While you might think of Reels or TokToks (or even Vine) when you think of short-form content, live streaming is more closely related to another type of short-form content. YouTube Shorts launched in beta in India in September 2020 and rolled out globally in 2021. Gaming was one of the first communities to embrace this format, and the relationship between shorts and gaming content has only deepened since then. By 2025, shorts will be out of bounds. 200 billion views dailymore than doubling from 70 billion just a year ago, establishing itself as one of the most powerful content discovery engines.

The rise of short videos is a big fuel for the YouTube game. The platform set a new record for live streaming with 8.8 billion hours watched in 2025, continuing to chip away at the market dominance that Twitch has held for years. This article details what YouTube Gaming’s numbers will look like in 2025, how the short boom is driving creator growth across the platform, and which games and regions have the most participation in the YouTube community.

To learn more about the state of YouTube gaming in 2025 and the implications for the future, read the full report now.

Key points by Stream Hatchet:

• Approximately 1 in 4 hours of viewing time on live streaming platforms is spent on YouTube gaming channels
• 67.2 million gaming-related YouTube short videos will be posted in 2025, with a peak of 6.1 million short videos in August
• What is the biggest game on the platform? Roblox with 425 million hours watched as of 2025, following the success of Grow a Garden in 2025

YouTube Gaming breaks records in live streaming arena in 2025

YouTube Gaming ended 2025 with 8.8 billion hours watched, a new record for the platform and an increase of +12% year over year. To put this in perspective, the platform’s viewership has quadrupled since 2018, when it was just 2.2 billion hours. This growth hasn’t been entirely smooth, with market share declining from 21% in 2020 to 14% in both 2021 and 2022, following the post-pandemic normalization that hit nearly all streaming platforms. However, since 2023, YouTube Gaming has been in serious trouble, rising to 17%, 23%, and 24% of the total live streaming market in just three years.

Approximately once every four hours of live streaming gaming platform viewing occurs on YouTube Gaming, which has completely surpassed the “Twitch alternative” status. What’s particularly interesting about this growth is that it hasn’t come at the expense of a shrinking market. Total watch time across all platforms is also increasing, meaning YouTube Gaming is bringing in a whole new audience to live streaming.

YouTube Shorts: More gaming content means more discovery

The number of gaming-related short videos posted on YouTube has nearly doubled in less than a year, from 3.1 million videos in November 2024 to a peak of 6.15 million videos in August 2025. Quarter-on-quarter growth was strong throughout the year: +48% in Q1, +20% in Q2, almost flat in Q3, and slightly down -11% in Q4. However, this drop is worth keeping in perspective. Even with 5.3 million posts in December, creators are still publishing far more gaming shorts than a year ago, suggesting that overall demand for the format is still growing.

It’s not hard to see why creators are flocking to short videos. Gaming is the third-largest niche on the platform by total views, accounting for approximately 13% of short video viewers across the format. This is a huge top-of-funnel to leverage, and smart creators use it as a springboard into broader channels. Canadian streamer Outwork and US-based CaylusBlox are good examples. A combination of short videos and live streaming makes posting possible. minecraft and roblox With each piece of content, they gained a total of 14 million new followers in 2025 alone.

Roblox leads YouTube gaming core content

roblox dominated YouTube Gaming in 2025, becoming the most watched game on the platform with 425 million hours watched, an incredible +294% year-over-year increase. Such growth occurs because robloxYoung, mobile-heavy audience: This is exactly the demographic that watches short videos, and the game’s incredibly creative and clip-friendly gameplay makes it a natural fit for the format. minecraft tells a similar story. 279 million hours watched, +91% year-over-year growth, the second highest percentage in the top 10. These games are suitable for both live streaming for creativity sessions and short, punchy content for one-off random events and highlights.

Nine of YouTube Gaming’s top 10 games grew in viewership year-over-year in 2025, which speaks to the platform’s overall momentum. The list itself is a pretty accurate representation of YouTube Gaming’s strengths: four mobile-first titles (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, garena free fire, battlegrounds mobile indiaand roblox) While reflecting the platform’s dominance in Southeast Asia and Latin American markets, heavy esports titles such as league of legends (421 million hours, +19%) counter strike (342 million hours, +30%), and Assess the value (221 million hours, +25%) shows that competitive gaming is home here as well. roblox, league of legendsand counter strike was one of the most popular games across all live streaming platforms in 2025, highlighting how well YouTube Gaming’s top 10 aligns with broader industry trends.

YouTube Gaming’s global viewership is dominated by Asia, with Japan leading the way

Important note regarding geographic data: These numbers reflect hours watched by YouTube Gaming’s top 1000 creators for whom country data is available, not total platform viewers by country. Even with this situation in mind, the geography that emerges is still very clear. Japanese creators in the top 1000 generated a whopping 451 million hours of viewing time in 2025, comfortably surpassing the US’s 307 million hours. A big driver of Japan’s dominance is the country’s thriving VTuber scene, where virtual creators like Hololive and Nijisanji command huge and loyal audiences.

The broader Asian story is equally compelling. Six of the top 10 countries are in Asia, and an interesting fact is that India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand topped Japan with a total of 472 million hours watched. Brazil stands out apart from Asia and the US, with 192 million hours spent, firmly establishing South America as the leading YouTube gaming market. Bulgaria’s presence in the 50M was a pleasant surprise, sneaking into the top 10 as the only Eastern European representative. For gaming publishers and brands looking to reach audiences around the world, this data makes a strong case that YouTube Gaming is the platform of choice for gaming communities across Asia, South America, and even beyond the Western streaming markets.

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YouTube Gaming’s 2025 numbers clearly demonstrate that this is a platform that has made progress. A record 8.8 billion hours watched, an explosion in gaming YouTube Shorts, and the breadth of top 10 games all indicate that the platform is firing on multiple cylinders simultaneously. What’s particularly fascinating is how these elements reinforce each other. Short videos drive discovery, discovery drives live streaming viewership, and live streaming viewership drives the kind of deep community engagement. This allows games such as roblox We are on track to achieve triple-digit growth year over year.

Anyone looking to understand where gaming viewers spend their time and what content captures their attention needs to understand YouTube Gaming. To learn more about the state of YouTube gaming in 2025 and the implications for the future, read the full report now.