Best Games to Stream on Twitch in 2024: Top Titles for Professionals & Beginners

Have you heard about Twitch? Most likely yes, if you’re not completely ignorant about game streaming.

Founded in 2011, Twitch is a video streaming service specializing in computer games and eSports tournaments.

There you can also find broadcasts of musical performances or poker tournaments, as well as Just Chatting streams, where streamers communicate with their audience, give useful lectures, and watch videos, films, cartoons, and TV series together.

So what, you say?

The fact is that Twitch has:

• 150 million unique monthly visitors;
• 30 million daily active users;
• 1.5 million unique daily streamers;
• 2.7 million concurrent weekly viewers;
• 71 million hours watched daily;
• 1.86 billion hours watched monthly.

And these numbers continue to rise.

Twitch is reckoned with, Twitch is watched, and Twitch is respected. With the help of Twitch, you can attract a large audience to both a specific streamer personality and a specific game. There you can meet people streaming the legendary games of the late nineties – Heroes of Might and Magic III forever. In general, with due effort, the possibilities of working with the audience here seem to be truly limitless.

Why Twitch is So Attractive as a Streaming Platform

In fact, Twitch isn’t just attractive or desirable. Twitch is the king of streaming platforms. Despite some attempts by competitors, Twitch remains at the top. This is easily proven by looking at statistics.

According to Twitchtracker, Twitch receives an average of 91,000 concurrent streams every day. This is approximately 60,000,000 hours of daily views on the platform. The number of unique games has exceeded 2500 and will continue to grow, thereby attracting a new audience.

But that’s not all.

According to analytics from Streamlabs for Q2 2022, Twitch had 5.64 billion watched hours. And this is an absolute victory. The second place was taken by YouTube Gaming Live with 1.13 billion hours, and the third place went to Facebook Gaming with 580 million hours.

Thus, Twitch covered 76.7% of the market share for hours watched, leaving YouTube Gaming Live with 15.4% and Facebook Gaming with 7.9% far behind.

Speaking of streaming, Twitch covers 92.7% of the market share for hours streamed, completely eclipsing YouTube Gaming Live with 3.7% and Facebook Gaming with 3.6%.

Interestingly, hours watched and steamed on all platforms, including Twitch, have fallen in comparison with previous quarters. But this in no way affects the power and total rule of Twitch in the streaming market. It’s just to understand some behavioral patterns in correlation with current world events.

As for the most popular games for Q2 2022, get ready for a surprise – the Just Chatting category has surpassed all expectations with 828 million hours watched. The second place goes to legendary GTA V with 465 million hours watched, and the third – to League of Legends with 464 million hours watched. While we’re all about games here, it’s good news that a simple chinwag still has the edge.

Just Chatting has been the most viewed category on Twitch since Q3 2020. Despite an overall drop in hours watched on Twitch, the Just Chatting category grew by 2.4%, reaching its highest viewing rate ever.

In terms of age demographics, Twitch is dominated by younger users. Nearly three-quarters of all viewers and streamers are under 35. Here is the complete breakdown by age.

There are an estimated 4.42 billion users worldwide who surf the Internet through mobile devices. With their help, they also view video content. For example, on YouTube, more than 70% of views come from mobile devices. Although Twitch does not provide statistics by platform, it is estimated that more than a third of all views came from mobile devices. The app has been installed over 100 million times on the Play Store.

To a large extent, Twitch’s popularity is due to the fact that you can stream and watch streams from anywhere. It is available through a browser on any Mac or PC device, iOS and Android smartphones, and even consoles.

How to Get Twitch’s Favor

Do you think it’s impossible to break into these crazy numbers with your streams? But after all, an average of 2.5 million concurrent viewers gathers here every day. Why do you think your stream has no chance? There is always someone interested in watching your stream. The most important thing is to attract these people, to declare your existence.

Key tip. Start with a list of the most popular games on Twitch and choose to stream the ones where you can showcase your extraordinary gaming skills or unconventional approach to the walkthrough.

