Every so often when the planets align, streamers are graced with a new phenomenon that seems to take overTwitchand guarantee an abundance of viewers to one game. There are different reasons why these games trend, but every time a new game starts trending, it’s almost guaranteed to start selling copies to eager fans who want to experience it for themselves. Some of theseTwitchhits, although surprising, have managed to remain on the top of the viewer leaderboards for years, elevating them to the status of classics. Look no further than the popular battle royaleFortnite,where kids learned to Floss.
Some of the games on Twitch are popular for obvious reasons, be it that players don’t want to be scared firsthand or they want to watch someone much better than they are at a competitive game. Some longtime favorites and examples of this areLeague of Legends,Phasmophobia,andCall of Duty: Warzone.There are many games and activities that cover the channels on Twitch, so when streamers all gather around one game, it feels like a special moment of unity in the gaming community, especially if the game relies on communication and creativity.
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Among Us
Originally released inJune 2018,Among Usdidn’t rise in popularity until mid-2020, when players were eager for an experience they could play with friends. Because everyone was forced to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, and the easy accessibility ofAmong Us,long-time gamers and newcomers alike hopped onto the spaceship to find the Impostor and jettison them into space.
This game became popular on Twitch because the huge reliance on communication made for some hilarious moments between famous streamers, and even some politicians, as they tricked each other throughout each match. What’s amazing is that the game managed to rise to popularity on Twitch, and in such a big way, two years after its initial release.
Grand Theft Auto Online Roleplay
Grand Theft AutoOnlinewas already popular for entering players into an immersive criminal empire they can explore with their friends. Thanks to the ability for multiplayer fun, it was already a popular streamed game. However, with the introduction of theGrand Theft Auto OnlineRP servers, players can now have a more immersive experience than ever before. Instead of playing the protagonist, players take over the roles of police, shopkeepers, and a whole list of other roles complete with their own activities.
Players can practically live out whole lives on these servers, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by streamers. The interactions between role-playing characters have the potential to be really funny and so it makes for great content. Streamers have noticed this and hopped into FiveM’s servers en masse.
Minecraft
Minecraftwas first released in 2011, and was pretty well-received when it came out. The freedom of sandbox creativity in a survival world birthed a genre that has inspired games likeTerraria,Rust, Ark: Survival Evolved,and many more. Naturally, given the game’s customization and ease of access on most machines, it was a popular choice t0 stream in the early days of Twitch, which launched around the same time. However, even the best of games will dip in popularity on Twitch, as viewers are attracted to new and shinier games.
What is so surprising about the survival block-buildingMinecraftis its waves of return to popularity on Twitch in 2019, 2020, and now higher than ever before in 2021. The reason streamers are so attracted toMinecraftis that it’s easy to run on most systems, the content is pure enough for advertisers, and the freedom to create and live in these worlds has allowed for all sorts of unique situations for streamers to create content.
