Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, are the top dogs when it comes to social media and are easily at the forefront of the internet today. But, as gaming slowly establishes a foothold in mainstream media, gaming’s biggest live-streaming video platform, Twitch Streamers, is slowly gaining ahead of steam as well. While the average person might know very little if at all about Twitch, it’s a lot bigger than most people realize. Back in 2014, Twitch became the fourth-largest source of peak internet traffic in the United States alone, and there’s no doubt that the traffic has only increased since. With streamers like Richard Tyler“Ninja” Blevins and Michael “Shroud” Gzesiek drawing in hundreds of thousands of viewers whenever they go online and streamer, as well as others boasting sizable followings as well, Twitch’s influence will only continue to grow.
But, who exactly on Twitch are the biggest influencers?
It’s hard to tell who has the most significant influence on people on the platform, but one key metric that most can agree on is important is their number of followers.
With that said, we took the time to list down the top 21 best streamers on Twitch, based on their follower count.
21. SypherPK – 2,383,119 followers
With nearly 2.4 million followers as of the time of writing, SypherPK, otherwise known as Sypher Ali, is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch. Much like many others on this list, as you’ll soon learn, SypherPK rose to prominence for his Fortnite play, where he made a name for himself for his top-quality gameplay, as well as educational tips and tricks.
SypherPK is currently a part of Team Luminosity, along with Ninja.
20. LIRIK – 2,456,726 followers
One of the biggest streamers on Twitch who already had quite the following before Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds were released, Saqib “LIRIK” Zahib first got his start in DayZ before moving on to play and stream other games.
These days, LIRIK shuffles between several games while streaming to his over 2.4 million followers.
The 28-year-old is also currently sponsored by Discord and is one of the 200 influencers paid by the company to help promote it.
19. Nightblue3 – 2,460,241 followers
Rabia “Nightblue3” Yazbek is one of the few streamers who mainly stream League of Legends and enjoys a strong following.
Nightblue3 has been playing League of Legends for nearly a decade now and formerly played professionally for Team SoloMid as their jungle back in 2014.
Since then, Nightblue3 has made a name for himself with his high-quality gameplay, in-depth analysis, as well as entertaining streams where he plays random champions at the request of his followers and subscribers.
18. Loltyler1 – 2,483,226 followers
One of the most infamous League of Legends streamers, Tyler “loltyler1” Steincamp rose to fame in 2014 as one of the game’s best players. However, he became big, not for his high level of play, but for his toxic behavior, which eventually forced Riot’s hand to ban him from the game.
Eventually, the ban was lifted and loltyler1 continues to stream to this day.
Outside of streamer, loltyler1 is also quite the entrepreneur, selling merchandise on his website.
17. Sodapoppin – 2,527,947 followers
Chance “Sodapoppin” Morris’ follower count typically fluctuates between 2.5 million to over 3 million as he usually doesn’t stick to streaming just one type of game.
He currently owns a stake in NRG eSports, one of the premiere North American organizations with high-profile investors like sports legends Alex Rodriguez and Shaquille O’Neal.
16. Imaqtpie – 2,598,876 followers
Michael “Imaqtpie” Santana first got his start in League of Legends, where he was a part of the professional gaming team, Dignitas. However, after realizing that he made more money streaming, Imaqtpie decided to pursue it full-time, streaming for roughly around 9 to 10 hours a day and 6 days a week.
Just like Nightblue3, the former professional League of Legends player also offers excellent advice to his viewers while streaming, often playing from the AD carry position.
15. Syndicate – 2,703,197 followers
Unlike other more gaming-centric streamers on our list, Tom “Syndicate” Cassell is more of a lifestyle streamer. Although he is not afraid to stream himself playing a video game or two now and then.
Famous for TheSyndicateProject and Life of Tom, the British blogger and vlogger’s life is quite colorful.
He’s found himself at odds with the law many times in the past for various reasons, including failure to disclose being paid by Microsoft to promote Xbox One and for promoting the gambling website CSGOLotto.com while hiding the fact that he was the company’s vice president.
These days, Syndicate is content on streaming his daily life, which although has since quieted down, still manages to draw in hundreds of thousands of viewers on a near-daily basis.
14. Nickmercs – 2,844,622 followers
Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff is a known esports personality and an American bodybuilder who is currently signed as a member of FaZe Clan after his stint with 100 Thieves.
Nickmercs first ground it out as a small-time streamer, playing a variety of FPS titles, including a bunch of Call of Duty titles. However, his moment in the spotlight came when he once made the World Record for the most squad kills in Fortnite with 55 total kills.
Nickmercs has since focused on streaming Fortnite exclusively, letting his audience watch him play Epic Games’ viral hit nearly every day since it was first released.
13. Pokimane – 3,167,693 followers
One of the biggest streamers in the world, Imane “Pokimane” Anys is more than just a pretty face who just happened to be one of the first to jump on the streaming bandwagon.
