Every business wants more traction, more exposure, more customer engagement, but achieving this is easier said than done. How do you get your brand in front of more people? We have one solution: gaming influencers.
Don’t believe a gaming influencer is worth it? YouGov confirms that 9% of consumers in all 17 markets follow gaming influencers. Plus, gaming influencers can flaunt your brand to a unique audience as 12% of their followers don’t engage with any other kinds of influencers. Let’s not forget that influencer posts perform 8 times better than branded content.
But what does this mean for your business?
It’s simple, consumers in all industries follow game influencers, and more importantly, they trust what they have to say over typical brand advertisements. Also, you can leverage an untapped audience as some viewers don’t follow other influencers.
Let’s dive into what gaming influencers are, why they’re valuable and who are the top gaming influencers in 2024.
Gaming influencers are content creators that play online games through live streams. Most influencers in this category use platforms like Twitch, Discord, and YouTube to connect with their audiences. After developing relationships with legitimate brands, gaming influencers promote these businesses to their audiences.
A gaming influencer won’t promote any random product. From millennial to Gen Z gaming influencers, these content creators bring attention to brands that share their values.
Definition: What is a Gaming Influencer?
A gaming influencer is a gamer who has established themselves as an influencer in their niche. Gaming influencers may have a large following on a variety of social media platforms but their main channels for gaming content are video streaming platforms like Twitch, Discord and YouTube. They live stream themselves as they play different games and provide commentary or input on the game and their experience as they play.
Like the rise of Amazon influencers, we also have countless famous gaming influencers in 2024. Have you ever looked at gaming influencers on Instagram, Facebook, or more, commonly, YouTube? Then you’ll know how many people follow these influencers.
Partnering with influencers with a loyal audience is fantastic for various reasons. Here are a couple of these advantages for your business.
Whether we’re talking about macro or micro-influencers, you’ll have the opportunity to engage new consumers. If you want to attract a different target audience or grow your current audience, these influencers can help you.
Before partnering up with a gaming influencer, understand who you want to market to first. As much as reaching more users sound great, they need to fit your ideal buyer persona.
We just spoke about reaching new users, which means you can attract a new audience. You might do this intentionally or find a distinctive demographic for your brand you haven’t considered before.
Some brands also get their ideal buyer persona wrong, or they haven’t found some features of their target audience yet. Gaming influencers allow you to validate your target audience and bring new customers to your business.
Gaming influencers have dedicated viewers who count on their recommendations. As 81% of consumers need to trust a brand before purchasing, gaming influencers are beneficial. These influencers are also an effective way to develop brand advocates. After users try your product/service, you can use customer loyalty strategies to keep them coming back.
To boost your social proof and credibility, consider adding testimonials and customer reviews to your homepage too. Making this effort will reinforce your endorsements from gaming influencers.
Many influencers who game online have established long-term relationships with brands. If you can achieve that for your business, you might get organic endorsements from influencers who believe in your value. Organic promotions will save you money, and you won’t have to find the right influencer.
A report by Onalytica and Smart Insights confirms that 40% of influencers are in long-term partnerships. It seems that influencers understand how convenient and lucrative establishing a relationship with brands is.
It’s no secret that most trends derive from influencers. It’s not guaranteed that a gaming influencer can get your brand all over social media, but the opportunity exists. As users trust the gaming influencers they watch, they’re more prone to try whatever they see the influencer doing. This reason alone proves how potent gaming influencers are.
TLDR? The Benefits of Collaborating with Gaming Influencers Include:
Right, let’s take a look at some of the top gaming influencers to collaborate with:
Some of the top gaming influencers have smaller followings than others. However, each gaming influencer has their own signature style and a loyal fanbase.
Before picking a gaming influencer, use influencer marketing research tools to find more influencers to help your business.
Let’s check out a few of the best gaming influencers in 2024 and what they’re about!
