Most Popular Games for Streaming: From Minecraft to Marvel Rivals

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The advent of streaming services like Twitch helped to usher in a wave of popularity for previously niche game genres, many of which have since gone on to become some of the most popular game types in the industry. In a lot of ways, streaming habits (both in terms of what streamers play and what viewers watch) continue to shape the growth of the industry, as developers and publishers plot out projects based on what they think will hit with a major audience from looking at other popular titles’ success on streaming platforms. Titles like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V remain popular for streaming viewers, but the growing popularity of League of Legends and DOTA 2 (really, the entire MOBA genre as a whole) as competitive eSports titles has seen the landscape shift a bit.

10. Marvel Rivals

• Release Date — December 5, 2024
• Developer — NetEase Games
• Publisher — NetEase Games
• Genre — Hero Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 74% (Mixed or Average)
• Steam User Score — 79% (Mostly Positive)
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 258,577,617 hours

Despite being a newer title, Marvel Rivals was practically tailor-made to become a major hit on streaming services. A third-person hero shooter featuring a wide-ranging cast of heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe is a recipe for success, and sure enough, Marvel Rivals viewership has reached levels in just a few months that take many titles years. Since the game’s launch in December 2024, Marvel Rivals has already racked up nearly 300 million hours of views on streaming platforms, making it the fastest-growing game in terms of its streaming popularity.

9. Call of Duty: Warzone

• Release Date — November 16, 2022
• Developer — Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Beenox, Treyarch, High Moon Studios, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob
• Publisher — Activision
• Genre — Battle Royale, FPS
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 31% (Mostly Negative)
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 305,365,651 hours

It was only a matter of time before Call of Duty got in on the battle royale phenomenon. And while battle royale games have declined a bit in popularity from their onetime position at the top of the pile, Call of Duty: Warzone remains the most popular game in the genre other than Fortnite. Despite some negative Steam reviews (mostly due to complaints of players cheating and other woes that the PC version of Warzone suffers from), Warzone is one of the most popular games for viewers to watch on stream, largely owing to the frantic on-screen action and the potential for hilarious reactions from players during competitive matches.

8. Minecraft

• Release Date — November 18, 2011
• Developer — Mojang Studios
• Publisher — Mojang Studios, Xbox Game Studios
• Genre — Crafting, Survival, Open-World
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — N/A
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 422,197,556 hours

At one point, Minecraft was inarguably the most popular game for both streaming and content creators on YouTube, helping to launch the careers of some of the most popular gaming personalities of the last decade and ingratiating itself beyond just another game to become a cultural touchpoint. While Minecraft might not be the most popular game on streaming platforms anymore, it still earns impressive viewership, with the last year alone totaling almost 450 million hours. Mojang’s open-world sandbox survival game is a genuine phenomenon within the gaming industry, and the limitless creativity that it affords players helps it remain a popular game for viewers to just sit back and watch a skilled player get lost in.

7. World of Warcraft

• Release Date — November 23, 2004
• Developer — Blizzard Entertainment
• Publisher — Blizzard Entertainment
• Genre — MMORPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — N/A
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 462,542,748 hours

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft has seen an interesting spike in popularity over the last few years, mostly due to the launch of World of Warcraft Classic in 2019. The decision to reset the continuity and level the playing field for anyone interested in the MMORPG but intimidated by the prospect of breaking into the title with so much history has opened it up to a brand-new audience, many of them both players and viewers on streaming platforms. At this point, World of Warcraft is a pillar of the MMORPG genre that Blizzard will likely support for as long as it can, and its uptick in viewership on streaming platforms over the last year shows that it has cross-generational appeal.

6. DOTA 2

• Release Date — July 9, 2013
• Developer — Valve
• Publisher — Valve
• Genre — MOBA
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 81% (Very Positive)
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 520,083,123 hours

Valve’s DOTA 2 started as a mod before becoming an official full release in the developer/publisher’s catalog, and since its launch, it’s remained the only game in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre to challenge League of Legends. DOTA 2 is one of the more popular competitive eSports titles (just like League of Legends), which, of course, makes it an ideal candidate for being one of the most popular games on streaming platforms. Over the last year alone, DOTA 2 has earned over half a billion hours of views, which surprisingly is only enough to see it be the second-most popular game of Valve’s.

