When it comes to live streaming, Twitch is king. Many have tried to dethrone it in the past but the platform remains strong. This is mainly due to the people streaming there. While streamers come and go, new ones emerge and old heads decide to try new things, there are a set of people who have made 2024 their own.
Before we give you those names, it's important to mention that we're not going to talk about the most popular Twitch gamers by general standards; we're going to talk about the most popular Twitch gamers who have put a mark this 2024. Also, we won't be bringing up streamers but focus exclusively on gamers.
Top 10 Twitch Gamers
1. ironmouse
Most Popular Games Played: Among Us, Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy XIV
Revenue: Estimated $2 million
ironmouse is a prominent VTuber and Twitch streamer known for her engaging personality and entertaining streams. She gained significant popularity through her unique character design and voice acting, attracting a dedicated fanbase. Her streams often feature a mix of gaming, singing, and chatting, which keeps her audience entertained and engaged.
With over 1.5 million followers on Twitch, ironmouse has become a leading figure in the VTuber community. Her ability to connect with viewers through humor and spontaneity has earned her numerous accolades, including the Streamer Awards for Best VTuber.
Her revenue primarily comes from subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships, with estimates suggesting she earns around $2 million annually. This figure highlights the lucrative nature of her streaming career, especially within the niche of virtual content creation.
2. Ninja
Most Popular Games Played: Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends
Estimated revenue $25M
Ninja (aka Richard Tyler Blevins) is a professional gamer who rose to stardom in 2017. He has participated in a number of e-sports teams and has played Halo 3 competitively, but it’s actually his streaming of Fortnite, along with the likes of Travis Scott and Drake, that landed him in the mainstream spotlight.
Not only has his skills and personality bagged him millions of followers and dollars, but also a couple of awards. In 2018, he won a whopping four awards, while 2019 was equally impressive with two awards.
At the time of writing this article, Ninja boasted 18 million followers on Twitch, making him the most followed Twitch streamer by a long shot. Three years ago when he had about 12 million followers, Mediakix estimated that he took home a yearly estimated revenue of about $5.5 million. At that time, about 80% of Ninja’s revenue was made up of subscriptions.
3. Shroud
Most Popular Games Played: CS:GO, Escape From Tarkov, PUBG
Estimated revenue $22M
Boasting nearly 10 million followers on Twitch, Shroud (aka Michael Grzesiek) is best known for PUBG, H1Z1, The Culling, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and Tom Clancy’s The Division and Rainbow Six Siege. It’s especially his skills at CS:GO that have contributed a lot to his fame and the game that launched his professional gaming career when he joined a number of ESEA teams.
After he retired from being a professional CS:GO player, he turned his attention to full-time streaming on Twitch. As of November 2021, he has streamed more than 10,000 hours and has over 530 million views behind his name. On average, he’s active five days a week and streams about eight hours per day. So, you could say that he works a typical 40-hour workweek.
While he still streams CS:GO on Twitch, it only gets him about 15,000 average viewers. Now, his biggest draw cards are games like VALORANT, Apex Legends, and New World. On average, all these three games attract over 40,000 viewers. In fact, along with Hiko, Tenz, wtcN, and stylishnoob4, he is one of the most popular streamers of VALORANT.
In 2019, he won the Game Awards’ Content Creator of the Year award. The previous year, this award was given to Ninja. So, if there were any shroud of doubt over his skills, that should clear it up. While he might not have as many Twitch followers as Ninja, they’ve ultimately won the same award.
4. PirateSoftware
Most Popular Games Played: Minecraft, Rust, Valheim
Revenue: Estimated $1 million
PirateSoftware is a rising star on Twitch, known for his entertaining gameplay and charismatic streaming style. He primarily streams popular titles like Minecraft and Rust, where his creativity and humor shine through.
With a growing follower count, he has quickly established himself in the Twitch community. His estimated revenue of around $1 million reflects his success in attracting a dedicated audience. PirateSoftware’s engaging content and interactive streams have contributed to his rapid rise in popularity, making him a streamer to watch in the coming years.
5. LVNDMARK
Most Popular Games Played: Escape from Tarkov, Call of Duty, Apex Legends
Revenue: Estimated $1.5 million
LVNDMARK (correctly spelled with an “A”) is a well-known Twitch streamer celebrated for his expertise in Escape from Tarkov. His streams often feature high-level gameplay and insightful commentary, appealing to both casual viewers and hardcore gamers.
With a loyal following, LVNDMARK has carved out a niche for himself in the competitive gaming landscape. His estimated annual revenue of $1.5 million comes from various sources, including subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. LVNDMARK’s dedication to his craft and ability to connect with his audience have solidified his status as a top-tier streamer.
6. xQc
Most Popular Games Played: Overwatch, GTA V, Minecraft
Estimated revenue $9M
xQc (aka xQcOW or formally Félix Lengyel) is a full-time Canadian Twitch streamer. He started playing League of Legends, before switching to Overwatch, for which he has become best known. In 2017, he was part of Team Canada which competed in the final of the Overwatch World Cup only to lose to South Korea.
Like some of the other top streamers, he also caused a decent amount of controversy. In his case, it was for his behavior and he has been found guilty of offensive remarks. Specifically on Twitch, he was penalized on a number of occasions with multiple-day suspensions for streaming nudity.