At first, statistics on the most popular games will be your best friend and advisor. Some games lose popularity over time, while others suddenly fall into the spotlight of viewers and streamers.

It is important to understand that it makes no sense to try to broadcast games that are in the first positions in terms of views – you simply will not be noticed. But it’s also pointless to stream games that only you and their developers know about. You definitely do not want your cat to be your only spectator, and even then without much enthusiasm, do you?

We have compiled two lists of games for Twitch:

• one will suit you if you already have a certain audience and you strive not only to increase it, but also to make money on it;
• and the second will be good for beginner streamers looking to make a name for themselves on this amazing platform with a lot of potential.

How to Choose Best Games to Stream on Twitch

Abstracting from the classification of streamers, let’s first just define what the purpose of your stream is. It may be just a desire to show your game and skills, or it may be a wish to turn streaming into a stable source of income. In any case, you should only broadcast the games that you like. Viewers will immediately feel fake if you play with sheer effort just because this or that game is popular.

If you stream purely for yourself and don’t particularly strive to actively increase the audience of your channel, then almost any game will suit you, from AAA titles to indie projects, or board games for companies.

But if you want to stream professionally and make money from it, then you need to carefully analyze the statistics and choose games with an entry barrier that suits you.

8 Best Games for Professional Streaming on Twitch

Note that this list has been compiled in accordance with the current position of games on Twitch as of November 2022 based on their average viewership.

Grand Theft Auto V

Number of average viewers: 163K

Number of followers: 50.1M

Grand Theft Auto V is a truly iconic open-world action-adventure game that has continued to grow in popularity since its release in 2013. GTA V is not only the most expensive game in development and marketing in history ($265 million) but also one of the most popular – in 2021, its combined sales on all platforms exceeded 135 million copies, second only to Minecraft.

The latest update and the introduction of the multiplayer mode have further inflamed the passion for the game among streamers and viewers. After all, here we see an open world where you can do anything – go through a campaign, do business, and just explore vast territories.

As of late, Twitch has had an average of 2,500 channels with over 170,000 monthly viewers who can’t deny themselves the pleasure of watching their favorite GTA stream. These numbers make the game one of the best games to stream on Twitch. If not the best.

League of Legends

Number of average viewers: 130K

Number of followers: 32M

League of Legends constantly competes with GTA V for the first place in the ranking of the best games to stream on Twitch. At the time of this writing, according to TwitchTracker, League of Legends gives way to GTA V with roughly 130,000 monthly viewers versus GTA V’s 162,000 viewers.

This is one of the most played MOBAs and the most popular games on Twitch with a record 8 million concurrent players. It is distributed free-to-play and has a huge community around the world.

During each round of the game, two teams of five players face off against each other on a special kind of map. Each player controls one champion character – these champions differ in characteristics and abilities and are better suited for a particular role in the team. During the match, champions earn experience points and gold, can acquire new abilities, improve their characteristics, and acquire items. In the main game mode, each team must destroy the enemy nexus – a special valuable structure on the map – and prevent the opposing team from destroying their nexus. At the same time, streamers can play, competing or teaming up with their viewers live. So it is not surprising that the game is confidently in the lead in this top.

At this stage, we can see about 3,300 channels streaming LoL on Twitch with an average of 200,000 viewers per month.

Apex Legends

Number of average viewers: 88.8K

Number of followers: 14.4M

Released just 2 years ago, Apex Legends quickly found its audience, which appreciated the significant progress in the combination of multiplayer first-person shooter and battle royale. The game was developed in secrecy and was released suddenly, without any prior marketing campaign. The surprise aroused interest not only among potential players but also among popular streamers. Since its release, Apex Legends has been at the forefront of Twitch, surpassing its direct competitors Fortnite and PUBG to become one of the most popular games on Twitch.

