Game Development Behind-the-Scenes

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know in 2024

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Playing a video game is a thrilling experience because it makes us feel the joys of winning and the sorrows of losing. But, the main reason why gaming has become so popular is that it offers entertainment unlike any other. The development of broadcasting and screen capturing software has made sharing gaming videos online possible, and in a little over a decade of YouTube’s existence, the platform is one of the best sources of gaming videos of all types.

Gaming YouTube channels, such as Jacksepticeye or Vanoss Gaming have millions of subscribers which makes them quite influential. So in this article, we will take a look at some of the top gaming YouTubers and rank them based on their popularity and the number of subscribers their channels have.

Top 10 Gaming YouTubers You Should Know

• VanossGaming
• Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]
• Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]
• DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]
• CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]
• The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]
• Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]
• I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]
• H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]
• PopularMMOs

1. VanossGaming [Evan Fong]

Evan Fong a 26-year-old from Toronto, Canada is the proud owner of one of the most influential gaming channels on YouTube. He is also labeled as one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of $15.5, second only to his colleague Daniel Middleton. The VanossGaming channel currently has over 23 million subscribers that give Evan a lot of influence on YouTube.

His videos cover all genres of popular video games, such as Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty and they often feature him and his friends making jokes about the gameplay. The VanossGaming channel was created in 2011 and it currently has over 9 billion total views. Last year Evan launched the Rynx channel which focuses on music, but it is still far from being as influential as the channel that made Even famous.

2. Markiplier [Mark Edward Fischbach]

Even though Mark Fischbach is one of the top gaming YouTubers, his channel Markiplier also features comedy videos. With 20.5 million subscribers and a net worth of some $12.5 million, Mark is unquestionably one of the most influential gamers and YouTubers in the world today.

He mostly produces ‘Let’s Play’ gaming videos and he frequently covers horror and indie games like Slender: The Eight Pages or Surgeon Simulator, but he occasionally covers mainstream games like Minecraft. Mark is also famous for hosting live streams in which he collects donations for charitable causes. The Markiplier channel was created in May 2012 and a few years later, in 2014 it was ranked #61 on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels.

3. Jacksepticeye [Seán William McLoughlin]

Seán William McLoughlin is YouTube’s ‘most energetic YouTube commentator’ who currently lives in Brighton, England. He emphasizes his Irish origin by starting all of his videos by saying “Top of the mornin’ to ya laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye!, with a strong Irish accent.

Seán started creating Let’s Play gaming videos in 2012 and just a year later PewDiePie one of the most famous YouTubers ever mentioned him in one of his videos, and the Jacksepticeye channel got over 10.000 new subscribers in less than four days. At the moment, this YouTube channel has 9.4 billion total views and 19 million subscribers. He also appeared on Disney’s Polaris: Player Select show and RTÉ One’s The Late Late Show.

4. DanTDM [Daniel Middleton]

Besides being one of the top gaming YouTubers, Daniel Middleton, the 26-year-old man behind the DanTDM channel is also one of the richest gamers on YouTube with a net worth of $16.5 million. The videos Daniel uploads to his channel focus on different modes of Minecraft, and at first, the majority of his audience were children from 5 to 10 years old.

Daniel started his channel in 2012 under the name The Diamond Minecraft, but he changed it to DanTDM in 2016, since he started uploading videos of other video games such as Roblox games or Tomodachi Life. Currently, the DanTDM channel has 19 million subscribers same as his fellow YouTuber and compatriot Jacksepticeye.

5. CaptainSparklez [Jordan Maron]

A 26-year-old YouTuber, video game developer, and music producer from Los Angles, California, named Jordan Maron has been running the CaptainSparklez channel since 2010. Jordan mostly plays Minecraft in his videos, but he also uploads animations and mod and command block reviews.

His CaptainSparklez channel has over 10 million subscribers, while his other YouTube channels Maron Music, Jordan Maron, and CaptainSparklez2 have significantly fewer subscribers. Jordan often produces Minecraft-themed music video parodies, but in recent years he has also been creating original music for these videos. In 2015 he appeared as CaptainSparklez in the TV series Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything and the following year he made an appearance on the Bad Internet TV series.

6. The Game Theorists [Matthew Patrick]

Unlike most top gaming YouTubers, Matthew Patrick the man behind this brilliant channel is more focused on education and cultural aspects of video games. As the channel’s name suggests videos often feature several hosts that speak about different aspects of games.

