Not long past, playing video games was a hobby that was guaranteed to fetch kids much scorn from their parents if they spend too much time indulging in it. These days, it is a money-spinning endeavor, thanks to the impact of platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and Mixer. Through these social media sites, young people who cherish playing video games, and are skilled at it, can go up against their peers and make money whilst having fun.
The money comes from paid subscriptions and the monetization policies of the aforementioned social media sites. There are also juicy endorsement deals from big brands that want to reap from the fame enjoyed by gamers in the online community. From Australia to the United States and Canada, several passionate gamers are joining the fray and now have fortunes running into six, seven, and even eight-figures.
Some of the Richest Twitch Streamers are Multi-Millionaires
25. AdmiralBahroo (Net Worth – $80,000)
- Full Name: Sam
- Age: 31 years old
- Height: N/A
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 746,000
- Famous for Streaming: Variety of games
AdmiralBahroo may not be one of the most popular streamers out there but he still ranks amongst the most viable, thanks to the fact that a significant percentage of his followers are actually paying subscribers. For example, he has 23,000 subscribers out of 746,000 followers while Imaqtpie, with about 2.66 million followers, only has about 1, 372 subscribers. This fact has made AdmiralBahroo quite attractive to Twitch and so, they offered him a two-year exclusive contract in January 2020.
24. Bazza Gazza (Net Worth – $90,000)
- Full Name: Brody Rogan de Meur
- Age: 27 years old
- Height: 2.0 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2016
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 238,255
- Famous for Streaming: Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Bazza Gazza is famous for playing first-person shooter games such as Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. His rise to fame has also been helped by his Click membership, a collaborative group comprising of some of Australia’s biggest social media personalities. The group indulges in pranks, challenges, vlogs, and of course, gameplay.
23. KaceyTron (Net Worth – $200,000)
- Full Name: Kacey Caviness
- Age: 33 years old
- Height: 1.67m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 538,790
- Famous for Streaming: League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Hearthstone.
One of the most popular female gamers on Twitch, KaceyTron ran into trouble in early 2020 after suggesting that she would like to spread the coronavirus to kill off as many poor and old people as possible. Of course, this didn’t go well with the authorities and she was banned from the site despite her apologies. The only option available to her now is to appeal the decision.
22. KittyPlays (Net Worth – $300,000)
- Full Name: Kristen Michaela
- Age: 32 years old
- Height: 1.80m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 1.09 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
It is often said that women don’t typically support each other but KittyPlays is proving this notion wrong. The Canadian-born gamer, show host, Instagram, and YouTube star, is naturally imbued with an upbeat attitude to life and this has inspired her to set up a Team Kitty group. This is aimed at nurturing other female creators and helping them come up in the community.
21. Forsen (Net Worth – $400,000)
- Full Name: Sebastian Hans Eli Fors
- Age: 33 years old
- Height: 1.7m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2011
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 1.4 million
- Famous for Streaming: Starcraft II, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Hearthstone.
Swedish streamer, Forsen, is one of the richest Twitch streamers in the world with a net worth of $400K. His fortune predictably comes from his subscriber base as well as endorsement deals. There is also the prize monies that he was won at various eSports tourneys. Forsen and his team pocketed $13,600 in a February 2018 tourney. The next month, he won $20k in another tournament.
20. Trick2G (Net Worth – $500,000)
- Full Name: Timothy Fowley
- Age: 40 years old
- Height: 1.5 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 1.49 million
- Famous for Streaming: League of Legends, Valorant, and Apex Legends.
Trick2G was one of the very first steamers to play League of Legends, utilizing characters such as Udyr, Volibear, and Nasus. He remains faithful to his roots to date but has been occasionally known to play other games such as Apex Legends, Player’s Unknown Battlegrounds, and Valorant. His channel has been viewed 150 million times and this has helped in making him one of the richest Twitch streamers in the world.
19. DizzyKitten (Net Worth – $600,000)
- Real Name: Brandi
- Age: 31 years old
- Height: 1.6m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 632,392
- Famous for Streaming: Super Hexagon, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Stardew Valley.
Another lady that makes it to the list of the richest Twitch streamers in the world is DizzyKitten. The American lady first gained fame by playing games such as Super Hexagon. She has however turned much of her focus to ASMR. For the uninitiated, this stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, a relaxing tingling sensation that people get from certain sounds and sights.
18. Dakotaz (Net Worth – $650,000)
- Full Name: Brett Hoffman
- Age: 37 years old
- Height: 1.78m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 4.6 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite: Battle Royale, and Among Us, etc.
The Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 left many with so much time on their hands and with little to do. Some took to gaming to find inspiration and one of those whose streams provided the much-needed relief was Dakotaz. As one of his fans revealed, she had found happiness and escape in his streams amid the lockdown as well as her aunt’s cancer diagnosis.
17. Pokimane (Net Worth – $900,000)
- Full Name: Imane Anys
- Age: 27 years old
- Height: 1.64 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 6.2 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite, League of Legends, Minecraft, Valorant, and Among Us.
The No.1 female streamer on Twitch, Pokimane’s meteoric rise has been profiled by several magazines, including Forbes. This Moroccan-Canadian lady started streaming while pursuing a chemical engineering degree in college. Her Twitch career later grew beyond her wildest imagination and she left college to do it full-time. Pokimane now has her own line of merch and has collaborated with prominent gaming companies. She also won the award for Best Twitch Streamer at the 2018 edition of the Shorty Awards.
16. Dyrus (Net Worth – $1 Million)
- Full Name: Marcus Hill
- Age: 32 years old
- Height: 1.9 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 1.4 million
- Famous for Streaming: League of Legends, Minecraft, and H1Z1.
Just like Forsen, Dyrus has made a lot of money from winning several eSports competitions. The Hawaii native was previously a member of the gaming house known as Team Solomid. With them, he won several tournaments including the 2011 World Cyber Games, 2012 Reign of Gaming International, and 2015 Intel Extreme Masters. All of these resulted in sumptuous paychecks which helped him emerge as one of the richest Twitch streamers in the world.
15. TSM_Myth (Net Worth – $1 Million)
- Full Name: Ali Kabbani
- Age: 24 years old
- Height: 1.78m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2016
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 7 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite and Valorant.
The popular video game, Fortnite, has made stars and millionaires out of several streamers and one of them is TSM_Myth. The Michigan native joined Twitch in 2016 and initially streamed games such as Miscreated and Paragon. He then hopped onto the Fortnite wagon when it was released and soon built a massive fan base thanks to his innovative building strategies.
14. Sodapoppin (Net Worth – $1 Million)
- Full Name: Thomas Jefferson Chance Morris IV
- Age: 30 years old
- Height: 1.7 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 2.8 million
- Famous for Streaming: World of Warcraft and H1Z1.
Another famous Twitch streamer that has found himself out in the cold in 2020 is Sodapoppin. The American personality was banned from the platform in mid-2020 and the reasons behind this remain unknown. Some have speculated that it could be for playing a sexually-suggestive game known as Chair F*Cking Simulator. Others say it is for participating in a VR chat room where there were discussions about drugs and jokes about issues such as rape and pedophilia.
13. Lirik (Net Worth – $1.3 Million)
- Full Name: Saqib Ali Zahid
- Age: 33 years old
- Height: 1.65 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2011
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 2.71 million
- Famous for Streaming: World of Warcraft, DayZ, and Stardew Valley.
Lirik boasts of one of the highest viewership numbers on Twitch (at least 359 million) and this has rewarded him financially. He earns as much as $200k per annum from subscribers alone. He has also gained sponsorship deals from several brands. The massive viewership also inspired Twitch to offer Lirik a multi-million dollar contract in exchange for his continued loyalty to the platform.
12. Reckful (Net Worth – $1.5 Million)
- Full Name: Byron Daniel Bernstein
- Age: 34 years old
- Height: 1.8 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2009
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 952k
- Famous for Streaming: World of Warcraft, Asheron’s Call, and Hearthstone.
Until he sadly took his life in July 2020, Reckful held sway as one of the richest Twitch streamers in the world with a net worth of $1.5 million. Unfortunately, his wealth as well as the fun that came from playing his favorite games couldn’t conquer his struggle with depression. There was also the death of one of his older brothers named Guy, which he never got over.
11. Moon Moon Ow (Net Worth – $1.7 Million)
- Real Name: Jesse
- Age: 34 years old
- Height: 1.77 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2016
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 842,743
- Famous for Streaming: Halo Reach and Overwatch
Moon Moon Ow initially gained fame for his dexterity in the multiplayer first-person shooter game, Overwatch. He however detests the game so much these days that he stated he would rather prefer to be waterboarded, peel off his fingernails, or have his hair pulled out than return to playing the game that made him famous.