The team component in Apex Legends is worked out much deeper than in other representatives of the genre. So, it comes as no surprise that there is no solo mode here. Surviving alone is extremely difficult, and the developers in every possible way push players to interact between squad members. Unlike other battle royals, where all players control the same characters at the beginning of the battle, Apex Legends offers to choose one of the heroes with their unique abilities before the start of each match. The game also uses a ping system, unusual for the battle royale genre, – these are signals that can be given to teammates in a group to get their attention. When playing Apex, you don’t feel alone, even if the whole team is silent.

The game boasts an impressive number of streaming channels – almost 5,500, with 88,000 viewers per month.

Minecraft

Number of average viewers: 86.6K

Number of followers: 40.3M

The most famous sandbox in the world, Minecraft is a huge space for complete freedom of creativity, limited only by the imagination of the players – they have to explore, interact, and modify a dynamically generated map, consisting of blocks of one cubic meter in size.

There is no need to kill, survive, and hide here. Calm and enjoyable gameplay, simple yet polished gameplay is conducive to the pacifying contemplation, accessible even to the smallest children. This game is a pleasure to play and a pleasure to watch. This is a kind of Zen Island in our list of dynamic and brutal titles. For connoisseurs of meditative gameplay, this will be the best game to stream on Twitch.

Over the past month, 71,000+ people have watched Minecraft streams on more than 2,400 Twitch channels.

Valorant

Number of average viewers: 80K

Number of followers: 11M

Valorant is another newcomer to the top streaming games on Twitch. Released in 2020, this multiplayer first-person shooter found its fans among esports players looking for a second chance after defeat or failure while trying to enter the Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments. Many Valorant players are former CS:GO esports players.

The game attracts with the variety of its heroes and their capabilities. At the same time, Riot Games does not stop working on the creation of new heroes in order to diversify the gameplay and gaming features. Each of the fourteen characters has their skills and characteristics. This includes basic abilities, two purchasable abilities that can be found in the store with in-game items, and an ultimate ability that is earned through killing enemies and completing tasks.

Now 3,700 channels on Valorant broadcast streams for 80,000 monthly viewers.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Number of average viewers: 70.6K

Number of followers: 31M

Another old-school veteran with a succinct abbreviation, CS:GO is a multiplayer first-person shooter released in 2012. The game is competitive and very tenacious – it regularly holds tournaments with serious stakes. Unsurprisingly, it is one of the most popular games on Twitch – excitement combined with dynamics is always a win-win recipe for gathering a large audience.

Many are wondering what the secret of the popularity of this game is and how it maintains a consistently high position at the top of Twitch. There can be many answers: nostalgia for the first games in the series, the ability to choose skins for the character’s outfit, a huge number of game modes, and the enthusiasm of unofficial modders and map makers.

Twitch currently can boast about 1,300 CS:GO channels with an average of 150,000 viewers per month.

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Number of average viewers: 70K

Number of followers: 310K

Piping hot, Call of Duty: Vanguard is the eighteenth first-person shooter in the Call of Duty series. Released on November 5, 2021, the game has already overtaken its predecessor Call of Duty: Warzone in terms of the number of channels (5,200 versus 2,300) and the average number of viewers (112,000 versus 36,000).

The plot of the campaign takes place during the Second World War. The game features four theaters of war: the Western Front in France, the Eastern Front in Stalingrad, the Pacific Theater, and the military campaign in North Africa. There are 20 maps available in multiplayer: 16 for the classic 6v6 format and 4 for Champion’s Hill mode.

With the release of Season 1, content from Vanguard will be integrated into Call of Duty: Warzone – perhaps this will have a positive effect on restoring the streaming popularity of the latter.

As we’ve already said, Call of Duty: Vanguard is broadcast on 5,200 channels with an average of 112,000 monthly viewers.

Fortnite

Number of average viewers: 68K

Number of followers: 78.5M

At this stage, Fortnite remains number one among the top streamed games on Twitch in the genre of battle royale. This is a free multiplayer game that in a short time has become a real cultural phenomenon: the total number of players exceeded 350 million, which is an incredibly impressive result, given the artificial restrictions for iOS.

