Most Popular Games to Stream on Twitch and YouTube (2023)

Streaming a popular game keeps your channel relevant and can help you increase your viewer count on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, or any other streaming platform, by taking advantage of the already established viewer base. The games listed below are wildly popular, many of which have dominated (and will continue to dominate) the streaming landscape over the past few years. There are also some newer games listed that we think will grow in popularity and remain relevant in the years to come.

If you are just starting out, and don't have a lot of viewers, you might find it hard to gain followers by streaming a popular game, as there will be potentially hundreds of established streamers playing the game already. For example, League of Legends always has dozens of live streams with thousands of viewers at any given time and hundreds of live streams with 50+ viewers. If you only have 10-50 viewers in an average stream, you might find it hard to compete and attract viewers to your stream, as viewers have too many established options already available to them. You should instead consider streaming a game that is suitable for new or smaller streamers. Check out our list of the top games for new or small streamers to live stream in 2023. Read more about strategy and how to decide which is the best game for you to stream in our recent blog post.

While it is not impossible to compete as a new streamer, we generally only recommended to stream the games below if you are already established (50-100 average viewers minimum).

So without further ado, here are the best games to live stream in 2023:

League of Legends

One of the most popular games of all time, League of Legends is consistently the most streamed game on Twitch. This game takes an immense amount of skill, but if you are able to keep up, you can quickly find yourself gaining likes, follows, subscribes, donations, and more.

GTA V

Even though the game itself is from 2013, GTA V tops the charts for viewers each month due to the roleplaying (RP) community. Using mods, players have created RP servers that offer viewers a very social experience, that is always fun and unique. You may have heard of the NoPixel server, which is one of the most popular servers, or xQc, one of the most popular RP streamers. Each server has its own rules and themes, and players are required to remain in character at all times, whether they are a gangster, a cop, or even a cab driver.

VALORANT

Always one of the top viewed games on Twitch, VALORANT has gotten millions of watch hours each week since its launch in 2020. With similarities to CS:GO and Overwatch, this 5v5 shooter from Riot Games has remained extremely popular since launch and continues to attract some of the world's top eSports talent.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)

Another game that has stood the test of time, this 10+ year old shooter features simple 5v5 combat that is very easy to understand and follow along. Many players have played competitively for years, so you always get to see advanced gameplay mechanics and tactics. But since CS:GO has been around for a while, you need a high level of skill to compete with other streamers.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world, with millions of daily viewers on Twitch and YouTube. There are so many creative ways you can play Minecraft, whether you focus on surviving, building, combat, parkour, speed running, or any of the other endless activities you can do in game. Also, Minecraft has the ability to create custom servers and game modes, which keeps content fresh and exciting for viewers. This is a much more casual game than some of the others on this list, and with so many gameplay options, you will have a great chance of finding a sub-niche in which you can grow your audience.

Dota 2

The most played game on Steam, Dota 2 is similar to League of Legends and has been around for 10 years, with no signs of slowing down. A very skill based game, that is surprisingly popular in Russia, Dota 2 remains one of the top MOBA video games in 2023.

Fortnite / Apex Legends / Call of Duty: Warzone / Overwatch 2 / PUBG

The rise of Battle Royale style games took the world by storm in 2017 with the release of PUBG and Fortnite. Since that time, many games have hopped on the bandwagon and featured their own "last man standing" game modes, such as Call of Duty: Warzone and even Nintendo, with Tetris 99. This category of games is highly competitive, but if you can constantly pull off wins, you will be able to rapidly grow your audience. Fortnite is the dominant force in this category, with non-stop releases of new content and game modes, as well as crossovers with all the top brands and celebrities in the world.

FIFA

FIFA is always the most watched sports video game by hours watched each year. FIFA 22 had over 200 million hours watched on Twitch in 2022 and FIFA 23 is already on pace to surpass this. Other sports games such as NBA 2K23 and Rocket League are also great options to stream in 2023.

Rust

Rust is a multiplayer game with one simple goal: survive. And survive it has... with support added to Playstation and Xbox in 2021, the game's popularity has only increased since its official release in 2018. The game features a lot of PVP action, with many players joining clans to help increase their odds of survival. With regular tournaments that attract some of the top streamers in the world, Rust remains the number one survival game to stream in 2023.

Dead by Daylight

Despite being released in 2016, this horror survival game has never wavered in popularity. Each match (or "trial") features one killer whose goal is to deter four survivors from escaping. Just like Fortnite, the developers are constantly adding DLC and fun new characters / skins into the game, allowing you to play Dead by Daylight as your favourite characters from movies or shows such as Halloween, Saw, The Ring, Attack on Titan, and more. This combined with the game's constant visual and gameplay updates has helped keep the game relevant through 2023.

Genshin Impact / Honkai: Star Rail

Genshin Impact is the most expensive game of all time, due to its initial development budget of $100 million and its ongoing annual budget of $200 million. This game will remain one of the most profitable games over the next few years, and rightfully so, as its massive open world is a wonder to behold. This RPG is also one of the top-grossing games of all time due to its Gacha mechanics. The developer, Hoyoverse, has just released Honkai: Star Rail in April of 2023 and already this game is one of the most streamed games of the year according to hours watched. Both of these games will feature major ongoing updates over the next few years, meaning that there will be a constant release of new content for streamers to showcase.