Even though Matthew Patrick’s approach to gaming videos is somewhat unorthodox, his YouTube channel still has over 10 million subscribers. Since 2009, when the channel was initially created, The Game Theorists hosted a number of separate shows such as The SCIENCE or DeadLock. Some of the episodes of these shows are only available on channels hosted by other YouTubers, and you can find only a few episodes on The Game Theorists channel. Besides being a popular Internet personality, Matthew Patrick is also an accomplished writer, actor, and producer who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Duke University.

7. Game Grumps [Ross O’Donovan]

This comedy web series was started by Arin Hanson and Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari in 2012, and a year later, Dan Avidan joined because Jafari went on to start his own ‘JonTron’ series. Currently, the Game Grumps YouTube channel has 4.5 million subscribers which makes it one of the most influential authorities on gaming.

Most episodes feature two hosts playing a video game, while commenting on the gameplay, stating their opinions, and often talking about unrelated subjects. The web series doesn’t cover a particular gaming genre, and most games the hosts play on the show are suggested by fans. The channel features special holiday-themed episodes that cover holiday editions of video games. Also in some episodes, Arin and Dan play the games alone, even though they frequently have guests on the show.

8. I AM WILDCAT [Tyler Wine]

Since 2011, when this popular gaming channel was created, it has amassed 6.2 million subscribers and over a billion total views. The 26-year old Indiana-based YouTuber named Tyler Wine became popular for his distinctive commentating style which often includes humor and sometimes even cursing.

In the early days of his career as a YouTube commentator, Tyler was mostly producing videos centered around Call of Duty but as he was securing his place among the top gaming YouTubers his videos started featuring Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, or Garry’s Mode. Tyler has been uploading LetsPlay videos since 2012 to his WILDCATLetPlays channel that currently has a little over 200.000 subscribers. He uploaded videos to his channels weekly or once every two weeks in the past, but now he uploads videos to YouTube almost every day.

9. H20Delirious [Jonathan Smith]

The man behind the H20Delirious channel has managed to remain anonymous for more than a decade. This LetsPlay gaming channel was created in May 2007 and since then the channel’s owner has identified himself as just Jonathon. He even released prank videos in 2015 and 2017 in which he pretended to reveal his true identity.

However, Jonathon is a part of the VanossGaming crew and his H20Delirious channel has over 10 million subscribers which easily places him among the top gaming YouTubers. He creates LetsPlay videos for popular games like Fallout 4, Hitman, Fortnite, or Grand Theft Auto. The 31-old American’s trademark is his psychotic laughter and he is probably the owner of one of the oldest gaming channels on YouTube.

10. PopularMMOs

With more than 14 million subscribers and a net worth of approximately $7 million Patrick Brown, the guy who runs the PopularMMOs channel is one of the most successful gaming YouTubers. The channel was created in 2012 and since then it has hosted Minecraft Mob Battles, LetsPlay videos in epic mode, Arena Battles, and Minecraft Modes VS Maps videos.

Patrick’s wife Jennifer Flagg is also passionate about Minecraft and she has her own gaming channel on YouTube, called GamingWithJen. The couple frequently works on videos together and they’ve developed a series of characters like Captain Cookie or Jelly Bean that often appear in the videos. Patrick’s popular series include Hide & Seek Challenge, World of Warcraft, and The Crafting Dead.

Read More to Get: How to Reverse Search a Video >>

Conclusion

Being a top gaming YouTuber is a full-time job, that can generate a healthy income. The gaming industry is on the rise because a growing number of people enjoy watching videos that show them how to overcome difficulties they encounter in a game. The gamers and Internet personalities we included in this article are extremely influential and their videos reach millions of people around the globe. Do you think their popularity is going to continue to rise? We’d love to hear who’s is your favorite gaming YouTuber, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

If you are looking for the best Female Gamers on YouTube, check our article: Top 10 Female Gamers on YouTube

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FAQ: Find More about Gaming YouTubers

1. Who is the most popular gaming Youtuber?

PewDiePie is very popular who has 105M subscribers. Besides, Vanoss Gaming, DanTDM, and The Game Theorists are also prevalent among youngsters.

2. How do you become a famous YouTube gamer?

The very first step is to choose the area you are good at. It can be commentary channels or tutorial channels, but it must be the channel you can handle effortlessly. After building your channel, don’t forget to take the feedbacks or comments seriously, and you can try to cooperate with other YouTubers.

