State of the Stream for Sep & Oct: Twitch has strong Q4 start, two game debuts crack top 10, and KaiCenat is back on top
Welcome to the State of the Stream where we share the latest streaming data around platforms, content creators, and related trends. The following report features narratives crafted by StreamElements based on data courtesy of our friends at Rainmaker.gg.
Twitch remains steady quarter-over-quarter
Twitch was relatively flat between Q2 and Q3 in terms of hours watched with only a slight more in Q3, but that quarter also boasts an extra day. Now that Q4 begins, it is off to a strong start with 57.2M daily hours watched and 1.774B monthly hours, which are the second highest peaks dating back to Q2.
Why the October boost? Here is what StreamElements co-founder Or Perry had to say:
“Twitch is off to a strong start in Q4 with its second highest monthly and daily hours watched compared to the previous two quarters. A lot was driven by competitive gaming titles such as League of Legends’ Worlds, Dota 2’s The International, and Counter-Strike 2 getting its highly anticipated update.”
EA Sports FC 24 and Starfield crack the top 10
While there are plenty of new releases each year, so far only 7 have entered the top 10 on Twitch in 2023 based on hours watched. In September, the latest entries were EA Sports FC 24 and Starfield with impressive numbers.
Unlike Starfield, EA Sports FC 24 pulled off the rare feat of being in the top 10 two months in row (usually new games get a huge boost in the first week from all of the curiosity followed by a big decline).
In terms of where they fit in among other top 10 games that launched this year, here is a breakdown based on their first week performance on Twitch:
- Diablo IV — 70M hours watched
- Hogwarts Legacy — 50M
- Baldur’s Gate — 22M
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom— 22M
- Starfield — 18M
- EA Sports FC 24 — 15M
- Street Fighter 6 — 12M
As noted in the platform section quote, League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Counter-Strike 2) also had stellar months based on competitive events and new updates.
KaiCenat takes the top spot with two months left to tie xQc’s 4 crowns in 2023
The leaderboard is in for 2023 creators who have topped the streamer chart on Twitch based on hours watched. Only KaiCenat and Tarik are in the running to tie xQc, the frequent frontrunner who is now spending more time on Kick. Here is who sat in the throne this year and the number of times:
- xQc — 4 crowns
- KaiCenat — 2
- Tarik — 2
- Gaules — 1
- ibai — 1
Also of note was Squeezie entering the top 10 for the first time in September and Caedrel in October. French YouTuber Squeezie organized an epic F4 racing event that included 22 streamers while esports expert Caedrel got his chart boost by being a top co-streamer of League of Legends’ Worlds.
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