Most surprisingly popular games on Twitch

Summary

• Smaller games can find success on Twitch through Word of Mouth, leading to massive popularity.

• Dune: Awakening deepens players in a survival challenge located in the iconic Dune universe.

• Simple, unique game designs can attract wide target groups on Twitch and run stream reactions.

It is difficult to deepen deep in the gaming world without mentioning Twitch. Live streaming has become a huge part of how people interact with video games online. Whether it is by looking at competitive tournaments with millions of other fans or enjoying a popular streamer game through a co-op game with their peers, there is always something for everyone.

But there are many examples of games that defied expectations and found a much larger audience than expected, despite the steep competition with some of the big names in the industry. Many smaller games can find massive success on the platform thanks to a little useful mouth and a single streamer that picks up the game and explodes it in the stratosphere.

8

Dune: Awakening

Open the survival of the world in an iconic universe

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 17.7 million (June 2025)

• Peak Viewers: 190.931 (June 2025)

Dune: Awakening Takes the extremely popular movie/book franchise and throws players straight into Arrakis deserts with nothing but their own will to survive to help them. Survival games have always been extremely popular, but for a whole new title to break out in this way is more than impressive.

The game has a lot to offer in a seemingly empty world. Players navigate in basic survival challenges such as thirst and hunger, while also handling additional obstacles like the notorious sandworms that lurk under the surface of the dunes. It is an absolute blast for all fans of the genre and has made too many interesting meetings in the stream as well.

7

Just up!

Rage after rage until the end

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 32 million (June 2023)

• Peak Viewers: 279,239 (June 2023)

Just up! Belongs to a small category of games that are suitable with the name “Rage Games”, whose whole reason for existing is to induce as much anger and frustration as possible. Players have a single goal to achieve: climbing up to the top of the map. But that goal is much easier said than done, given that a wrong move can put back players after hours progress and countless failures.

The reason why the game was so popular on Twitch when it came out was the perfect combination of streamer reactions and simplified game design. Each viewer could jump in and understand what was happening, and when Streamer missed a hope, the anger that followed more than enough to bring lots of laughter for everyone.

6

Chess

The classic game for a modern audience

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 22 million (2021 February)

• Peak viewers: 370,111 (2021 Feb)

Chess Was around long before the days of video games, but has been the test of the time and recently found a resuscitation in the form of live streaming. What started when little streamers showed off their skills and tournaments for only the best were quickly turned into a global phenomenon that saw some of the biggest faces in the game that everyone came into the action.

During the 2020s, things gained momentum, with the category that takes in millions of viewers every month and countless competitions both for high ranked players and beginners who are just starting. It may be one of the most recognizable games on the planet, but no one could have predicted how big it would be, even compared to some of the biggest names in games.

5

Fasmophobia

Ghost -hunting is better together

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 48.5 million (October 2020)

• Peak Viewers: 253,155 (Oct 2020)

Fasmophobia is the perfect co-op game that unites players in the most terrible environment as possible. Players play as a ghost owner, go into ghost houses and abandoned cottages in search of clues regarding the specific spectators who haunt the halls, with nothing but some cameras and basic tools to help them.

The mixture of horror and co-op did for the perfect streaming experience. Even years after it was released, the game continues to pull in tens of thousands of viewers every month, which again shows that simple concepts can often be the best.

4

Top

Cooperative climbing with lots of comedy

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 3.4 million (June 2025)

• Top monitor: 151,362 (June 2025)

Top is a charming cooperative adventure that sees players climbing through several different biomas to reach the top above. What makes the game unique is to include multiple features, such as the closet, which provides additional levels of fun and comedy to an already stupid experience.

The ability to group themselves with four players and work together to reach a universal goal makes the game play a treat and watch it just as much fun. Each step forward is a small movement of progress towards the end, which means that players are encouraged to work together when they can.

3

Grand Theft Auto 5

Role -playing playing on another level

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 253 million (May 2021)

• Top monitor: 1.1 million (May 2021)

GTA5 Has long been one of the most popular games on the planet, but the reasons for its streaming popularity go much deeper than just the game itself. The opportunity to play with others opened the door for role -play servers where players take on a variety of personalities, everything from taxi drivers to bully managers, everyone stays in character throughout the stream.

This led to large groups of Streamers all participating in massive servers full of personalities and funny interactions at every moment. With the release of GTA6 Just around the corner, there is no doubt that the sequel will have as much success and as much subsequent, both in the game and when it comes to viewership.

2

Fortnite

From a slow start to a cultural icon

• Peak Monthly Hours saw: 151 million (July 2018)

• Peak viewers: 2.7 million (Dec 2023)

Fortnite Quickly rose to the top of the gaming world, and very few games have ever been able to compete with viewers' numbers that the game had at its top. A cartoon movie Royale shooter where players of all ages could jump in immediately and have a fantastic time, it was the perfect mix of accessibility and fun, which made it the perfect candidate for the flow of success.

Many giants in the streaming world could benefit from the game's incredible numbers, grow their channels of millions of subscribers and build entire careers on the back of a single game. Since then, the game is still extremely popular on Twitch and is still one of the top 10 titles consistently, many years after release.

1

Among us

Simple but perfect timing

• Peak Monthly Hours see: 147 million (September 2020)

• Peak Viewers: 774 280 (Nov 2020)

Among us is a remarkable game that started with some modest success, but thanks to a large extent pandemic and the desire for group streaming content, that the first release was quickly overshadowed by an almost final wave of success that continues to this day.

By taking the basic concept from party games like Mafia and using a basic but recognized aesthetics, the game was blasted overnight and drew more eyes than most other games on the site for many months. Although the wave has mostly gone, it remains a pillars on the front of Twitch today.