Best Games to Stream on YouTube in 2024: High-Viewership Picks by Category
A curated list of the most discoverable, audience-building games for YouTube live streams — with data on viewership potential and competition levels for each.
The best game to stream isn’t necessarily the most popular one — it’s the one with high viewer demand and lower creator competition. “Supersaturated” games like Fortnite have millions of streams; niche but popular games are far easier to rank in.
Games Rated by Viewership Potential vs. Competition
| Game | Viewer Demand | Creator Competition | Newcomer Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | Extreme | Extreme | Medium (niche down) |
| Roblox | Very High | High | Medium |
| Elden Ring / Souls series | High | Medium | High |
| Indie Horror Games | Medium-High | Low | Very High |
| New AAA Releases | Very High (launch only) | Low (at launch) | Very High (timing matters) |
| Fortnite / Warzone | Extreme | Saturated | Low |
| Retro/Classic Games | Medium | Low | High |
| City-Builder / Strategy | Medium | Very Low | Very High |
| Speedrunning (any game) | Moderate | Low | High |
| Pokemon Series | High | Medium | High |
Top Recommendations by Channel Goal
For Maximum Discovery (New Channels)
- Indie horror releases — high search volume on launch day, minimal competition, extremely clippable reactions
- New AAA releases in the first 72 hours — YouTube search explodes at launch; early streams rank easily
- Niche retro games — dedicated, passionate communities actively search for content on their favourite classic games
For Building a Loyal Community
- Long campaign RPGs (Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy) — viewers invest in multi-week series and return consistently for each episode
- Roguelikes with replayability (Hades, Dead Cells) — infinite content, each run is unique, skill progression creates a compelling ongoing narrative
- Competitive games at educational level (Chess, StarCraft) — tutorial-style streams attract beginners who become long-term subscribers
For Viral Clip Potential
- Battle royales with epic moments (PUBG, Apex Legends) — clutch plays and funny deaths clip perfectly for Shorts
- Horror games (any) — jump scare reactions are consistently YouTube’s most-shared gaming clips
- Speedrunning attempts — world record streams have natural shareability and dedicated communities
A new gaming channel chose to stream Stardew Valley update streams on launch days and “nuzlocke challenge” Pokemon runs. Neither game is in YouTube’s top 10 by viewership — but in their respective niches, both have passionate audiences and low creator competition. Within 6 months: 22,000 subscribers, 4.2M channel views, and two Shorts that hit 800K+ views each from reaction clips.
The “Stream Pre-Recorded Gameplay” Strategy for Any Game
One of the most underused strategies in gaming content: record your best gameplay sessions and stream them as live broadcasts on YouTube during peak hours. This works for any game because:
- You can edit out boring sections before streaming — showing only the best moments
- You can schedule streams of new game footage the day a game launches, even if you played it at 3 AM
- You can maintain a consistent streaming schedule regardless of when you actually play
- Multiple games can be streamed “live” from your recording library without any technical setup per stream
Stream Any Game Live — Without Being Live
Upload your recorded gameplay and schedule it as a live stream. Get the notification reach of live content with the quality of edited highlights.