Many people are exploring alternative methods of earning money today, and Twitch streaming is one of the more straightforward options, at least in theory.
It’s not to say that you can’t earn some extra cash with minimal effort or even make a living from your favorite hobby. According to some estimates, you would need to be among the top 0.01 percent of streamers to earn the astonishing sums of money often reported in the media.
In this article, I will briefly discuss various ways for you to begin earning money through streaming on Twitch. I will also provide a list of the top streamers based on Twitch streamer salaries and address a few common questions you may have about this topic.
Table of Contents
Ways to Generate Cash Flow
Without delving too deeply into the rabbit hole, I’ll outline some of the most common methods for you to make good money on this popular streaming platform.
The most effective way to begin earning money on Twitch is by attracting and engaging viewers to subscribe to your content, as every channel subscriber is significant in the overall picture. Additionally, obtaining the Twitch affiliate or Twitch partner status is crucial, as it will enable you to enhance your earning potential.
In addition to Twitch subscriptions, you can earn more money through cash or Bit donations. The Twitch bits serve as a tipping system on Twitch, valued at one cent each, while you can receive standard donations through PayPal.
There are also other monetization methods to boost your income, such as hosting sponsored streams and running advertisements, hoping that most viewers won’t “backstab” you by using an ad blocker.
You can also make product referrals or offer merchandise, such as mugs and T-shirts, to your loyal viewers during the stream or direct them to your online store.
Things can be challenging for small streamers, but with sufficient effort and dedication, it will improve before it worsens.
How Much Do Top Twitch Streamers Make – Top Twitch Streamer Salaries
According to a recently leaked data report, there are over 80 Twitch channels that earn a million dollars or more.
That number reflects the income that individual streamers earn directly from Twitch, excluding revenue from ad sales, sponsorship agreements, or any earnings from other platforms.
It is not surprising that competition becomes increasingly fierce each day with a platform that can pay streamers such substantial amounts.
Twitch payouts for certain channels are truly astronomical. Below, I will list some of the most successful streamers in terms of income generated solely from Twitch, starting from the top.
1. CriticalRole
With over 9.6 million dollars in income over the past two and a half years, CriticalRole easily tops this list.
Unlike most streamers, host Mathew Mercer and his merry band of voice actors chose to monetize their Twitch channel by engaging in Dungeons and Dragons, a highly popular tabletop role-playing game.
They stream only a few hundred hours of content each year, a figure that some streamers achieve in a single month. They are not the most-watched, but they have a dedicated army of loyal subscribers, and it is reported that they have signed some very lucrative deals with the Twitch platform regarding percentages.
2. xQcOW
Next in line is Canadian-born streamer xQcOW, whose real name is Felix Lengyel. His channel, which has 10.4 million followers, gained significant traction in 2019 when he began posting reaction videos to popular memes and films.
He is also a former Overwatch competitor, which is why the OW part is included in his Twitch name. He streams a variety of games, including GTA 5, Elden Ring, Valorant, Minecraft, and Escape from Tarkov, or he engages in conversation with his audience.
Felix earned over 8.4 million dollars from Twitch alone in the past two years, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
3. Summit1G
Jaryd Russell Lazar is a 10-year veteran variety streamer based in Colorado Springs and a former esports competitor.
He gained fame and a large following by primarily streaming games he competes in, such as Counter-Strike: GO and WarZ. However, he also engages with his followers and plays a variety of games, including Sea of Thieves and GTA 5. Additionally, he performs speed runs and everything in between.
According to the leaked data, Jaryd earned 5.8 million dollars and is one of the Twitch partners. He has 6.1 million active subscribers and averages more than 18 thousand viewers.
4. Tfue
This time from Florida, Turner Tenney is another American streamer on this countdown who can easily make it onto the “highest earner” list. Turner, or Tfue as he is known on the network, earned approximately 5.2 million dollars, concluding with the date of the previously mentioned leaked information.
