The highest paid streamers on Twitch and Kick
Streaming videos online is no longer just a hobby for idle millennials and Gen Z teenagers. It’s now a legitimate career and a means to become famous, and the most popular figures take home seven or even eight digits a year. While everyone has a chance to make money as a streamer, most people take months before making their first dollar on streaming platforms like Twitch. Gaming skills and a charming personality are just the start, but it is also possible to find success as a streamer in a wide variety of areas, such as video commentary, reaction videos, casino games, cooking tutorials, and educational content.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular and highest paid streamers in the world, be they on Twitch, Kick, or other streaming platforms.
Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam
Trainwreckstv is estimated to be worth $360 million, making him one of the highest-paid streamers in the world. He started his channel in 2014 but gained a massive chunk of his viewers from his viral Among Us streams. His Twitch channel has over 2.1 million followers despite being inactive.
In 2021, Tyler began streaming gambling content, mainly playing slot games on different online casinos. These streams proved to bring large viewership as online slots Tyler plays have large jackpots and excellent graphics contributing to his popularity. At the time, online casinos and, more specifically, online slots streams were relatively niche on Twitch, but he helped lead the charge toward it becoming one of the top ten categories on the platform.
After Twitch banned some casino sites from its platform, Trainwreckstv helped to set up the rival platform Kick, which allows users to stream gambling content with fewer restrictions. The platform has managed to poach two of the top Twitch streamers, xQc and Amouranth, with multi-million-dollar deals, proving that there is still an appetite for slots streams and other content that is more restricted on Twitch.
Felix “xQc” Lengyel
Felix “xQc” Lengyel is most likely the highest-paid streamer on Twitch, though he uses both his original platform and Kick in 2023. The 27-year-old dropped out of college at 19 to pursue a career in gaming. From his start as a professional Overwatch player, he attracted the attention of big brands as a popular yet controversial figure. He even participated in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup, where Canada lost to South Korea in the finals.
While xQC has made a lot of money throughout his streaming career, his biggest break came in 2023. He was recently poached by rival platform Kick. According to the New York Times, xQc signed a $70 million exclusive two-year deal in June to be an exclusive streamer for the company, with incentives that bring the value of the deal up to $100 million. This has also coincided with a move back to streaming more gambling-related content by playing slots and other online casino games.
With the new deal, xQC is now worth over $40 million. By the time he’s done fulfilling his obligations to Kick, he will be worth more than $100 million.
Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa
Considered to be one of the most popular female streamers on Twitch, Amouranth began streaming in 2016 and exploded on the platform due to her dedication and ability to identify new trends in the industry.
Her most played games are Mario Kart 8 and Fortnite, but she does not have a specialist game, as she likes to follow the ever-changing streaming landscape to keep her content fresh. She has become synonymous with the Just Chatting category, where her racier stunts have kept in the headlines for years. However, a lot of it seemed to be a result of Amouranth’s former husband allegedly abusing her. Amouranth has around 6.4 million Twitch followers as well as 170,000 Kick followers.
The 29-year-old streamer is estimated to be worth around $40 million coming from a variety of sources. With this popularity comes controversy, and Amouranth has been banned from Twitch three different times for various rule breaches. She has also recently announced a new TV show that will be set in a nursing home, so fans of the streamer are set to have a lot of new content to consume in the future.
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins
He’s been to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, streamed with Drake, appeared in movies, and traveled all over the world. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is arguably the most famous streamer of them all and is still the most iconic name in Fortnite. Born in 1991 in Detroit, Ninja began streaming in 2011. Back then, streaming was a much smaller industry, and streamers barely made money. When the industry exploded, Ninja was one of its biggest beneficiaries.
Starting in 2018, Ninja has ranked amongst the most-watched streamers on YouTube and Twitch every year. His fame and talent help him earn an average of $10 million per year. Overall, Ninja has over 18 million followers on Twitch and an estimated net worth of $40 million.
In 2019, Microsoft paid him more than $20 million to leave Twitch for Mixer. The streaming platform failed, and Ninja returned to Twitch where he regularly streams Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, and Call of Duty.
Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg
Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg may just be the most influential name on this list. For several years, the Swedish 34-year-old had the most subscribed channel on YouTube thanks to his innovative content targeting a younger demographic.
PewDiePie began his YouTube journey in 2010 with a focus on video games. Initially, he would only make commentaries about popular games like Minecraft and Call of Duty.
Later, the Swede joined Twitch to create content as a streamer. He regularly attracts up to thousands of viewers from all over the world. YouTube is where he makes nearly all his money thanks to 111 million followers on the video platform and just 1.8M fans on Twitch. These huge numbers help PewDiePie make an average of $7 million every year. He has an estimated net worth of $40 million.
Michael “Shroud “Grzesiek
Some streamers make a lot of money on Twitch despite not being great players. This isn’t the case for Shroud. In terms of gaming talent, he’s probably the most accomplished streamer on this list. He was a top-tier Counter-Strike player for many years, and his absurd aiming skills have transferred over to PUBG, Apex Legends, and other popular shooters.
While he got his start as a pro gamer, Shroud made most of his money and fame on Twitch and YouTube. He has 10 million followers on Twitch and six million fans on his YouTube channel. As already stated, Shroud’s biggest claim to fame is his superhuman aim. He’s a top-notch gamer who spends most of his time entertaining fans by playing a variety of games.
The 29-year-old Canadian makes a lot of money from his streaming platforms. In 2022, Shroud made an estimated $10 million. He has a net worth of roughly $20 million.
Jaryd Russell “Summit1g” Lazar
With an estimated net worth of $10 million, Jaryd Russell is one of the most successful streamers on Twitch. Just like Shroud and xQc, Summit1g got his start in esports but switched to streaming after realizing how much money he could make in the process.
Indeed, Summit is such a popular figure on the Amazon-owned platform that Twitch actually pays him to stay. His Twitch contract, paired with subscriptions and brand endorsement deals, helps the streamer make more than $2 million per year.
Nicholas “Nickmercs” Kolcheff
In 2022, Nicholas “Nickmercs” Kolcheff made a whopping $15 million thanks to his many investments. Most of his income came from Twitch and YouTube. He also co-owns FaZe Clan, one of the most successful esports teams in the world.
Unlike many businessmen, Nick is a pretty outspoken guy. He likes to make appearances at video game events, buying people drinks and meals whenever he shows up. He’s more than happy to show off his lifestyle as a celebrity to fans, further adding to his charisma. As a 32-year-old who began streaming in 2011, Nick is a first-generation streamer with roots in the early Call of Duty competitive scene. He specializes in Fortnite and COD. He’s been offered a lot of money to leave Twitch in the past, but he’s always shown his loyalty to the brand.
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