Streaming viewership report suggests things are getting back to normal

The data provided by Rainmaker.gg, StreamElements’ analytics partner, suggests things are getting back to some kind of normal. The past few months have seen a steady drop in the amount of watched hours on both Twitch and Facebook Gaming.

Whether or not things are actually getting back to normal isn’t exactly clear. But an easing of restrictions is definitely happening out there in the real world. Travel restrictions aren’t as strict as they’ve been, and in-person events are actually letting people attend.

You can’t easily catch your favorite streamer going live if you’re at a concert, after all.

Despite the drop, the actual number of watched hours is still higher than pre-pandemic numbers. Twitch is still up 64% compared to the first four months of 2020, and Facebook Gaming is up 118% at the same comparison.

The top 10 games viewed on Twitch

The top games on Twitch are a mix of crowd pleasers and new additions. Games like Grand Theft Auto V, League of Legends, Valorant, Apex Legends, and Fortnite are in the mix, as usual. Dota 2, Counter Strike: Global Operations, and Call of Duty: Warzone aren’t big surprises, either.

All of those are action-packed, competitive, and engaging to watch. The big shocker this time around, though, is Elden Ring. Elden Ring made the list for three months in a row post launch, which is rare for single-player type games.

However, its view numbers are dropping hard enough that it might not pull a fourth month off. The majority of players are finally putting Elden Ring to bed after hundreds of hours each spent ferreting out all the secrets and lore.

Goodbye, Mr. Cow. Hello xQc

To nobody’s surprise xQc is still the absolute top streamer in terms of hours watched. It’s a bit difficult to challenge that kind of dominance; xQc puts out nearly daily streams which regularly pass 10 or more hours.

Though the data itself will showcase a change going forward; xQc changed his Twitch account. No longer will XQCOW headline the top 10 list; going forward it will just be plain old XQC. 

We’ll miss you, Mr. Cow.