Twitch is the world’s most popular live streaming website. It has grown from a niche website where gamers could interact with other gamers playing their favourite titles to an entertainment venue whose numbers outperform most television channels. And despite rivals popping up every now and again, the numbers behind Twitch show no signs of slowing down over the course of 2023. Join us as we take a deep dive look at the most streamed game categories on Twitch this year!
5. Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V might have come out in 2013, but its popularity is still going strong nearly a decade on. As the fifth major entry in one of the world’s most popular open-world RPG franchises, GTA V was always going to make a splash in the gaming world, but Rockstar’s commitment to keeping the game as alive as possible has helped preserve and even heighten its popularity. Marauding through the open world of Los Santos has made for the perfect live streaming experience, with streamers now hosting specific role-playing sessions.
Over the past thirty days alone, Grand Theft Auto V has recorded over 85 million total viewership hours on Twitch.
4. Valorant
Prior to its release in June 2020, Valorant was hyped up as one of the most significant gaming releases in the Esports world. From the same company that gave the world League of Legends, Valorant was touted as the ‘CS:GO killer’ that would finally break the hegemony of the professional FPS scene. And whilst it’s safe to say Valorant hasn’t dominated this scene as much as some might have expected (and hoped for), its impact on the streaming world has seen it continue to eclipse its major rival.
Valorant has recorded nearly 91 million total viewers over the previous thirty days on Twitch.
3. League of Legends
On Riot, their flagship title is still going as strong as ever. League of Legends has become the de facto face of the Esports industry since its release in 2009. LoL’s launch coincided with online becoming more accessible and the norm for multiplayer gaming, but it has been the way in which it has become the trailblazing influence on the professional gaming world that has made it one of the behemoths on Twitch.
The professional League of Legends scene comprises of various regional divisions organised by Valve, with an annual World Championship held at the end of the season for the best performing teams on the planet. One of the most popular events to bet on at an Esports betting site like Unikrn, the 2022 Worlds final alone garnered over 5.1 million viewers in total, and the game has registered 93 million viewers over the past month.
2. Diablo IV
Only released in early June 2023, it’s no surprise to see Diablo IV making a splash at the top of the Twitch charts. Similarly to the success of GTA V, Blizzard’s Diablo has been a mainstay series in the gaming industry since its debut release in 1997. It is a darkly atmospheric action RPG franchise that sees players hacking and slashing through dungeons, taking control of one of five available classes.
It had been ten years since the release of Diablo III, so it’s safe to say the market was hungry for another title this year. An extensive marketing campaign helped make Diablo IV the fastest-selling game in Blizzard’s history, making the company a hefty $666 million in revenue within its first five days on the shelves. In its first month, Diablo IV has amassed 127 million viewer hours on Twitch.
1. Just Chatting
And what is the most viewed category on Twitch? The one where people don’t play video games.
Twitch has its roots as a video game live streaming platform, and for a time those that didn’t fit the mold as a ‘proper’ gamer were infamously shunned by the established community on the site. Some channels were even subject to bans if they weren’t regularly playing games and having that be the priority of their livestream. Those days are behind us now however as Twitch has embraced a more mainstream, casual-friendly audience.
The ‘Just Chatting’ category is always at the top of the streaming charts for Twitch, with the category housing everything from streamers performing concerts, game shows, podcasts, or just sitting in their apartment and interacting with their viewers. In total, over the past thirty days over 239 million viewer hours have been logged on the Just Chatting category on Twitch.
