Gaming Influencer Report

Published on 13th July 2021 by Jerry Hughes

This year we’ve seen gaming influencers and streamers become a bigger part of the gaming community than ever before. In May alone we watched over 2 billion hours of streamed content on Twitch, with over 20,000 different games being streamed and watched each week.

Thousands of gamers now make streaming and content creation their full time job, stocking up on the latest consoles, newest games and high spec streaming accessories to share their gaming with their followers and fans, and it’s no surprise as top streamers can earn millions from sponsorships and ad payments. It works both ways too, with many of us investing our time and money into our favourite gaming personalities via merch and donations.

But when it comes to the game of influencers, who wins? We found out.

Who Are The Most Popular Twitch Streamers in 2021

We analysed the world’s biggest gaming influencers' Twitch content and views, and combined this with their followings on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

We’ve also looked at which games are best to stream. There are over 20,000 being viewed on Twitch at any one time, but based on the number of viewers and how long they watch, we can tell you which one comes out on top.

The Most Popular Twitch Gaming Streamers and Influencers 2021

Our study has analysed hundreds of Twitch streamers and ranked them based on their number of followers and views on Twitch, their follower growth over the last 12 months and their total following on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The 27-year-old Canadian Michael Grzesiek, also known as shroud, is the most popular gaming influencer and streamer of 2021. The third most followed streamer on Twitch, shroud has made it to the top spot thanks to his sizable 156% growth in viewers over the last year and his high total number of views which is close to half a billion!

Tfue comes in as the second most popular twitch streamer and influencer in 2021. Tfue, aka Turner Tenney, is best known for playing Fortnite and landed himself in second place due to his impressive following on Twitch, with over 10.4 million fans.

Rounding off the top three is El Rubius. With 9.1 million Twitch followers, Rubén Gundersen is one of the most followed on the platform but is most famous for his Youtube channel which has over 39.9 million subscribers and 9.1 billion views.

Ibai and pokimane make it into the top five. Ibai lands in fourth place due to his 204 million social media followers and his 113% growth in followers over the last year. Pokimane’s impressive 7.8 million followers on Twitch have landed her in the top five, alongside her strong social media presence and growth by 27% over the last year.

The top ten also features tommyinit, who is the second fastest growing streamer on the list this year having increased his following by a whopping 9549%. Tommy started his career out as a Youtuber and, since joining Twitch in 2018, has become one of the fastest-growing channels due to his popular live stream of the Dream Team SMP finale.

The Top 50 Twitch Streamers According To Fans

Our full study reveals the top 50 Twitch gaming streamers and influencers of 2021, with gamers from all over the world making the list. The list also includes publishers and game owned channels including Riot Games and Fortnite who both make it into the top 20.

Check out the full list...

The Best Games To Play and Stream On Twitch

Fancy becoming a streamer yourself and making it onto next year’s list? We’ve also taken a look at which games perform best on Twitch, so you can decide which ones to play to attract the most viewers and grow your channel.

Which Games Are The Best To Stream On Twitch

It looks like we’re all looking to take a trip to Los Santos as GTA V comes out on top. Despite being released in 2013, the most recent instalment in the Grand Theft Auto Series continues to be popular within the streaming community, particularly when it comes to the live version of the game. Our data revealed that the game has attracted 168% more viewers over the last 12 months with a whopping 43 million hours of streamed gaming being watched over an average seven day period.

The second best game to stream is Apex Legends. The game has seen a steady increase in viewers over the last year with the hours watched increasing by 183%. The free-to-play game has continued to appeal to audiences and streamers alike, with over 18,900 channels streaming content on the game.

Among Us claims the final spot in the top three. The online game has proven popular with streamers over the last 12 months, with the number of streams increasing by 412%. The game is increasing in popularity with viewers too, with 162% more twitch users tuning in to Among Us streams in the last year.

Valorant and League of Legends also make it into the top five due to the number of hours we’re clocking up watching streamers play them, with both games hitting over 27 million hours in seven days.

The games increasing in popularity the most are Modern Warfare and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The latest Assassin’s Creed instalment was released last year and as such has seen a huge uplift in viewers, the number of streams and the total hours watched over the last 12 months. As the game continues to increase in popularity it will be exciting to see how this game performs over the next year!

Games falling lower on the list this year include Fallout 4 and Animal Crossing. Despite being one of the most popular games of 2020, selling over 31 million copies, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has seen a downward trend this year in terms of viewers, hours watched and the number of streams on Twitch over the last 12 months.

So if you’re looking to rack up your viewing figures and take the Twitch platform by storm, try streaming GTA V or jump on the upward trend behind Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Taking on the world of streaming? Get Twitch ready with our essential streaming accessories.

Methodology

All data collected June 2021.

For each gamer, we used data from their Twitch channels to gather Twitch Followers, Total Twitch Views and 12-month change in viewers. For the social results, we combined their followings on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.

Among Us claims the final spot in the top three. The online game has proven popular with streamers over the last 12 months, with the number of streams increasing by 412%. The game is increasing in popularity with viewers too, with 162% more twitch users tuning in to Among Us streams in the last year.

For the rankings of the top games, we used data from Twitch for all seven factors: Viewers % Change over 12 months, streams % Change over 12 months, hrs watched % change over 12 months, hrs watched in last 7 days, peak viewers in last 12 months, peak channels and views per channel last 7 days.

Each result was then given an index score with higher figures getting the highest score and lowest figures getting the lowest score. These index scores for each factor were then combined to give a total index score and were used to rank the individual streamers and games.