3. What equipment do you need to be a YouTube gamer?

Actually, you don’t need too much equipment. All you need is a computer, a camera, a microphone, video editing software like Wondershare Filmora .

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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Understanding and Crafting YouTube Live Thumbnails

Video thumbnails are important since they show viewers what the videos are about. And according to YouTube, 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. Therefore, adding thumbnails to all your videos is wise. But how to do that with live streams? Is it any different from adding thumbnails to normal videos? You’ll find answers in this article. Here’s a comprehensive guide about YouTube Live thumbnails.

Overview of YouTube Live

Livestreaming is very popular now. The pandemic has accelerated its growth. But what made it so special? Watching live streams is different from watching regular videos. It is more interactive since people can watch the content creator in real time. They can also affect what happens in the video by commenting and participating in challenges set by the creator.

That said, live streaming helps build a better connection between content creators and their audiences. So you may want to incorporate live streaming into your strategies. You can do that on YouTube through YouTube Live. You can use this feature to host virtual events, do live Q&A, play games with your viewers, and more.

Importance of Thumbnail for Live Stream

Thumbnails are important for videos. Alongside the title, they inform the viewers what the video is about. It’s not different with live streams. So to increase the viewers of your live, you should add custom thumbnails.

What happens if you don’t add a custom thumbnail to your live stream? YouTube will select a random frame from the video and display it. The thing is that live streams are usually longer than recorded videos. So YouTube has more options to use as the thumbnail.

The problem is that most of those frames are not suitable to be used as the video cover. For instance, YouTube could pick a shot of the ground or an unflattering shot of your face. So, it’s a must to add a custom thumbnail for your live stream.

How To Add a YouTube Live Thumbnail

Now, you know how important adding custom thumbnails to live streams is. You probably want to know how to do that. We got you covered. Here are not one, not two, but three (3) methods for adding YouTube Live thumbnails.

Method 1. Add Live Thumbnail on YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is the place where you edit most of your videos on YouTube. It’s where you edit the description, add or remove tags, and such. It’s also where you change thumbnails for your videos. And live videos are no exception. Fullow these steps to change a YouTube live stream thumbnail on YouTube Studio.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click your channel icon on the top-right and select “YouTube Studio.”

• Click “Create” > “Go Live.”

• Edit the metadata for the live video.

• Click “UPLOAD CUSTOM THUMBNAIL.”

• Select the custom thumbnail that you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Click “Create Stream.”

Method 2. Add Live Stream Thumbnail on YouTube Classic Mode

Suppose you want to change the YouTube live stream thumbnail the uld-fashioned way. You can change it on YouTube Classic Mode. How? Fullow these simple steps.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click “Creator Studio Classic” from the left panel.

• Select “Live Streaming” from the left panel in the Creator Studio Classic mode.

• YouTube will bring you to the “Stream Now” section. Put in the video metadata.

• Click “Change thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Wait for the thumbnail image to refresh.

Method 3. Upload a Thumbnail to YouTube Live With Mobile Phones

Perhaps you are live-streaming a trip somewhere. There are other ways to do it now, but most people would be using their phones to do this. So how do you change a YouTube Live thumbnail on mobile phones? Fullow these instructions:

• Launch the YouTube mobile app.
• Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom middle of the screen.
• Select “Go Live.”
• Enter the metadata. And set the advanced settings according to your preferences.

• Click “Next.”

• YouTube will take a photo of you. Don’t mind this because you’ll be changing it later.

• Click the “Pencil” icon after YouTube has taken a photo.

• Select “Upload thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared.
• Crop the image if you like. Click “Save.”

• Click “Go Live.”

How To Create a Livestream Thumbnail

So you now know how to change the live stream thumbnail. There’s one more thing we need to address. Where will you get the custom thumbnails? There are a number of good YouTube thumbnail makers out there. Let’s discuss this.

Livestream Thumbnail Makers

There are many great YouTube thumbnail makers on the market. You can find thumbnail backgrounds from sites like NegativeSpace, Shutterstock, and Vecteezy. Then, edit them to your liking using photo editing apps. Sites like Canva, Adobe Express, and Fotor also let you create custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos.

Wondershare Filmora is also a great thumbnail maker. You’d like it since it is also a powerful video editor. It is double-purpose! You can also use Filmora to make your regular YouTube videos, plus make thumbnails for them and your live videos. Talk about convenience!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

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