10. Nightblue 3 (Net Worth – $2.5 Million)
- Full Name: Rabia Yazbek
- Age: 30 years old
- Height: 1.62 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 2.6 million
- Famous for Streaming: League of Legends
Nightblue is one of the most popular League of Legends players. He however drew the ire of some fans in 2019 when he reported another opponent for minor misbehavior. Many saw this as an attempt to use his popularity and connection to unjustly intimidate another and were thus happy when he received a 2-week ban as well.
9. Dr. Lupo (Net Worth – $3 Million)
- Full Name: Benjamin Lupo
- Age: 37 years old
- Height: 1.8 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 4.3 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite, Escape from Tarkov, Destiny 2, and COD: Modern Warfare.
Dr. Lupo’s fortune is guaranteed to increase in the nearest future thanks to an exclusive deal he signed with Twitch in December 2019. Under the terms of the agreement, he and other recipients won’t dump the platform for rival sites such as Mixer and Facebook gaming. They would in turn get compensation and the amount involved is said to be worth millions of dollars per annum.
8. Syndicate (Net Worth – $3.5 Million)
- Full Name: Tom Cassell
- Age: 30 years old
- Height: 1.68 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2010
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 3 million
- Famous for Streaming: Call of Duty: Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2 Let’s Play, and Halo.
Syndicate’s career and future earning ability are under threat following grave sexual assault allegations that were made against him in mid-2020. Two of his former girlfriends have alleged that he forced them into non-consensual acts during the course of their relationship. This has left the British personality fighting to save his career.
7. Dr. Disrespect (Net Worth – $3.5 Million)
- Full Name: Herschel Guy Beahm IV
- Age: 42 years old
- Height: 2.03m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2010
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 3.14 million
- Famous for Streaming: H1Z1, PUBG, Blackops 4: Blackout, Fortnite, and Apex Legends.
Dr. Disrespect is another streamer who stands to gain millions from the ultimate battle for supremacy between Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook gaming. As for now, the gamer has not sworn allegiance to any side but he has alluded that he would be willing to go to Facebook if they would pay him $40 million. Such a high price does not come as a surprise given that Disrespect is one of the most popular personalities online as well as an award-winning one at that.
6. Imaqtpie (Net Worth – $4 Million)
- Full Name: Michael Santana
- Age: 32 years old
- Height: 1.8 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2014
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 2.66 million
- Famous for Streaming: League of Legends
Imaqtpie spent much of his early years playing professional eSports. He subsequently retired and concentrated on streaming in 2014. It has been a brilliant career move thus far as he now makes about $2 million per annum; helping to make him one of the richest Twitch streamers now.
5. PhantomLord (Net Worth – $4 Million)
- Full Name: James Varga
- Age: 35 years old
- Height: 1.70 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 1.3 million
- Famous for Streaming: World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike: Go, League of Legends.
PhantomLord is currently locked in a battle with the platform that made him famous. Around 2017/2018, it emerged that he was the owner of an unscrupulous gambling site connected to the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive game. Twitch subsequently banned him and he sued them for wrongful termination. Twitch asked for the suit to be dismissed but the court ruled in PhantomLord’s favor in October 2020. This allows him to proceed with his litigation.
4. TimTheTatman (Net Worth – $5 Million)
- Full Name: Timothy John Betar
- Age: 34 years old
- Height: 1.83 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 5.6 million
- Famous for Streaming: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite, and Overwatch
Tim is now so popular that he gets to rub shoulders with NFL stars such as Peyton Manning. He and the Super Bowl winner featured in an NFL ad in 2019. He also received an official invitation to attend that year’s Super Bowl from the NFL.
3. Shroud (Net Worth – $6 Million)
- Full Name: Michael Grzesiek
- Age: 29 years old
- Height: 1.70 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2013
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 8.4 million
- Famous for Streaming: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, PUBG, Valorant, and Apex Legends.
Shroud made a name for himself on Twitch, playing games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and PUBG. He then switched his allegiance to their rival, Mixer, and remained there for several months. He returned to Twitch in August 2020 following the shutdown of Mixer. The shutdown was a blessing in disguise for the gamer as he received about $10 million in the pay-out deal.
2. Summit1G (Net Worth – $6 Million)
- Full Name: Jaryd Russell Lazar
- Age: 36 years old
- Height: 1.7 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2012
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 5.3 million
- Famous for Streaming: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, H1Z1, and Sea Of Thieves.
