From Canberra to California, people across the world love watching video games just as much as they love playing them. And whilst plenty of would-be challengers in the form of YouTube, Mixer and Kick have all had their swings in the ring, Twitch remains the undisputed king when it comes to the platform of choice for gamers looking to keep up with their favourite titles and personalities. But, have you ever wondered which games are the most watched on Twitch? And how are your favourites faring in 2024? Join us today at Gamelevate as we take stock of the best-performing games and categories on Twitch!
What Are The Most Watched Twitch Categories In 2024?
To give you the most up-to-date statistics on the most viewed games on Twitch in 2024, we used the latest data published by Newzoo Platform. Each of the categories has been determined by the total hours of watch time the game has amassed by users over the last month. We also took into account the percentage share of viewing time amassed by professional events and tournaments to see how these games’ competitive scenes are looking.
1. Just Chatting – 234 million viewer hours
That’s right, the most-watched category on the famous video game streaming platform Twitch.com is the one dedicated to all things non-gaming. From Q&As, gambling at online pokies Australia, cracking out ‘Wonderwall’ on an acoustic guitar to discussing the latest in global politics, Just Chatting was set up in 2017 and has consistently been Twitch’s most popular channel for streamers and viewers to interact with one another.
2. Grand Theft Auto V – 147 million viewer hours
Grand Theft Auto V is well over a decade old at this point so, whilst the series has definitely been given a boost by the upcoming release of GTA VI, it may be a surprise to see it sat with 147 million viewer hours logged in the last month. The reason for this is the access PC players have to the FiveM Roleplay servers, which makes the game very different from the one you’re probably familiar with. They provide streams that are interactive and compelling, without losing the feel of the GTA we all know and love.
3. League of Legends – 112 million viewer hours
Riot’s League of Legends (LoL) is once again taking the crown as the world’s most popular Esports title in 2024. In comparison to its fellow MOBA title Dota 2, LoL is accessible to newcomers to the competitive world, whilst simultaneously providing a skill curve high enough to keep the pros interested. Out of the 112M hours the game logged over the past thirty days, 18.6M of those were from organised Esports tournaments and competitions, showcasing the solid blend of individuals and events fans spend their time with.
4. Valorant – 98 million viewer hours
Another Riot Games title in the top five most-watched games, Valorant has been a mainstay in the Twitch charts since its release back in 2020. The combination of flashy visuals and playable agents that resemble countries and cultures from across the world gives the game a global appeal, and its formula provides a viewing experience that is both easy to follow and thrilling to watch. Less than 10% of its viewing hours have come from professional events, however, potentially indicating that its Esports scene still hasn’t hit its stride yet.
5. Counter-Strike – 90 million viewer hours
Before its release, Valorant was infamously dubbed the ‘CS killer’ on the back of its popularity in North America and for how many mechanics it had taken from Valve’s flagship franchise. And, in terms of Twitch viewership at least, that prophecy appears to have been fulfilled. 90 million viewing hours were logged across CS:GO and CS2, the game’s long-awaited sequel, over the previous thirty days. Interestingly, CS has the highest percentage of Esports share of any game in Twitch’s top ten most-watched categories with 31.33% (28.2M) of viewing hours being dedicated to tournament and event coverage.
Wrap Up
All in all, 2024 has kicked in largely the same shape as most of 2023. The ‘Just Chatting’ category has dominated Twitch since 2020 and, bar a few weeks where the likes of Among Us and Escape from Tarkov were the talk of the town, GTA V spent the majority of last year on top of the pile for games. The likes of Dota 2, Fortnite and Apex are all the next games in Twitch’s top ten according to Newzoo, with Modern Warfare/Warzone and Overwatch 1/2 rounding out the top ten.
It’s hard for new games to break the dominance these games have on the Twitch charts. Most of the titles featured here are either over a decade old, or a continuation of a long-established series. Their recognisability and the loyalty of their fans make them the obvious choice for streamers looking to guarantee viewership.