Pokimane is an affable and charismatic figure who has since been tapped by various brands to help make gaming more mainstream.
12. ESL_CSGO – 3,172,368 followers
Unlike the other streamers on our list, ESL_CSGO is the official esports channel for ESL’s many tournaments for Valve’s premiere FPS title, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
ESL_CSGO covers several ESL CS: GO events and is worth subscribing to if you want to follow the professional CS: GO scene closely.
11. DrLupo – 3,410,798 followers
Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo is a professional player who’s currently signed with Rogue.
The 32-year-old first got his start as a Destiny streamer before he eventually moved on to H1Z1, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and finally, Fortnite.
In one instance, Dr. Lupo managed to raise $1.3 million for the benefit of children diagnosed with cancer at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
10. DrDisrespect – 3,504,831 followers
Known for his larger-than-life personality and outrageous get-up, Guy “DrDisrespect” Beahm, who is also affectionately referred to by his fans as “The Doc”, DrDisrespect’s relatively “low” number of followers belies his influence and outreach as he has been sponsored by numerous brands, including but not limited to Turtle Beach and Razer.
These days, DrDisrespect is usually seen streaming Fortnite and Apex Legends.
9. TSM_Daequan – 3,554,746 followers
Daequan “TSM_Daequan” Loco is a professional Fortnite player currently signed with Team SoloMid and made a name for himself after setting multiple kill-count records in Fortnite, as well as winning multiple Fortnite Invitational tournaments.
8. TimTheTatman – 3,853,826 followers
Timothy John “TimTheTatman” Betar is a popular Fortnite streamer who frequently plays together with other known streamers like Ninja and DrLupo.
TimTheTatman initially started streaming in 2012 while playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 before moving on to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, and then finally, Fortnite: Battle Royale, which is his main game today.
In addition to live streaming, TimTheTatman also maintains a strong following on YouTube, where he posts highlights of his streams edited for maximum entertainment and comedic value.
7. Dakotaz – 3,865,046 followers
6. Summit1g – 3,891,862 followers
One of the original video game streamers, the former professional CS: GO player, Jaryd “summit1g” Lazar served as the inspiration for several big streamers, including Shroud himself.
Summit1g streams a variety of titles but mostly sticks to battle royales and FPS games, as well as Grand Theft Auto V.
Summit1g is unafraid to provide helpful tips and tricks for his viewers on whatever game he is playing at that particular moment, making his streams known for their educational value.
5. Riot Games – 3,936,393 followers
The official esports channel of League of Legends on Twitch, RiotGames provides official coverage of all things related to competitive League of Legends.
Ali “TSM_Myth” Kabbani, one of the best professional Fortnite players in the world, lives in the same house as TSM_Daequan, creating all sorts of content in addition to their gameplay videos.
Several well-known brands, including Dr. Pepper, Chipotle, and Vertagear, currently sponsor TSM_Myth.
3. Tfue – 6,518,663 followers
Considered by many the No. 1 Fortnite player in the world, Turner “Tfue” Tenney certainly isn’t afraid to prove himself, having won multiple tournaments and earning himself quite the following.
Formerly playing under the FaZe Clan tag, Tfue is now an independent contractor after an outing how FaZe Clan limited his career’s potential by exposing how one-sided the contract he signed before joining was.
While the fallout from his departure from FaZe Clan resulted in him losing a lot of followers, he has gained back the lost followers and earned himself even more fans for his decision to stand up against one of the most prominent organizations in all of esports.
2. Shroud – 6,640,497 followers
The man, the myth, and the legend himself, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, otherwise affectionately referred to by his many fans as the “King of Reddit”, is one of the biggest streamers around.
A former professional CS: GO player, Shroud’s skill isn’t surprising. Many consider him to be among the most skilled CS: GO players ever, and that he could have achieved more had he devoted more time to his CS: GO career.
Now a full-time streamer, Shroud plays an average of 50 hours a week. He streams a variety of video games, from Fortnite to Apex Legends, as well as Dota 2, and many more.
Many people widely consider Shroud to be the most skilled big-time streamer in the world.
1. Ninja – 14,602,630 followers
Easily the biggest streamer in the world, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins jumped to fame after streaming with, not just big-name streamers, but also celebrities, including Canadian rapper Drake.
Ninja is arguably the face of Fortnite right now and serves as one of the game’s biggest ambassadors.
Final Thoughts
We can take away one thing from the immense popularity of these streamers: Twitch has evolved from being merely a streaming hub for hardcore gaming fans to becoming a hub for everyone.
As the influence of Twitch has grown, the live-streaming platform has become a powerful tool that brands and companies have tapped to find the right influencers.
With that said, Twitch will only continue to grow despite seeing an increase in the number of competition, including from YouTube and Facebook.