Initially, its audience was children and youth up to 25 years old. But now people of all ages play it. The ability to create a unique look for yourself with a huge number of unique and stylish skins, purchased with in-game currency or received as a result of completing the Battle Pass quest, has made many players simply go crazy for this game. Our team is doubly pleased that our concept artists had a hand in creating bright and attractive skins for the new season.

Fortnite’s roughly 4,500 streaming channels attract an audience of 64,500 monthly viewers.

How to Choose Game if You Just Start Streaming

With the sheer scale of this happening and the multi-million audiences of most popular games on Twitch suitable for professional streaming, it makes sense to come down to earth and look at games suitable for the aspiring streamer. Not only will they give you the green light to start your streaming journey, but also help you gain an audience.

8 Best Games for New Streamers

Note that games for beginners do not always equate to indie titles or fun board games. Here you will also see some of the big games that have left the trend list but have managed to stake out a large audience of fans.

Old School RuneScape

Number of average viewers: 7.3K

Number of followers: 1.1M

Runescape used to be one of the best games in the MMORPG genre along with Lineage II and World of Warcraft. This project was launched back in 2001 and immediately managed to win the hearts of fans of the genre. The game is distinguished by its accessibility and simplicity, as well as a variety of in-game content. Old School RuneScape was released in 2013 with a bunch of new features, but still retaining everyone’s favorite atmosphere.

OSRS viewers are older players who remember the first Runescape and remain loyal to it. Old-school nostalgic motifs are usually the strongest and longest-running, so they can easily be used to get an audience that will be grateful to the new streamer for immersing themselves in the past.

There is only an average of 1,510 channels with about 7,300 viewers, which means that the competition is not so great. This gives the novice streamer the opportunity to become visible in a fairly short time.

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Number of average viewers: 782

Number of followers: 725K

Trying to break into the Witcher 3 streamers is a hopeless business, because the niche is oversaturated. But starting streaming around The Witcher – or rather, the in-game Gwent mini-game – can be a great idea.

Gwent has a fan base that enjoys watching tournaments with pro teams and rewards, as well as the tricks of aspiring streamers who decide to play with friends. After developing their channel a little, novice streamers will be able to switch to streaming The Witcher 3 itself, with an emphasis on Gwent.

Last month, there were only 15 channels with an average audience of about 782 people. If you show an excellent game, you can quickly reach the top positions.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Number of average viewers: 340

Number of followers: 316K

Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the rare sci-fi massively multiplayer online role-playing games on the market. Released in late 2011, the game was the first fully voiced MMO. Currently, there are versions in English, French, and German. The events in the game take place 300 years after the Knights of the Old Republic games.

During the game, players participate in dynamic multiplayer dialogues in which all members of the group must agree on the content of the solution since the answer often determines the further course of the mission or even its outcome. In the game, you can stand on one of the two sides of the conflict – the Jedi or the Sith, to swing your lightsaber to your heart’s content. Besides these characteristic classes, you can also choose from several others.

What makes it one of the best games to stream for newbies is its very welcoming streaming community. Not many Twitch channels stream this game – 33 with an average of 340 viewers per month, so this is perfect for new streamers.

Dota 2

Number of average viewers: 50.7K

Number of followers: 15.3M

This is another legendary multiplayer online battle arena team game developed by Valve Corporation. The game is a sequel to DotA, a custom modification map for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne add-on to it. The game depicts a battle on a special kind of map. Each match involves two teams of five players controlling heroes – characters with different sets of abilities. To win the match, the team must destroy a special fortress belonging to the enemy side and protect their own fortress from destruction. Dota 2 operates on a free-to-play model with micropayment elements.

Dota 2 is an active esports discipline in which professional teams from all over the world compete in various leagues and tournaments. Premium Dota 2 tournaments have millions of dollars in prize pools that have become the largest in esports history.

