When you are new, it can be overwhelming to know what to post on YouTube
You want to be successful and grow your channel!
One of the ways you can do that is to see what is working for others and take inspiration (don’t copy anyone!)
As of September 2022, the most popular games on YouTube are FIFA 23, Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, Apex Legends, Splatoon 3, Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, Battlegrounds Mobile India, and PUBG. The content that they offer ranges from gameplay to tips to updates.
If you don’t see the game you want on the list, that’s ok!
Honestly, breaking into the most popular games can be challenging
It is better to look into the sub-niches of the games to find out if there is potential to break in
You need to find a niche that:
- You enjoy
- Has low competition
- Has good search volume
This can take some time
Finding your niche is the foundation
But you can always take inspiration from the bigger content creators!
What is popular on YouTube Gaming?
There are many games and content types that are popular on YouTube
And it changes all the time!
People tend to watch videos that help them in some way
Content types like:
- Walkthroughs
- Character builds
- Design ideas
- Game updates
- How to videos
- Tips and tricks
The most popular types of videos really depend on the game
Do some research into other creators that are streaming the same game
What are they doing?
Is it successful or unsuccessful?
Doing some competition analysis is important so you don’t get into a high competition or low search volume niche and learn the hard way
What games are popular on YouTube?
Games that are popular on YouTube shift and change a lot
There are some that have been consistent for a while, like Minecraft and Fortnite
But things change a lot in the gaming world
In September of 2022, YouTube said that these are the most popular games currently:
- FIFA 23
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Minecraft
- Apex Legends
- Splatoon 3
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fortnite
- Battlegrounds Mobile India
- PUBG
As you can see, they are extremely different
If you are choosing a game based on popularity, I want to give a warning
People will tell if you are doing something inauthentically
They can tell if you are in it for the money alone
It is better to choose a game that is decent in watcher volume and you enjoy than to choose a game you don’t like because it is popular
What kind of content do some of the top channels make for each game?
Once you have chosen a game to investigate, now it is time to see what they do and how the competition is
I am going to use the same examples that I gave above to make it easy
FIFA 23: DjMaRiiO
Since this is a sports game, most of his videos appear to be competitive analysis
“Who will win?” kind of content
It is in Spanish so I would look for more examples if I wanted to get into this game niche
Grand Theft Auto V: GTAMedia
GTAMedia looks like they create a lot of funny or surprising content
The Thumbnails are similar enough that you can see that they go together but different enough to easily see the difference
Minecraft: Fiizy
Fiizy also has very similar thumbnails
They are a little more different than I often see in successful channels, but obviously, it works for him
He posts content that makes you want to see a surprising moment in his gameplay and content that teaches the viewer something
Apex Legends: iiTzTimmy
iiTzTimmy has a very clear channel
He uses his face to make his thumbnails similar, but they are also different enough
He posts content that teaches viewers, shows his skills, and surprising moments from his stream
He is also on a few different platforms
Splatoon 3: NintendoBase
NintendoBase has a channel that clearly goes together
Thumbnails are pretty similar, but they look very nice
He has recently posted a lot of content that gives viewers a preview of the game
Call of Duty: Warzone: Tim The Tatman
Tim The Tatman also has a very nice channel with a great thumbnail balance
He posts funny videos, comparisons, and shocking moments
He obviously does well with his channel with how successful it is and that he can be a full-time content creator
Fortnite: Ninja
Ninja is a very successful YouTuber and you can instantly tell that he is monetized when you see the option to join his channel
His thumbnails are balanced and fun
They are eye-catching!
His content seems to be surprising moments, updates, and educational
I wouldn’t recommend a new YouTuber to use headlines like these
He gets away with having no “what’s in it for me” factor in the title because he has so many raving fans
World of Tanks: QuickyBaby
QuickyBaby has a beautiful channel
The thumbnails are balanced and very eye-catching
His content has a lot of reviews and sneak peeks into the game
You can see that he is on a few different channels and live streams on Twitch
His channel clearly both educated and entertains
PUBG: Tomographic
Tomographic also has an obvious theme
Thumbnails look like they go together but are similar enough
Tomographic is a creator that posts a few different games, but they are all first-person shooters
He has a nice playlist for all his PUBG content
There are a lot of updates, information, shocking moments, and review videos
We can see that all these creators made videos with obvious value to the viewer
Some of them break some of the rules but they can get away with it because they build a fantastic foundation
Remember that these creators have a channel that is already doing amazing and gained momentum
They can get away with breaking more rules than a brand new channel
Learn what you can, test things out on your page, and just don’t quit