For thousands of gamers, live streaming represents the ultimate dream job. After all, who doesn’t love the idea of having the ability to work from the comfort of your own home, playing games, and collaborating with celebrities and influencers whilst passively raking in some truly eye-watering amounts? The biggest personalities in the world are the poster boys for the highs this life can bring, so why not join us as we look at which Twitch streamers have the biggest followings coming into 2023?
5: xQc – Followers: 11.5 million
27-Year-old Canadian Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel first came to prominence on the back of becoming the most-watched Twitch streamer in 2021. He is a former professional Overwatch Tank player and continues to dominate viewing figures for the FPS title and the ‘Just Chatting’ categories on Twitch.
The Canadian’s estimated worth in 2022 reportedly hit $9 million, and he continues to boast 524 million views on the streaming platform coming into 2023.
4: ibai – Followers: 12.5 million
Ranked as the most influential social media influencer in Spain, Ibai ‘ibai’ Llanos Garatea is a former League of Legends professional and caster that has since gone on to become one of the most enigmatic personalities in the gaming world.
Having previously been a content creator for G2 Esports, ibai now owns KOI alongside Barcelona legend Gerard Pique. At the time of writing, the Spaniard boasts the fourth-biggest Twitch channel with 360 million views and 12.5 million followers.
3: Rubius – Followers: 13.5 million
Rubén ‘Rubius’ Doblas Gundersen is the second-most followed foreign streamer on Twitch but is perhaps better known for his presence on YouTube, rather than Twitch. He is the most subscribed Spainard on the platform with 40.4 million subscribers but still manages third in our list of the biggest Twitch streamers with 13.5 million followers.
2: Auronplay – Followers: 14.7 million
Raúl ‘Auronplay’ Álvarez Genes currently holds over 4 billion views on YouTube and has the second biggest Twitch channel with 14.7 million followers coming into 2023.
He has accumulated 216 million total views on the streaming platform, building his popularity off of games like Grand Theft Auto V and riding the wave of Among Us when it was enjoying its heyday.
1: Ninja – Followers: 18.4 million
Ninja’s days as the most high-profile Fortnite player might be coming to a close heading into 2023, but his influence as the world’s biggest Twitch streamer is still as strong as ever.
A former Halo player, Richard ‘Ninja’ Tyler Blevins began playing Fortnite back in 2017 and broke the peak viewership record on the platform in 2018 when he played on stream with Drake, Travis Scott, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Over his career, he has amassed over 572 million views and is the most followed personality with 18.4 million followers.
Ninja Still Rules The Roost – But For How Long?
Ninja’s position at the top of the table can be seen as both a shock and the least surprising story video game enthusiasts will read this year. The American is one of the first faces people think of when they think of live streaming but has had a complicated relationship with Twitch during his career.
Ninja famously ended his exclusive agreement with Twitch when he became Mixer’s biggest acquisition but hopped back onto the platform following the latter’s dissolvement.
And, whilst he is still the world’s most followed streamer for the time being, the signs are that this crown could be in jeopardy. Ludwig ‘Ludwig’ Aghren has already passed Ninja’s record for the most subs at one time on YouTube, and Auronplay and Rubius are on-track to also overtake him on Twitch.
The Rise Of Spanish Streamers
What is undoubtedly a surprise for some is the rise of Spanish streamers on this list. Non-English speaking streams have been growing in popularity over the past few years but, with two of the top three most followed streamers in the world coming from Spain, it speaks volumes about the rise of the industry not only in the country but also in South America.
On the back of more solid showings at some of the biggest events, professional players and orgs from the region have begun to see their stocks climb in the latest Esports betting markets, increasing the interest in the personalities that have helped lay the foundations.
Men Continue To Dominate
Sadly, Twitch is still a platform where the top channels are almost exclusively dominated by men.
Out of the top twenty, most followed streamers heading into 2023, nineteen of them are male. With 9.2 million followers, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys is the most followed female streamer on the planet and the tenth overall in the world. Kaitlyn ‘Amouranth’ Michelle Siragusa had previously made 2022’s top twenty streamers but has since dropped out after being overtaken by Jaryd ‘summit1g’ Russell Lazar.
