As we reflect on the past year, it’s clear that a few standout games dominated the charts on Twitch in 2022. From the rise of Valorant to the enduring popularity of titles like GTA, League of Legends, and Fortnite, these games have racked up billions of hours of watch time and cemented their place as leaders in the esports scene, as well as in general gaming and entertainment.
Whether you’re a dedicated viewer on the platform or you are a casual fan of competitive events, chances are you tuned into at least a few Twitch streams throughout the year. So which games captured the most attention and kept audiences hooked in 2022?
Here’s a rundown of the year’s top 10 most-watched games on Twitch.
10. World of Warcraft
Blizzard’s hit MMO made its way into the top 10 this year thanks to the reinvigoration of the game with new content in the Dragonflight expansion, resulting in 343,876,361 total hours watched on Twitch.
9. Call of Duty: Warzone
While the battle royale game still made it into the top 10 in 2022, thanks to it’s release of Warzone 2, its new Al Mazrah map, its total watch time was less than half of its seventh-place finish in 2021, with 398,747,729 total hours watched.
8. Dota 2
The iconic MOBA was once again a hit on Twitch in 2022, with 507,078,594 total hours watched and an eighth-place finish on the platform.
7. Minecraft
More than a decade after its release, Minecraft is still a force to be reckoned with on the streaming scene, coming in seventh place with 521,336,157 total hours watched.
6. Fortnite
Despite falling slightly from its fourth-place spot in 2021, Fortnite remained a popular game to spectate on Twitch in 2022, with 585,300,670 total hours watched.
5. Apex Legends
Respawn’s Battle Royale game rose to new heights in 2022, becoming the most popular game in its genre on Twitch with 631,929,500 total hours watched.
4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CSGO’s popularity on Twitch continued to soar in 2022, with 673,892,116 total hours watched, making it the fourth most popular game on the platform.
3. Valorant
Riot’s tactical shooter was one of only three games to surpass the one-billion mark in total hours watched on Twitch in 2022, coming in at third place with 1,106,987,262 hours.
2. Grand Theft Auto V
The role-playing trend remains strong. GTA 5 continued to dominate the streaming platform, retaining its rank as the second most-watched game on Twitch for another year, with 1,336,292,674 total hours watched.
1. League of Legends
With 1,499,478,263 hours watched, Riot’s popular MOBA came out on top as the most-seen game on Twitch in 2022, climbing from its third-place finish in 2021.
Conclusion
it’s clear that gamers will watch just about anything on Twitch, even if it’s a decade-old game about mining blocks or a Battle Royale set in a fictional world of magic and mythical creatures.
So if you’re looking to start your streaming career, remember: as long as you have a screen and something to play on it, you too can join the ranks of the most-watched games on Twitch.
Just don’t be surprised if you end up somewhere near the bottom of the list, next to that obscure sports simulation game that only your grandma plays.
