The news: Gaming experiences on YouTube are surging in popularity, presenting an emerging opportunity for gaming ads that promote brand and product awareness to casual viewers—not just serious gamers.
- YouTube Gaming viewers watched 8.8 billion hours in Q4 2025, up 12% YoY, per Stream Hatchet, representing about one-quarter of all hours watched on live-streaming gaming platforms.
- The amount of gaming-related content on YouTube Shorts grew 60.6% YoY, reaching 5.3 million posts.
- Sponsored streams, which include #ad in their titles, garnered 4.5 million hours of watch time, the highest level since 2020.
The opportunity: YouTube is solidifying its position as a substantial competitor to live gaming platforms like Twitch, and its loyal user base and solid streaming numbers could sustain its growth. That opens up opportunities for integrated brand placements.
- Shorts give creators with brand partnerships a low-friction way to act on gaming moments and drive audiences toward full livestreams or long-form content with more ad opportunities.
- There are also paths toward sequential marketing like teaser clips and product integrations during live gameplay, followed with highlights that extend campaign lifespan.
- New advertisers can explore opportunities for time sensitive offers during tournaments, in-stream integrations, creator-led demos, or contextual product tie-ins.
Brands can also reach younger audiences—in 2026, we expect 51.2% of Gen Alphas will be digital gamers. In addition, over half of the audience for top channels are Gen Zers in their 20s, per Stream Hatchet.
Recommendations for brands: Marketers across categories should look for opportunities to jump on the live gaming wave and access highly engaged live audiences, but be careful not to disrupt the experience.
- Focus on working with games and teams that align with target consumers, including demographic and affinity.
- Partner with creators who are genuine fans of the product or brand to ensure authenticity.
- Measure engagement over follower count to closely evaluate whether, in a growing sea of consumers, creator content is grabbing attention.