Number of Subscribers: 111 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: PewDiePie
We’ll speak about PewDiePie first, because chances are, you know this gaming influencer sensation. PewDiePie’s fanbase comprises gamers of all demographics. This Swedish influencer streams about everything trendy from Minecraft to TikTok reaction videos. Although PewDiePie has made some controversial statements in the past, his fans remain loyal, and he’s teamed up with many gaming influencers like KSI and Jacksepticeye. It’s no doubt that PewDiePie is one of the top gaming influencers in the UK.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie
Number of Subscribers: 3.6 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: Valkyrae
Think gaming influencers are all male? Think again. Valkyrae is a popular female gaming influencer streaming about her personal life, family, friends, and gaming ventures. She’s published a few animated videos too and has featured in two music videos which only maximized her engagement.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/Valkyrae1
Number of Subscribers: 6.27 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: TobyGames
TobyGames is another macro-American gaming influencer that keeps his fans enthralled with a great sense of humour and live streams. Subscribers love TobyGames for his videos on Skyrim, Fallout, Doom, yes, pretty much all the challenging games. But don’t get him wrong, TobyGames also plays MarioCart and Minecraft to engage beginner gamers. Not only was TobyGames one of the top gaming influencers in 2020, but his subscribers continue to grow.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TobyGames
Number of Subscribers: 14.6 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: KSI
While KSI might not have as many subscribers as PewDiePie, he’s considered one of the top gaming influencers in the UK. Recently, KSI has drifted more toward his music career but continues to post ultra-entertaining videos to enthrall his fanbase. This gaming influencer live streams about music, personal life, games like Among Us and FIFA, and reaction videos. Viewers tend to like KSI because of his forthright personality and drama-filled streams.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/KSIOlajidebtHD
Number of Subscribers: 27.9 Million
Location: Ireland
Status: Macro
Source: Jacksepticeye
YouTube users flock to Jacksepticeye because of his hilarious personality and plain silly videos. From TikTok reaction videos, gaming streams, and live streams about his personal life, Jacksepticeye has developed a dedicated fanbase in his time on YouTube. Some popular gaming live streams from this influencer include DOOM, Portals 1 and 2, and Resident Evil. Jacksepticeye does stream less grim games like MarioCart and Fortnite too.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/jacksepticeye
Number of Subscribers: 9.76 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: TheSyndicateProject
Streaming about Minecraft, BlackOps, and many more beloved games, TheSyndicateProject also takes the role of a mobile gaming influencer. Unlike many other gaming influencers, streaming about mobile games is ideal for captivating that segment of gamers. This English influencer doesn’t have videos about his personal life, friends, or family. Yet fans love his dedication to the gaming industry and entertaining personality.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/Syndicate
Number of Subscribers: 30.9 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: SSSniper Wolf
Let’s check out another well-known female gaming influencer who has her audience enchanted. SSSniper Wolf was born in the UK but now engages a worldwide audience. Her content covers reaction videos, live streams about her personal life, gaming, life hacks, and jokes and riddles. What fans enjoy about this gaming influencer the most is her diverse content.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/SSSniperWolf
Number of Subscribers: 7.39 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: Smosh Games
Born and bred in the US, Smosh Games has tonnes of videos ranging in themes. Sometimes this gaming influencer posts reaction videos and other times he posts funny videos with his friends or him just goofing around. What’s also unique about Smosh Games is that he streams about tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons, which his fans love.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/SmoshGames
Number of Subscribers: 17.5 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: Ali-A
Ali-A may not have an enormous following like PewDiePie, but his viewers are loyal and constantly growing in numbers. It was Call of Duty that got ALi-A to where he is today. This gaming influencer now has live streams of popular games like Fortnite, Ghosts, and Dead Rising. Ali-A doesn’t do live streams on his personal life, family, or friends.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/alia/featured
Number of Subscribers: 6.99 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: iHasCupquake
For viewers who love the RPG game-Sims, iHasCupquake is the perfect gaming influencer. She has fun posts about baking, playing Sims, Minecraft, Cosplay, and her personal and love life. Her viewers love watching her videos to keep up with her personal life without focusing on gaming only. iHasCupquake has also recently announced her pregnancy, which brought a swarm of attention and adoration from her fans.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/Ihascupquakeplus
Number of Subscribers: 12.9 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: theRadBrad