Most of his 10.9 million subscribers and 13.6 thousand average viewers come together to watch him play games like Fortnite and Apex Legends. However, he is also familiar with trends and will play nearly any popular game at the time.
He is also familiar with disputes, having been banned from streaming on several occasions and even being involved in a couple of court cases related to the FaZe Clan.
5. NICKMERCS
NICKMERCS is a former Major League Gaming champion, a fitness enthusiast, and a partnered streamer who chose to earn money on Twitch by playing Apex Legends, Fortnite, and various Call of Duty titles during his live streams.
This FaZe Clan member, who has 6.4 million followers, earned approximately 5 million dollars over the past two years, according to Twitch, and this amount does not include sponsorship deals, merchandise sales, and other sources of income.
He averages over 39 thousand views on his streams since 2021. Currently, he has approximately 58.7 thousand active subscriptions, which also plays a crucial role in his ability to earn money as a streamer.
6. Ludwig
Although he is no longer active on the platform as of late 2021, Ludwig Ahgren is undoubtedly a valuable addition to this list. He was one of the most famous Twitch streamers during his peak, breaking the record with over 283 thousand subscribers at one point in time.
Before he transitioned his content to YouTube, he earned a substantial income from his work, totaling over 3.3 million dollars in his final two years on Twitch. This amount was achieved without sponsorship deals from major companies like NordVPN, Gfuel, and others, as well as without any custom agreements he may have had with Twitch itself.
In addition to streaming games such as Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Party 4, and Dark Souls, Ludwig gained significant recognition for his “subathon,” a seemingly never-ending stream that he extended with each new subscriber.
7. TimTheTatman
Tim Betar is an American streamer hailing from Syracuse, New York. As a Twitch partner, he has amassed over 7 million followers throughout his 10-year career.
His popularity soared in 2017 with the release of Fortnite. However, he also plays games such as CS: GO, Overwatch, and Cod Warzone, or simply chats with his TatManArmy, as he refers to his loyal followers.
According to the aforementioned leak, he earned over 3.2 million dollars in just two years from Twitch alone, averaging around 23 thousand viewers. Tim was also nominated for content creator of the year in 2020, and he is recognized as a philanthropist, raising thousands of dollars for charity.
8. Altoar
Altoar is a distinctive figure in the Twitch universe. Unlike many content creators on this list, Altoar is not a prominent streamer. He is neither a Twitch affiliate nor a partner, and he does not have a large number of subscribers.
He succeeded in earning money by developing one of the most widely used extensions on the platform, the Sound Alerts.
While it is certainly debatable that his channel claims he is the number one streamer from Germany, he is undoubtedly the leader in terms of innovations and earnings. He has amassed around 3 million dollars and is likely to earn more, as he receives a share whenever someone uses his Extension to donate bits to another streamer.
9. Auronplay
Auronplay is one of the most popular Twitch streamers on this list. This Spanish gamer has 12.3 million followers and an impressive average of 94 thousand viewers since he started in 2019.
He primarily creates content related to titles such as Minecraft, Fall Guys, GTA 5, and Among Us. In 2021, he won several awards, including Streamer of the Year and Gamer MVP.
The majority of those earnings come from 34.5 thousand subscribers, bit donations, and advertisements. He has the second-highest number of followers on the entire Twitch platform, having generated approximately 3 million dollars in revenue over two years, as revealed by leaked information, and he continues to thrive to this day.
10. LIRIK
Saqib Ali Zahid, also known as Lirik, is an American streamer who has been active since 2011. He is a variety streamer who began with titles such as World of Warcraft and DayZ but quickly transitioned to any popular game he could find.
In 2017, Saqib secured the number 5 position on a list of the top 10 wealthiest streamers. He earned over 2.9 million dollars during the period covered by a leak, and currently, he has more than 13.5 thousand subscribers on his Twitch channel.
