The 25 best streamers on the internet right now, ranked

Is live streaming harder than a traditional 9-to-5 job?

This was a prominent conversation between internet personalities like IRL broadcaster FaZe Lacy and Roblox Streamer Yusuf7n for a few months. Streaming certainly isn’t easy – yes, you can work from the comfort of your own home while drenched in sweat, but spending hours in front of the camera and subjecting yourself to an endless stream of comments can’t be detrimental to your mental health. You’re constantly trying to conjure up viral moments and chase subscribers, and you can’t quit in the middle of a subathon.

However, if you can handle the pressure, the ceiling for a popular streamer gets higher and higher. Whether it’s getting the attention of millions of fans or signing multi-million dollar contracts, being a livestream content creator – be it on Instagram, Kick, Rumble, Twitch, TikTok, YouTube or another platform – is the hottest new career path. Streamers and YouTubers are the A-list stars of Generation Z and Gen Alpha. According to a 2019 survey by LEGO and Harris Polls, one in three children between the ages of 8 and 12 want to be a vlogger or YouTuber.

But while every child may want to become a streamer, not every child will be Great Streamer. With the thousands upon thousands of streamers online, what separates “okay” from “good”? What actually makes a streamer one of the best?

We carefully considered these questions when compiling this list and identified the following criteria: 1) the influence of their social media presence, 2) the frequency with which we see them on our timelines, 3) the quality of their content, and 4) their relevance to the world of live streaming. This helped us cut through the noise and choose the best of the best.

Some names you might expect. Some names may be surprising. So, without further ado, here is Complex’s list of the 25 best live streamers on the internet right now. Tell us what you think and any names we may have missed in the comments.