Streaming about Halo, Resident Evil, Call of Duty, and many dark games, theRadBrad steers away from personal vlogs and reaction videos. His fans enjoy his competitive nature and genuine TV personality. This American gaming influencer mainly focuses his videos on showing off new games and explaining to fans how to finesse these games.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/theRadBrad
Number of Subscribers: 3.59 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: W2S
Although W2S may have one of the smallest followings we’ve looked at so far, this gaming influencer is still a favorite. W2S has an extensive collection of videos, including reaction clips, personal vlogs, and gaming battles with his friends. YouTube viewers love W2S because he gives them a glimpse into his life, and it’s not just all about gaming.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_IT4-XpinnvNQwM1e15eQ
Number of Subscribers: 11.2 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: Sky Does Everything
Sky Does Everything was known as Sky Does Minecraft as this gaming influencer focused on Minecraft videos only. Now viewers can find personal vlogs and reaction videos too. Although Minecraft remains the only gaming this influencer streams about, his fans are happy to see more streams about his personal life.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamDG
Number of Subscribers: 5.48 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: SeaNanners
SeaNanners streams a combination of grim and playful games on his channel. His audience enjoys his funny and concise game walkthroughs and watching him play games from start to finish. Before launching a gaming channel, SeaNanners worked for the YouTube channel, Machinima Respawn. Through this channel, SeaNanners published tonnes of comedic shorts. His TV personality and timely sense of humor kept viewers coming back for more.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/SeaNanners
Number of Subscribers: 26 Million
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Macro
Source: DanTDM
More than most gaming influencers, DanTDM has a gaming channel directed at children between 7 and 14 years old. This is obvious from his collection of videos. DanTDM streams games like Fortnite, Minecraft, The Adventure Pals, and Little Nightmares. DanTDM also streams TikTok video reactions – a favorite among young audiences.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DanTDM
Number of Subscribers: 25.6 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: VanossGaming
Not only is VanossGaming a well-known Canadian gaming influencer, but he’s also a DJ, music producer, and video game commentator. Viewers follow this gaming channel to watch the funniest moments of games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty Black Ops walkthroughs, and Call of Duty prop hunts.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/VanossGaming
Number of Subscribers: 25.6 Million
Location: United States
Status: Macro
Source: The Gaming Theorists
The Gaming Theorists is another one of the Gen Z gaming influencers as his target audience is children. His sizable following reveals how many YouTube users interested in gaming influencers are Gen Z. The primary theme of this influencers channel is to explore the theories behind games and how to solve challenges and puzzles based on these theories.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/VanossGaming
If you want to connect to a younger audience or quickly develop awareness about your brand, gaming influencers can help you. Many of these influencers have millions of loyal subscribers, and fans are prone to listen to their endorsements. Gaming influencers can make it possible to have your brand become a trend, diversify your audience, and build credibility for your brand.
There are many gaming influencers out there. However, it’s essential to understand the content these influencers create and the audience they engage. Taking this step will ensure you find the perfect gaming influencer to boost your business.
With over 100 million YouTube subscribers, PewDiePie is currently the most famous gaming influencer in 2024. His fanbase ranges in demographics and he posts live streams on his personal life, family, friends, game walkthroughs, and reaction videos. There are many gaming influencers who are just as well known as PewDiePie, even though they don't have as many followers. It's essential to also focus on the nature of content and followers a gaming influencer has. and not just the number of subscribers. This article dives into the top gaming influencers in 2024 and how they can help your brand.
Gaming influencers often have large followings of loyal users. This means that when a gaming influencer endorses a brand their fans trust their advice, and in turn, are more prone to support the business. Most consumers need to trust a brand before purchasing and gaming influencers can prove that your business is legitimate. Partnering up with a gaming influencer can also allow your business to become a trend while diversifying your audience and expanding your reach. Read this article to find out more about the benefits of gaming influencers for your business and the best gaming influencers in 2024.
Gaming influencers live stream games and other entertaining videos on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Many brands reach out to gaming influencers for endorsements. These influencers have followers from around the world so this can bring traction to a business. However, gaming influencers usually promote brands that provide services/products they believe in. To find out more about what gaming influencers are, how they can benefit your business, and the best gaming influencers in 2024 read this article.
YouGov: The power of gaming influencers
Edelman: In Brands We Trust?
Onalytica and Smart Insights: An Evaluation of Brand Influencer Partnerships