Twitch has about 1,000 channels with an average of over 50,000 viewers. Both nostalgia and great competitive spirit play their part here, which make Dota 2 one of the best games to stream for new streamers.

Hearthstone

Number of average viewers: 22.5K

Number of followers: 9M

Hearthstone is an online card game based on the Warcraft universe released in 2014. The main goal of the game is to collect your card collection, which is replenished by purchasing sets of cards or receiving them as a reward. Players can also get new cards by purchasing add-ons or playing the downloadable single-player Adventure mode. Its gameplay is completely different from Gwent, but interesting in its way.

The game features interesting tournaments with nice rewards. In addition, it often allows players and spectators to obtain special items in other Blizzard games.

In terms of viewer count, Hearthstone currently has about 22,500 viewers watching 176 different Twitch channels.

Stardew Valley

Number of average viewers: 1.5K

Number of followers: 1.2M

Stardew Valley is an RPG-based farming sim for streamers who hate gunfire, violence, and stress. Here you will find pixel graphics dear to the hearts of many and the opportunity to develop your farm in a huge variety of ways.

Stardew Valley was created by enthusiastic American developer Eric Baron. In 2016, in the first two months after its release, Stardew Valley became one of the best-selling games on Steam: in just two weeks, over 400,000 copies of the game were sold through Steam and GOG.com, and by the beginning of April 2016, this number exceeded one million. According to Valve, Stardew Valley ranked among the 24 most grossing games on Steam in 2016. A vibrant community of mod creators sprang up around Stardew Valley – various enthusiasts, regardless of the developer, created additional objects and textures that could be incorporated into the game.

154 channels on Twitch broadcast this game, 1550 monthly viewers are happy to watch streamers’ farming chores. The competition is not great, but the audience is huge, so there is every chance of getting your own group of loyal viewers.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Number of average viewers: 114

Number of followers: 137K

You can stream not only multiplayer or simulation games. High-quality platformers deserve attention too, especially if they provide the player with a serious challenge that is fun to watch, and a beautiful picture that delights the eye and satisfies aesthetic needs. Ori and the Blind Forest is one of those platformers that stands out of hundreds of thousands and and sits at the top of the list of the best games in the genre ever released.

The game features incredibly beautiful graphics, a stunning fairytale atmosphere, charming, unearthly music and, at the same time, a rather tough challenge. The game is full of traps and tricky areas that require attention, incredible concentration, and sleight of hand. Many players, falling for the innocence and fabulousness of the picture, tore their hair out, dying for the hundredth time in a particularly difficult place. It is especially interesting to watch experienced players go through the entire game without death – players are ready to watch such a unique spectacle for hours.

16 channels and an average of 114 viewers per month is not that much – just what a novice streamer needs. However, keep in mind that this game requires nerves of steel and acquired skills to keep viewers really interested in watching your playthrough. If you have it and you love beautiful platformers, where graphics, sound, and atmosphere merge in a kind of heavenly harmony, then both you and your viewers will get real pleasure from the stream.

PUBG

Number of average viewers: 9K

Number of followers: 35.1M

Love challenging games but afraid of getting lost in the endless streams of Fortnite? Then try PUBG. In 2017, this battle royale game just blew up the market and caused a huge number of analogues to appear. Of course, there were royal battles before it, but none of them achieved such popularity.

Unlike Fortnite, PUBG gives you a choice of different maps: two large maps for tactical gameplay and Savage for quick play. PUBG has a more realistic arsenal of weapons – here you can even use the scope for long-range shots. PUBG was heavily influenced by the military simulation Arma 3, which the developers were guided by.

Due to the emergence of a large number of competitors, PUBG has lost ground a little, but it still boasts 600 channels on Twitch with approximately 9,000 viewers per month. The game has loyal fans who consider it a trendsetter of the battle royale genre and do not accept analogues, so a novice streamer has a very real chance of finding a good audience.

