YouTube has become a profitable site for any looking to break into the Let's Play community with live commentary of their game-playing exploits. In fact, a handful of these gamers, including Felix Kjellberg – who goes by PewDiePie on YouTube – rake in millions of dollars a year from their videos on YouTube.
Video game YouTube videos have become so popular, the media site pulled together a list of the top 10 most popular games viewers like to watch on YouTube. The below list is based on "watch time", not the number of channels or videos.
- Minecraft
- Grand Theft Auto (series)
- League of Legends
- Call of Duty (series)
- FIFA (series)
- Garry’s Mod
- The Sims (series)
- Five Nights at Freddy’s (series)
- Puzzles & Dragons
- Dota 2
It's unsurprising that Minecraft made the top of the list. Thanks to the game's unique open-world, sandbox setup, gamers are constantly coming up with new video ideas to share with the world. The ability to build almost anything using the game's simple blocks, including working clocks, calculators, and 3D printers in the game, means there are endless opportunities for gamers to create and share their videos.
YouTube is also likely a big reason Minecraft gained so much popularity so quickly. Early Minecraft YouTubers shared the game's potential with the world, which undoubtedly drove more gamers to try the game.
Probably the two most surprising games on the list are The Sims and Puzzles & Dragons, especially considering the list is of most watched games of all time. Both of these games are fun to play, but it's hard to believe that many people are watching the gameplay videos. One would think there are plenty of other popular games and franchises that would knock these two off the list.
We also found it interesting that Dota 2 was so low on the list, as we would expect it to be closer to League of Legends due to its popularity among gamers and viewers. That being said, it seems Twitch is a more popular outlet and better fit for Dota 2 players to share their gameplay efforts.
We would love to see YouTube provide information about the most popular games by year, as well as how the above list would change if game series were omitted and only single games made the list. It's possible that at least one Call of Duty game would make the list considering its popularity on YouTube.
Were you surprised by any of the games on the list? Share your thoughts in the comments.