At TwitchCon, I learned the secret to why some Twitch games are smash hits
By Imad Khan | Published: 2025-10-31 23:25:00 | Source: CNET
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Twitch got its start as a gaming-focused offshoot of Justin.TV. While games are still prominently displayed on the front page, it’s the “chat only” category that tends to dominate.
This may be why there is a limited pool of developers showcasing their games, compared to many companies showcasing streaming hardware and technology at TwitchCon 2025.
However, Twitch is still a video game streaming site at its core, and its widespread adoption on the platform could mean big fortunes for game makers.
Of the few developers who attended Twitch’s semi-annual conference in San Diego earlier in October, many focused on group experiences. This makes sense, given that in 2025, titles like Peak and Baby Steps, which intentionally use weird controls for exaggerated reactions, have dominated the platform.
It’s impossible to predict which game might go viral on Twitch, but there are some trends among the successes to look for.
The venerable online shooter Fortnite is seen as a Twitch darling, remaining at the highest level eight years after its release. Before its acquisition by Twitch, Fortnite was a base-building game with crafting mechanics when it launched in 2017. Its developer, Epic Games, quickly released a new mode with a Battle Royale gimmick, similar to the popular PUBG model. It pits one player against 99 other players, all competing to be the last one standing. Quick reaction to trends has helped Fortnite succeed.
Among Us, Minecraft and Escape from Tarkov are other examples of games that started with a single concept, only to have the community influence the design.
Of course, the core gameplay of all these strikes should be rewarding and fun, but it has also allowed for viral moments where players “go” with clutch moves, claiming victory from the jaws of defeat.
Speaking to me in the exhibit hall at the massive, but sparsely attended, San Diego Convention Center was Virgil Watkins, design lead at Embark Studios — makers of the upcoming shooter ARC Raiders – He said that widespread Twitch games need simple starting concepts.
“I think it has a very simple gameplay loop that you can pick up and play with and understand very quickly, and then discover the depths together,” Watkins said. “The biggest factor is the fact that you generate a lot of really funny stories.”
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Using Twitch to break into the saturated gaming market
Among Us is a social deduction game where players must identify impostors before they kill their crewmates aboard a virtual spaceship.
Video games are big business. It is the largest entertainment medium, surpassing the film and music industries combined, according to 2024 report From the Japanese advertising agency Dentsu.
The global video game market is currently valued at $299 billion and is expected to reach $600 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. This includes casual online games, mobile games, big budget consoles, and PC titles. The revenue appeal of video games has Streaming services Jump into action, with both Netflix and Crunchyroll Offering game downloads to subscribers.
At the same time, the video game market was quickly becoming saturated. According to data from SteamDB, approximately 40 to 50 games are released daily on the online PC marketplace Steam, Steam reported. Kotaku. With the abundance of games released computer Critics, tastemakers, and streamers can single-handedly help guide audiences toward what’s worth playing.
If a game launches on Twitch, it could mean huge fortunes for developers.
when Between us Experiencing flashes of viral success on Twitch during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has propelled the game to stratospheric commercial heights. While developer Innersloth has not released exact numbers, based on a comparison of sales data mobile And PC platforms, it is estimated that the game has been created $105 million in revenue Since its launch. This excludes trade and other intellectual property partnerships. It’s an enormous amount of money for Four-person development team at InnerslothAlthough the team has grown since then.
What made Among Us work was its simple premise (a roundabout murder mystery in space), its societal focus, and the silly visuals of cartoon blobs committing murder. It has attracted players of all ages and spawned endless streams of viral clips across the internet.
All of the developers I spoke to at TwitchCon said they’re not intentionally trying to make a viral game for the online streaming platform, but they acknowledged they’re taking cues from past successes. They’re not trying to copy the look and feel of previous hits. Instead, they want to replicate the exciting novelty of the viral moments generated by those games.
