Twitch and Kick have been the reigning champions of live streaming for quite some time now, an they continue to be in 2025 as well the viewership statistics being the proof of it, with video games streamed there enjoying a massive following.

In this article, we’ll examine the top five most streamed genres from January to June 2025 with focus on monthly hours watched, most viewed games and activity per genre, as well as the trends lying behind them, using the Streams Charts and TwitchTracker are the sources.

Shooters

Shooter games undoubltedly take the top spot with 1.8 billion aggregate Twitch hours viewed and 200 million on Kick between January and June 2025.

Counter-Strike reigns supreme, with an average of 92,932 viewers on Twitch, with monthly viewership having reached its peak in March at 320 million hours during big esports tournaments such as the Copenhagen Major, falling to 280 million in June as tournaments reduced.

Valorant averages 71,492 viewers on Twitch. Twitch viewership in March was at an all-time high of 200 million hours for VCT events, down to 170 million in June.

Kick saw steady growth, from 30 million hours in January to 40 million in June, thanks to relaxed content policies. The appeal of the genre comes from high-stakes, strategic play and Counter-Strike's clutch moments feeding constant interaction.

MOBAs

MOBA games accounted for 1.5 billion hours on Twitch and 150 million on Kick in the first half of 2025.

League of Legends leads the way with an average of 115,517 viewers on Twitch due to its esports presence and worldwide recognition. Twitch viewing was steady at between 260 million hours in January and 270 million in April, falling to 240 million in June due to fewer tournaments.

Kick's MOBA streaming hours rose from 20 million in January to 30 million in June, with Dota 2 also proving popular. The genre's strategic depth, together with its pro-level play, means it will continue to be a streaming, as well as esports, staple.

IRL Raw Entertainment

IRL and casino streams, which are a non-gaming sub-genre, pulled in 700 million hours on Kick and 400 million on Twitch in the first half of 2025.

Thanks to more lax content regulations, Kick's Slots & Casino segment, which comprised slots and poker, led the way with 36 million hours in November 2024, up to 45 million in June 2025. This shows the growing interest in poker as a professional sport that requires tactics just like any other competitive game, and those wishing to join in without having to invest in it before actually gathering enough experience, can easily make use of the no deposit bonuses list of operators that provide welcome gifts to the newly registered.

IRL streams like WestCol's travel streams, reaching a high of 1 million viewers, brought Kick's monthly hours up from 100 million in January to 130 million in June.

Twitch's Just Chatting category, which had an average of 400 million hours a month, dropped to 350 million in June when gambling content was harder hit. It thrives on unedited, interactive vibes.

Immersive Chaos of Open-World

Open-world adventure games had 1.3 billion Twitch and 180 million Kick hours as of June 2025.

Grand Theft Auto V leads the pack despite being released almost 10 years ago, with a 114,076 average Twitch viewership, driven by role-playing servers like NoPixel.

Twitch hours fluctuated, hitting 240 million in February with large RP storylines, then sustaining 210 million as of June.

Kick's viewership increased from 25 million hours in January to 35 million in June, with modded GTA V streams doing well. The hybrid nature of the genre with regards to storytelling, unpredictability and constant content updates fuels the genre's popularity in streaming.

Battle Royale

Even though the hype subsided over the last couple of years, Battle Royale games tallied 1.1 billion hours on Twitch and 120 million on Kick between the year's first half.

Kick's hours increased from 15 million in January to 25 million in June, with PUBG Mobile picking up steam in LATAM and MENA markets. The format of the genre, a last-player-standing game, keeps audiences engaged.

Trends and Takeaways

Monthly reports show Twitch's gaming focus remains dominant, with esports driving shooter and MOBA spikes, while Kick's growth in IRL and casino streams reflects its creator-driven paradigm and the creative freedom offered.

Total hours watched on Kick rose 142% year to year to 2.1 billion for 2024, and 2025's trend shows more growth.

Twitch's 4.8 billion for 2024 took an 11.85% loss, but 2025's number balances out. With Kick gearing up in LATAM and MENA streamers, and Twitch simplifying monetization, such genres highlight the evolving nature of streaming.