5. Fortnite

• Release Date — July 25, 2017
• Developer — Epic Games
• Publisher — Epic Games
• Genre — Battle Royale, Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — N/A
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 575,230,186 hours

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the unyielding popularity of Fortnite. Competitors have come and gone in attempts to steal away the crown of Epic Games’ runaway success, but none have the staying power and universal appeal of Fortnite. And like Minecraft, even if you’ve never played a single match of Fortnite, chances are the average person knows exactly what it is. Truthfully, Fortnite can be a lot of fun in the right servers and with the right players, and getting to see the insane hijinks that players get up to as they vie for the coveted number one Victory Royale spot continues to help it remain one of the most popular games on streaming platforms.

4. Counter-Strike 2

• Release Date — August 21, 2012
• Developer — Valve
• Publisher — Valve
• Genre — FPS
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 86% (Very Positive)
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 698,079,016 hours

Other than League of Legends, Valve’s Counter-Strike is the most popular competitive game in eSports, and it’s been that way since before the term “eSports” even existed. Competitive online shooters owe a major debt of gratitude to the original Counter-Strike (one of the best to ever do it), and Counter-Strike 2 is still the same game that players of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive know and love, albeit with vastly improved visuals. Out of the millions of hours of views Counter-Strike 2 has, it’s a safe bet that many of those watching don’t even play; they just want to see the intensity and tactical precision of a skilled competitive Counter-Strike match.

3. Valorant

• Release Date — June 2, 2020
• Developer — Riot Games
• Publisher — Riot Games
• Genre — Hero Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — N/A
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 752,120,675 hours

After helping to define the MOBA genre with League of Legends, Riot Games took to expanding the League universe across multiple different game genres, with Valorant undoubtedly being the most popular and successful of them all. A free-to-play tactical shooter that borrows heavily from Valve’s Counter-Strike, Valorant can be brutal and fiercely competitive, but it can also be a ton of fun to either watch or play. Watching a skilled player complete matches in Valorant can even be a tool to help one get better at the game, which has helped it earn hundreds of millions of hours of views on streaming platforms.

2. League of Legends

• Release Date — October 27, 2009
• Developer — Riot Games
• Publisher — Riot Games
• Genre — MOBA
• Review Aggregate Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — N/A
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 1,117,323,636 hours

Both the second-most popular game on streaming platforms and the world’s most popular competitive eSport, League of Legends is nothing short of a gaming phenomenon. From its humble beginnings in 2009 as a completely unknown MOBA title to a multimedia empire spanning multiple games, comics, and an award-winning animated series, League of Legends has experienced the type of success that only comes around every so often, and it’s helped to shape the direction of the gaming industry over the last decade. As you might expect from its ubiquity, League of Legends has some impressive viewership across streaming platforms, landing over a billion hours of views in just the last year.

1. Grand Theft Auto V

• Release Date — September 17, 2013
• Developer — Rockstar North
• Publisher — Rockstar Games
• Genre — Action, Open-World
• Review Aggregate Score — 97% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 87% (Very Positive)
• Total Watch Time (Last 365 Days) — 1,130,518,674 hours

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Grand Theft Auto V is hands-down the most popular game on streaming platforms that’s an actual game (so, not counting interaction-based activities like Just Chatting or Streamer School). It’s not GTA V‘s story mode that remains so popular but instead the GTA Online multiplayer mode, with literally millions of hours viewed exclusively on physics-defying stunt driving and other off-the-wall activities exclusive to that component of the GTA V experience. In just the last year alone, GTA V has earned over a billion streaming hours across all viewers, and it’s a safe bet to assume that GTA VI will quickly take its place at the top not long after its launch.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.

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