“I think moments of discovery are an important feature, and what I mean by that is, if you always know what you expect to see, it’s like watching a TV show for the third time,” said Mac Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of Night Street Games, which is developing Last Flag. Reynolds is also the manager of the pop-rock band Imagine Dragons, of which his brother is a singer.
Reynolds wants Last Flag to be full of great moments that spark players’ imaginations and force creative gameplay solutions in the heat of battle.
In general, to start a game on Twitch, experiences need to be short, feature a level of randomness for a degree of surprise, and have a high degree of replayability. Esports titles like League of Legends or Overwatch 2 fit well with Twitch’s success. Both are highly competitive games where skilled teams can pull off powerful upsets.
“For me, the unexpectedness of the live experience is what makes it magical,” Reynolds said.
Starting incomplete games early is a feature, not a bug (even if there are bugs)
TwitchCon 2025 booth for Task Time.
Releasing games in early access also helps. It’s a way for developers to release incomplete games for the public to test and invest in as they become more feature-complete.
Ghost hunting horror game Phasmophobia was released in Early Access in 2020 by studio Kinetic Games, however there is no official date for its shipment. Despite its exotic veneer, which might suggest a more niche appeal, it has indeed arrived 25 million total sales.
“The community expects us to make all these massive changes,” said Daniel Knight, managing director and lead developer at Kinetic Games. “So we changed the entire progression system during Early Access. We added a lot, like more equipment, more maps, more ghosts.”
Although Phasmophobia doesn’t position itself as a “live service” game (where there’s a constant stream of content and players are incentivized to keep coming back to maximize rewards), the team has a roadmap to show players how the game will eventually progress.
“Because of early access, we’re allowed to make these massive changes,” Knight said.
Early Access also aligns with community building during development, which has helped games like Hades and Hades II build a broad player base before they’re officially released. Those people jumping in at ground level are the ones most likely to champion the game when it’s released.
For developers, maintaining a direct line of communication with their community is crucial, as it can help spread positive vibes and build momentum for the online game.
The Wired Productions team knows this all too well. The developers are currently creating multiplayer team game Task Time, with veterans from Boneloaf and Mediatonic studios, creators of Gang Beasts and Fall Men: Ultimate Knockoutrespectively. Fall Guys, in particular, has been a huge success during the pandemic, selling out 11 million copies within the first few months of its release and was featured prominently in Twitch streams for some time.
“We’ve already invested in a player base and they know who we are, they know what the game is about, and we know we’re listening to their ongoing thoughts,” said Sam Clay, director of communications at Wired Productions.
It’s this dialogue that facilitates a deeper connection between player and developer. “Everyone is investing, the players are becoming part of the development as well,” Clay said.
Another element that helps games take off on Twitch is integration. This feature allows viewers to influence the game the streamers are playing through chat, giving the audience a say in their entertainment. There is an ever-growing list of these games integrated on Twitch. Mission Time will be another title to look out for when it releases next year.
Austin-based developer Sentinel Games’ upcoming title, called Cure — A Hospital Simulator, has some unique integrations with Twitch. In chat, you can become sick, turn into a zombie, and perform certain in-game actions with streamers, such as subscriptions, follows, and raids. It will launch on Steam Early Access in November.
The factor is the unexpected
Whether it’s 1 vs. 99 tag games, crime-style mafia bouts or identifying ghosts in 20-minute increments, the games that have exploded on Twitch all involve one thing: the unexpected.
Every successful game brings something new to the table, remixing familiar elements to give players a new experience – and more importantly, one they wouldn’t see on their own.
Streamers and viewers want to experience fun, unique moments together and be able to clip them and share them with the rest of the internet.
It’s not much different from other forms of live entertainment, albeit instead of cramming thousands of people into a hall, everyone participates from their own homes.
Reynolds, who has attended his fair share of concerts over the years managing his brother’s band, knows the power of group entertainment all too well.
“It’s the magic of live music, it’s the magic of streaming, and it’s the reason people go to concerts. The reason people tune into something on Twitch is because it’s happening at that time, and you never know what that next moment will be.”
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