Twitch has published its 2026 State of Gaming report, revealing that viewers watched more than 8.6 billion hours of gaming content on the platform between January 1 and September 1, 2026. The report highlights the most-watched games, leading creators, regional viewing preferences, and the continued growth of gaming communities across a range of genres.
According to Twitch, its five most-watched games generated nearly 1.7 billion hours watched combined. The findings also point to increased interest in indie games, sandbox experiences, horror titles, and interactive viewing features such as Twitch Drops.
League of Legends Leads Twitch's Most-Watched Games
League of Legends remained one of Twitch's leading games in 2026, appearing among the top three games in most of the regions covered by the report. Counter-Strike, Grand Theft Auto V, VALORANT, and World of Warcraft also featured among the platform's five most-watched games globally.
Twitch highlighted several creators associated with these titles. Caedrel, otplol_, and Noway4u_sir were listed among the leading League of Legends streamers, while Strogo, Eslcs, and Ohnepixel represented Counter-Strike. JLtomy, Fps_shaka, and Penta were highlighted for Grand Theft Auto V.
For VALORANT, the report identified Gofns, Mixwell, and Lazvell, while Echo_esports, Maximum, and Metashi12 were featured for World of Warcraft.
The results demonstrate the continued importance of established competitive games and long-running multiplayer titles to Twitch's viewing figures.
Sandbox Games and Indie Titles Build Large Communities
Sandbox games generated 831 million hours watched during the reporting period. Minecraft and Tomodachi Life were among the titles contributing to the genre's continued popularity, with their open-ended gameplay providing opportunities for players to create content and develop community-driven experiences.
Twitch also reported 287 million hours watched for horror games, including Dead by Daylight, Phasmophobia, and Silent Hill f. Separately, streams using the Horror tag accumulated 93 million hours watched, representing a 6% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Games featuring creatures and companions also attracted substantial audiences. Titles such as Pokopia, Slime Rancher, and Temtem collectively reached 142 million hours watched.
Indie gaming recorded another notable increase. Hours watched on channels tagged for indie game content rose by 51%, with titles including Meccha Chameleon, Slay the Spire 2, and Big Walk contributing to more than 348 million hours watched.
These figures suggest that Twitch audiences continued to engage with a broad range of gaming experiences beyond established competitive games.
Regional Viewing Preferences Differ Across Markets
The report also identified the most-watched games across several regions, showing both the international reach of major franchises and differences in local gaming communities.
In the United States and the United Kingdom, League of Legends and Fortnite ranked among the top three games. Grand Theft Auto V also featured prominently in the United States, while Minecraft appeared in the UK's regional list.
League of Legends led the reported rankings in Spain, France, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and Australia and New Zealand. However, other titles reflected regional preferences. World of Warcraft ranked first in the DACH region, while Grand Theft Auto V led in Japan.
Brazil's top three included Tibia, while Mexico's list featured QSMP. VALORANT appeared among the leading games in Spain, France, Brazil, Japan, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. Overwatch also featured in Australia and New Zealand's rankings.
The regional results illustrate how global gaming franchises maintain broad audiences while individual markets develop their own viewing trends.
Twitch Creators Expand Live Entertainment
Twitch's report also highlighted creators who have attracted large audiences through competitive gaming, variety streaming, and original live events.
Jynxzi accumulated 78 million hours watched across Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, and League of Legends. TheBurntPeanut generated more than 70 million hours watched, with ARC Raiders, Rust, and Escape from Tarkov among the games featured in his streams.
Other creators were recognised for their achievements in individual markets. In Germany, Noway4u_Sir ranked as the platform's third most-watched League of Legends streamer, while BastiGHG was identified as its most-watched Minecraft streamer globally.
In Spain, Rubius accumulated more than 21 million hours watched, with Minecraft, TCG Card Shop Simulator, and Marvel Rivals among his most-played categories. French creator Kamet0 recorded 13 million hours watched across League of Legends and VALORANT during the reporting period.
The report also highlighted creators experimenting with formats beyond conventional gameplay. Brazilian streamer cellbit hosted an escape-room livestream in an old VHS store, while Mexican creator aldo_geo organised the Minecraft event Geoware World in August.
In the United Kingdom, Vedal987 and his AI avatar Neuro-sama broke the Hype record for the third consecutive time, reaching level 123 in 2026. Meanwhile, Taiwanese creator Tsukilin broke the Twitch Subathon record, finishing the event ranked fifth globally and first in the Asia-Pacific region.
These examples show how streamers are using live content, community events, and alternative formats to develop their audiences.
Twitch Drops Viewing Hours Increase by 46%
Twitch Drops remained an important part of the platform's approach to interactive gaming content. The report found that streams using the DropsEnabled tag generated 1.6 billion hours watched, a 46% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Twitch hosted more than 7,500 Drops campaigns during the reporting period, up 20% year over year. Participation across channels increased by 40%, while the number of users who participated in and claimed Drops rose by 15% to 40 million.
Twitch Drops allow viewers to earn in-game rewards by watching eligible streams, connecting game publishers with audiences through participation-based campaigns. The figures indicate that the feature continues to provide a way for developers and publishers to encourage players to watch gaming content.
Twitch Reports 8.6 Billion Hours Watched in 2026
Mike Minton, Twitch's Chief Product Officer, said the platform's viewing figures demonstrate the strength of its gaming communities. He also referenced the Grand Theft Auto VI community's activity, which he said had become large enough to disrupt the site.
The report covers the period from January 1 through September 1, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Twitch said its figures were based on internal data, represented global activity, and used rounded viewing-hour totals. Year-over-year growth figures compare the same period in 2025.
Overall, Twitch's 2026 State of Gaming report highlights the platform's continued role in connecting players, creators, publishers, and developers. Established multiplayer games remain central to viewing activity, while indie titles, sandbox experiences, regional communities, and interactive campaigns contribute to the wider range of content available to audiences.
