Twitch streaming is now firmly cemented into popular culture. You can’t escape it, and Twitch streamers themselves are now part of a new breed of celebrity. Throughout 2023, the scene only grew, with many new Twitch streamers jumping in and establishing themselves among viewers.
With 2024 now well underway, we’re taking one final look back at the top 10 most-watched Twitch streamers of 2023!
10. IlloJuan
©Screenshot from IlloJuan’s stream.
- 62.3 million hours watched in 2023
Juan Alberto “IlloJuan” Garcia is a Spanish Twitch streamer known for hosting LMDShow over on YouTube. After moving over to Twitch, IlloJuan established himself both as a variety gaming streamer, as well as a frequent Just Chatting streamer. As often as he’s playing games, he’s often just sat interacting with his chat for hours on end, which viewers watched for a total of 62.3 million hours throughout 2023.
The only thing that might hold IlloJuan back from rising on this list in 2024 is the infrequency with which he streams, with him often taking breaks for weeks at a time before deciding to go live again.
9. eliasn97
©Screenshot from eliasn97’s stream.
- 63.4 million hours watched in 2023
Elias “eliasn97” Nerlich is a German Twitch streamer with a heavy focus on variety content. In previous years, he has continued to stream the FIFA series, as he is the owner of the FIFA eSports team, FOKUS CLAN, although he doesn’t actually compete on the active roster. He did however formerly play for the Hertha BSC FIFA team on a professional level a few years back.
In recent times, he has taken a particular interest in Valorant and Minecraft. After using FIFA to build a dedicated audience, he has decided to take his content in a new direction, with his viewers now coming along for the entire ride. 2023 was another successful year for eliasn97, with him reaching a massive 63.4 million views over the twelve-month period.
8. HasanAbi
©Screenshot from HasanAbi’s stream.
- 64.2 million hours watched in 2023
Prior to his Twitch career, Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker worked as a broadcast journalist at The Young Turks, as well as a columnist at HuffPost. A self-described socialist, HasanAbi draws viewers of all political affiliations with his heated debates on the current political climate, both in the United States and worldwide.
While HasanAbi does game occasionally, there’s no doubt that the majority of his content involves reacting to recent political content. In an increasingly divided world, streamers like HasanAbi are bound to benefit, as everyone jumps into his chat to get their own hot takes heard. With a total of 64.2 million hours watched in 2023, he was the eighth-most-watched Twitch streamer of the year. Heading into a United States election year, we can almost guarantee that HasanAbi will only grow in stature in 2024.
7. tarik
©Screenshot from tarik’s stream.
- 73.3 million hours watched in 2023
Tarik “tarik” Celik is a former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional, who retired from the game back in 2021 in order to pursue a life as a full-time streamer. In the time since his retirement, he has become one of the most successful individuals on the platform, gaining an audience of over 3 million followers.
Nowadays, many people would say that tarik has betrayed his CS roots, with the focus of his channel moving almost exclusively to Valorant. Not only does he play the game, but he also co-streams some of its eSports matches, too. If it works, it works. Throughout 2023, Tarik was watched for a total of 73.3 million hours by his audience.
6. kingsleague
©Screenshot from kingsleague’s stream.
- 80.1 million hours watched in 2023
Not quite football, but definitely not futsal, Gerard Piqué’s Kings League has carved out a unique niche in the online space, delivering its matches via Twitch instead of the traditional sports channels. The Twitch community has embraced the kingsleague channel, watching it for a total of 80.1 million hours throughout 2023.
As the league continues to grow and its long-term storylines begin to take shape, we expect Twitch viewers to become even more invested in everything the Kings League has to offer throughout 2024 and beyond. As long as people like Pique are involved, it should always have the resources to put on a strong show for viewers, especially as it manages to draw even more former footballers into the league.
5. fps_shaka
©Screenshot from fps_shaka’s stream.
- 83.6 million hours watched in 2023
Chikara “fps_shaka” Kawakami is a former Japanese Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds caster who has since transitioned to the role of a traiditonal Twitch streamer. He has since largely left the PUBG scene, with his streams now focusing mostly on three games: League of Legends, TEKKEN 8, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Despite having three games in his rotation, it’s his Grand Theft Auto V roleplay streams that are the most popular these days. He is frequently the most-viewed streamer on the GTA V category on Twitch, and streams his roleplaying adventures to his audience of 1.4 million followers. In 2023, his numbers totaled to 83.6 million hours watched, leaving him at fifth place on this list.
4. xQc
©Screenshot from xQc’s stream.
- 95.7 million hours watched in 2023
To some, it’ll come as a big surprise to see Felix “xQc” Lengyel at just fourth place on this list. His rise over the last few years has been absolutely enormous, putting him among the most viewed Twitch streamers of all time, and in the few years previous would have been sat right at the top of this list.
When he streams, xQc attracts larger viewer counts than ever, with 95.7 million hours watched in 2023. So why has he dropped down the list? Well, in June 2023, xQc signed a lucrative deal worth a guaranteed $70 million with Twitch’s rival, Kick, ensuring he began streaming on that site. The deal isn’t exclusive, meaning he can stream on both sites at the same time, but there’s no doubt that having a split viewership like this is naturally going to bring his Twitch numbers down a little.
3. Ibai
©Screenshot from Ibai’s stream.
- 104.4 million hours watched in 2023
Ibai “Ibai” Llanos Garatea is most known as the founder of the eSports team KOI, which competes in a number of games including Valorant and Counter-Strike 2. On occasion, Ibai plays other games himself, but the majority of content is based on watching his own team compete across different titles. Last year, he reached 104.4 million hours watched, an impressive feat enough to land him in third place.
2. Gaules
©A screenshot from Gaules’ stream.
- 110.4 million hours watched in 2023
Brazilian streamer Alexandre Borba “Gaules” Chiqueta is mostly known for his Portuguese-language Counter-Strike streams, in which he co-streams matches from the competitive scene. In his niche, he’s by far and away the most popular.
The hype around Counter-Strike 2‘s release in 2023 has meant that general interest in the game has risen. As a result, streamers such as Gaules has naturally seen his own popularity increase, with a total of 110.4 million hours watched over the course of the year. As Counter-Strike 2 continues to grow alongside its eSports scene, we’d expect Gaules to follow a similar trajectory.
1. Kai Cenat
©Screenshot from KaiCenat’s stream.
- 115.3 million hours watched in 2023
2023 has been a star-making year for Kai Cenat. After a strong year in 2022, Cenat broke records to kick off 2023 with a month-long subathon, during which he became the most-subscribed Twitch channel of all time. He became known for his sleeping streams throughout the year, although now most spends his time live interacting with viewers in chaotic Just Chatting streams, which resulted in a total of 115.3 million hours watched in 2023.
Despite his rise this year, it wasn’t an entirely squeaky clean year for Kai Cenat. After announcing a giveaway of PlayStation 5 consoles and gift cards in Union Square, Manhattan, thousands of his fans arrived. This event devolved into a riot, which caught Cenat charges of first-degree rioting, inciting a riot, and unlawful assembly from the NYPD. Talk about an interesting year.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Daniel Morris.