Most of his Twitch earnings are derived from standard sources such as subscribers and ads. However, it is important to note that he signed an exclusive contract with Twitch in 2019 when he opted not to transition to Mixer.
11. Gaules
Next in line, with 2.8 million dollars earned according to the leak, is Brazilian Twitch streamer Alexandre Borba Chiqueta, also known as Gaules. He is currently one of the most popular Portuguese-speaking Twitch streamers.
Alexandre has been a retired Counter-Strike esports player for nearly a decade. He also served as a Counter-Strike coach, bringing years of operational experience to the role. Currently, he is a full-time streamer on Twitch, where he covers various CS:GO tournaments, occasionally chats with his viewers, and plays other games such as Among Us, GTA 5, and Motorsport Manager.
He can earn money on Twitch due to his more than 52,000 active subscribers, as well as ads and Twitch bits. His affiliate status and an average of nearly 20,000 viewers have generated an income of approximately 2.8 million dollars over two years, which exceeds what most streamers earn in a lifetime.
12. HasanAbi
Hasan Doğan Piker is a 30-year-old American streamer, gamer, and political commentator, who was previously a journalist and producer for The Young Turks web series.
HasanAbi is one of the few streamers who confirmed that the leaked salary figures are completely accurate. Given his popularity on Twitch, Hasan Piker earned approximately 2.8 million dollars over the two years covered by the leaked document.
Hasan is a politically oriented content creator, making his Twitch streams often quite controversial, at least for some. He frequently encountered trouble while engaging with his 2 million followers, who have averaged more than 18 thousand viewers since the creation of his Twitch channel in 2018.
13. Asmongold
Zack, also known as Asmongold, is a YouTuber and Twitch streamer born in Austin, Texas. He is a co-founder of One True King, a well-known online content creation organization.
Like many streamers, he began his career aiming to become one of the top streamers by focusing on his favorite game, World of Warcraft. Later, he expanded to titles such as Final Fantasy XIV, Dark Souls, and most recently, Elden Ring. Notably, Zack won the award for best MMORPG streamer at The Streamer Awards earlier this year.
His channel is quite popular, boasting 2.9 million followers. Each of his Twitch streams averages around 29 thousand viewers, peaking at over 109 thousand in February of this year. According to the leak, this is more than sufficient for him to earn an income of approximately 2.5 million dollars, solely from bits, subscriptions, and ads.
To complete this list, I will mention other prominent Twitch streamers with impressive salaries, ranging from 2 to 2.4 million dollars in income as revealed by the latest leak:
Conclusion
So, how much do Twitch streamers earn? The answer is as variable and unpredictable as Twitch itself.
This number can range from zero to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars for the most popular streamers. The odds are that you won’t reach the top easily, but with the right strategy, you can certainly enhance your income and earn a substantial amount.
To discover how to make money on Twitch, be ready for hard work and start building an impressive streaming career. Experience shows that Twitch rewards the most persistent and innovative streamers.
FAQ
How much money does a 1000 viewer Twitch streamer make?
A dedicated streamer makes between 2.500 and 5.000 dollars per 1.000 concurrent viewers, depending on the number of subscriptions, ad revenue, and everything else that can potentially bring you profit per stream. Getting to this point means you’re already on a steady path to becoming a successful Twitch streamer.
What are Twitch earnings for smaller streamers?
Now, depending on what channels you consider to be among small Twitch streamers and some other factors, 10 to 100 concurrent viewers can bring you between 50 to over 1.000 dollars, respectively. Sometimes, 50 generous viewers can be more payable to a small streamer than 100 stingy ones, so try your best and hope for the most suitable outcome.
How do you confine how much money Twitch streamers make per viewer?
It is difficult to estimate, but it’s fair to say that the Twitch streamers earn roughly 1 to 3 dollars per viewer. Again, this is hard to calculate because the money you can potentially get from Twitch depends on many factors, so you can’t quickly determine the reliable average earnings. You’ll have to judge on the case to case basis.