Summit1G is one of the most popular variety streamers on Twitch as well as one of the richest. This has made the platform quite eager to lock him down and protect him from poaching by other sites. They, therefore, offered him a multi-year contract worth millions in May 2020
1. Ninja (Net Worth – $15 Million)
- Full Name: Richard Tyler Blevins
- Age: 54 years old
- Height: 1.8 m
- Year Joined Twitch: 2011
- Number of Twitch Subscribers: 16 million
- Famous for Streaming: Fortnite, PUBG, Halo, Warzone, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends.
And the award for the richest Twitch streamer in the world goes to Ninja. This fact does not come as a surprise given that the young man is the hottest figure in the gaming community. Ninja has about 16 million followers and his content has been viewed about half a billion times. He has scored sponsorship deals from the likes of Red Bull, Samsung, and Uber Eats and earns about $1 million monthly.
How Do Twitch Streamers Make Money?
Twitch streamers make money via a variety of sources starting with subscriptions. Subscriptions cost about $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99 monthly, and the platform and the streamer get to divide it equally at the end of the month. Subscriptions are what accounts for the success of a streamer like AdmiralBahroo. Even though he doesn’t have up to a million followers, a greater percentage of his followers are paying subscribers, thus making his channel quite lucrative.
Asides from subscriptions, Fans can also financially support their favorite gamer by purchasing cheers from Twitch or directly sending them money through services such as Paypal, Patreon, etc.
Another major revenue earner for streamers is endorsement deals. They can promote a brand’s product by featuring in ads for them or streaming their links after gameplay. Either way, they get to earn paychecks running into five, six, or seven figures. Twitch streamers can also make money by participating and winning eSports tournaments as well as designing and retailing their own merchandise line.
How Much Money Do Twitch Streamers Make?
There is no universal answer to this. The amount of money that a Twitch streamer makes is relative to how popular and accomplished he/she is on the platform. Beginners do not make anything at all until they get to affiliate status where they earn a few hundred dollars per month. From the affiliate stage, a successful Twitch streamer might be able to make from $3,000 to about $5,000. This steady increase will continue as they become more popular and before you know it, they will be earning tens of thousands of dollars per month.
The most successful Twitch streamers can make about $200k each month while those that are monstrously famous like Ninja make as much as $1 million a month. Ninja’s earnings come from playing Fortnite, and endorsement deals with the likes of Red Bull. He also makes a lot of money from paid subscriptions. Ninja has about 44,600 subscribers who pay either $4.99, $9.99, or $24.99 monthly. At the end of the month, the total sum is calculated; Twitch takes half while the remainder goes to him. Given his status as a premium streamer, he may be able to negotiate a percentage as high as 70%.
Did this commercial with Samsung and Travis Scott. Hope you guys like it
Samsung Galaxy: Level Up https://t.co/1n0OEzjlg1 via @YouTube
— Ninja (@Ninja) October 1, 2018
Who Is the Most Followed Streamer on Twitch and Is He/She the Richest?
The most followed streamer on Twitch is American gamer, Ninja. In addition to having over 16 million followers, he has the most subscribers (more than 44,600) and holds the record for the most concurrent viewers (600,000). Ninja’s rise to gaming stardom did not come about by accident. As a kid growing up in suburban Illinois, he loved playing video games and luckily had a dad who loved them as well. This meant that he and his older brothers had access to early gaming consoles such as Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.
Ninja thus spent much of his childhood years playing video games. He soon discovered that he was quite good at it and by his late teens, started taking part in eSports competition. This was in 2009 and two years later, he joined Twitch and started making about a hundred dollars. From that humble beginning, Ninja has grown to become not just the most followed Twitch streamer in the world but also the richest with a net worth of $15 million.
A Recap of the Richest Twitch Streamers and How Much They Are Worth
1. Ninja – $15 million
2. Summit1G – $6 million
3. Shroud – $6 million
4. TimTheTatman – $5 million
5. PhantomLord – $4 million
6. Imaqtpie – $4 million
7. Dr. Disrespect – $3.5 million
8. Syndicate – $3.5 million
9. Dr. Lupo – $3 million
10. Nightblue 3 – $2.5 million
11. Moon Moon Ow – $1.7 million
12. Reckful – $1.5 million
13. Lirik – $1.3 million
14. Sodapoppin – $1 million
15. TSM_Myth – $1 million
16. Dyrus – $1 million
17. Pokimane – $900,00
18. Dakotaz – $650,000
19. DizzyKitten – $600,000
20. Trick2G – $500,000
21. Forsen – $400,000
22. KittyPlays – $300,000
23. KaceyTron – $200,000
24. Bazza Gazza – $90,000
25. AdmiralBahroo – $80,000