Bonus Game: Heroes of Might and Magic III

Number of average viewers: 4.7K

Number of followers: 198K

If you think this iconic turn-based RPG strategy will fly past this list, here’s our answer! Heroes of Might and Magic III, which was released back in 1999 and became the best game in the series, despite the improved graphics of new parts, has a huge community of loyal fans who install the game on state-of-the-art computers and immerse themselves in the unique, inimitable, and soul-enveloping atmosphere of Erathia.

The game has incredible fan support. It was the independent team HotA Crew who created the Horn of the Abyss add-on, released on December 31, 2011, which breathed a new life into Heroes of Might and Magic III. It also lowered the bar for newcomers, bringing in a new wave of younger fans to the game.

Heroes of Might and Magic III is streamed regularly. The game has active Polish, French, Spanish, and Chinese streamers. About 32 channels are watched by 4,700 viewers monthly. If you love Heroes with all your heart and know how to play it, then this niche is still promising. And it seems that it will always be promising. After all, a new fraction, the Factory, will soon appear. Heroes forever.

Universal Tips for Successful Streaming

That’s all folks!

As a final chord, let’s highlight a few recommendations that will help you gain a foothold in the new position of a gaming streamer.

Make a schedule and stick to it	Show your style	Don’t be silent!
To become part of your audience’s daily routine, you must communicate in advance when you intend to stream. Going to the theater, you buy a ticket for a certain time, and do not hang around the theater all day without a single information about whether something will happen today or not. The same goes for the stream.	Don’t try to copy the playing styles of popular streamers, otherwise, what’s the point of viewers watching you? Play the way you are used to, the way you like it – it can set you apart from other streamers and shape your style. The main thing is to do it dynamically, as the viewer’s attention will decrease as your level of monotony increases.	Your communication skills will make or break you. People are drawn to specific streamers not only because of the games but also because of their approach to interacting with the audience. Comment on the walkthrough, joke, chat with viewers, listen to their advice, and be sure to thank all new subscribers and those who send you donations.

How to Make Money on Twitch: In a Nutshell

A streamer has two main ways to make money on Twitch:

• through partner and affiliate programs;
• through advertising.

Joining an affiliate scheme is directly related to the number of subscribers and the regularity of the content. The path to Affiliate includes 4 achievements:

1. Get 50 followers.
2. Stream 8 hours.
3. Stream on 7 different days.
4. Average of 3 viewers (concurrent views, including raids).

Partnership with Twitch is a level up after fulfilling the terms of the affiliate program. The path to Partner includes 3 achievements:

1. Stream 25 hours.
2. Stream on 12 different days.
3. Average of 75 viewers (concurrent views, excluding suggested, raid, and embedded views).

Income varies greatly depending on the streamer.

But Business of Apps estimates that experienced streamers can earn an average of $3,000 to $5,000 a month from an affiliate program by playing 40 hours a week.

In terms of ad revenue, the average streamer earns roughly $250 per month for every 100 subscribers.

Additional Hint: How to Choose the Best Games for a Specific Time

If you’d like to see a larger selection of streaming-friendly games, check out Twitch itself. The Twitch game directory is a great place to see a list of games compiled by the live streaming community itself.

There is also another interesting option. You can use a TwitchStrike resource to determine which games are best to stream for your audience size and language. You will also receive a heatmap to help you navigate when is the best time to stream a certain game to Twitch.

Explore this resource to discover which games are worth jumping into and which ones are time to quit.

The Bottom Line

Despite a large number of reviewed games, tips, recommendations, 3D art outsourcing companies, you and only you choose your best game to stream on Twitch. If it so happens that none of the games listed here has won your heart, you should not faint or abandon your venture – there is an endless number of games in the world, and the list of top positions is not limited to the first eight. Perhaps, having undertaken to stream an unknown game, it is you who will become the trigger to boost its popularity – why not? The main thing is to be yourself and do what you like.

Good luck conquering Twitch!