Nonetheless, he’s still one of the gamers with the most followers on Twitch – nearly 10 million. Lately, he’s been playing a lot of Apex Legends, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto V. However, it’s his streaming of casino games that attracts the most viewers on average, according to TwitchTracker’s data.
7. Towelliee
Most Popular Games Played: World of Warcraft, Call of Duty
Revenue: Estimated $1.5 millionTowelliee is a veteran Twitch streamer celebrated for his engaging streams and extensive knowledge of gaming. Primarily known for his World of Warcraft content, he also enjoys playing various other titles and interacting with his audience.
His charismatic personality and humor have earned him a dedicated following.With an estimated revenue of around $1.5 million, Towelliee’s income is derived from subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. His long-standing presence in the streaming community has solidified his reputation as a top-tier content creator.
8. summit1g
Most Popular Games Played: Dark and Darker, GTA V, Deadlock
Estimated revenue $7.5M
Unlike many of the Twitch streamers on our list, summit1g (aka Jaryd Russell Lazar) streams a lot of racing games. He’s one of the most popular streamers of Grand Theft Auto V.
Though, he’s also into FPS games and is also one of the top streamers of Escape from Tarkov. More recently, he’s also been streaming iRacing and Assetto Corsa.
Before turning to Twitch, he played professionally for A51 and Mythic. His career on Twitch has been equally successful. In fact, in 2017 he was the streamer with the most followers, while a year later he boasted the title of the owner of the channel with the most followers, albeit short-lived.
At the time of writing this article, he has 6.3 million followers and generated nearly 500 million views. Overall, he’s one of the most active streamers and has streamed a whopping 16,308 hours.
9. Pestily
Most Popular Games Played: Escape from Tarkov, Call of Duty
Revenue: Estimated $1.5 million
Pestily is yet another well-known Twitch streamer celebrated for his expertise in Escape from Tarkov, rivaling LVNDMARK in fame. His streams often feature high-level gameplay and informative commentary, appealing to both casual viewers and hardcore gamers.
With a loyal following, Pestily has established himself as a leading figure in the Twitch community. His estimated annual revenue of $1.5 million comes from various sources, including subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. Pestily’s dedication to his craft and ability to connect with his audience has solidified his status as a top-tier streamer.
10. Silent
Most Popular Games Played: Valorant, Apex Legends, Call of Duty
Revenue: Estimated $900,000
Silent is a rising Twitch star known for his impressive skills in competitive shooters like Valorant and Apex Legends. His engaging gameplay and strategic insights have attracted a dedicated following, making him a prominent figure in the gaming community.
With an estimated revenue of $900,000, Silent’s income is primarily generated through subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. His commitment to providing high-quality content has solidified his status as a respected streamer.
Wrapping Things Up
From sponsorship to merch sales to affiliate links to tournament winnings, there are various ways that the top Twitch gamers use to make a small fortune. Not only can you use the platform to make money, but it’s also a great avenue if you want to build your brand further. Many of the top streamers on Twitch also have millions of followers on other social media networks like YouTube and even Instagram.
However, what this article highlighted is the dogged determination needed if you want to be the best in gaming. Most of the high-paid gamers approach it as a full-time job. In fact, if you look at the average hours that they stream per day, you could say they also put in “overtime”. This article, although takes into account revenue, focuses more on success this year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you get more viewers on Twitch?
To get more viewers on Twitch, start with your game choice. It’s best to play and stream a popular game. Once you’ve sorted out your game choice, turn your attention to improving the general appearance of your stream. You can use overlays, alerts, panels, and even create your own Twitch emotes. If you don’t talk during streaming, that’s the next habit you need to change. Lastly, set a clear schedule and stick to it (and if you can avoid streaming at peak times).
Can you make money as a gamer?
Yes, many gaming influencers make money by streaming on Twitch. It’s estimated that the top 10 Twitch streamers make over $20 million among them. You can also make money through sponsorship and other strategies like selling your merch. If you plan on using Twitch, you should make it your goal to become a Twitch Affiliate or Twitch Partner. If you’re just an everyday Twitch user, you’ll need to improve your streaming skills and focus on building a following before you can use it to make money.
How do you make money on Twitch?
On Twitch, you can make money by means of various strategies. You can, for example, use affiliate links, sell customized merch, or focus on donations, sponsorship, and tournament winnings. All these strategies are available to Twitch streamers. However, for any of it to be effective, you need to have a substantial audience and improve your gaming and streaming skills first.
How can you calculate a Twitch channel’s media value?
Influencer Marketing Hub has created a free online tool that can give you an estimation of the media value of any Twitch channel and the potential cost of buying a sponsorship for that specific channel. It takes into account a number of factors that include the number of total subscribers, number of total video views, average media value and total estimated media value. While it’s not an official Twitch tool or associated or endorsed by Twitch, streamers and brands will find it useful.
Can you sell customized merch on Twitch?
Yes, any Twitch broadcaster with a substantial number of followers can sell customized merch on Twitch to make more money. In fact, PewDiePie has made millions by selling merch like hoodies and hats via the Represent platform. The most straightforward strategy is to create an online store and add a link to your merch store on your Twitch page. Then, all that’s left to do is to promote your merchandise in your feed and direct your followers to your online store.
