Last Updated on 06/01/2022 by Dean
More than 9 years after its release, GTA5 is still one of the most-watched games on Twitch. Curious as to what caused this? What makes GTAV so popular on Twitch?
Let’s look at some data we have available on GTAV’s popularity on Twitch…
- In 2016, GTA 5 was the 22nd most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2017, GTA 5 was the 9th most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2018, GTA 5 was the 10th most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2019, GTA 5 was the 4th most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2020, GTA 5 was the 4th most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2021, GTA 5 was the 2nd most-watched game on Twitch
- In 2022, GTA 5 is the 3rd most-watched game on Twitch
Source: Sully Gnome
This data shows something interesting: GTA 5 has been more popular on Twitch in the last 4 years than it was in the first couple of years of its release on PC (April 2015).
So what has caused this massive boom?
Turns out it was roleplaying servers, particularly the NoPixel roleplaying server.
Roleplaying servers are modded servers that turned GTA Online into a virtual playhouse for streamers.
On these roleplaying servers, streamers take on an alternative personality from their own, which often includes changing their voices, to play a character (e.g. a cop or a doctor) in an online world filled with other streamers.
NoPixel is by far the most popular of these roleplaying servers having featured a wide variety of top-tier streamers such as xQc and Sykkuno.
But even without these big-time streamers, the NoPixel server is filled with plenty of smaller streamers who average over 1k viewers each.
NoPixel was started in 2016 but didn’t gain any mainstream popularity on Twitch until around 2019.
This brings us to our conclusion…
Why is GTA 5 so popular on Twitch?
GTA 5 is popular largely due to the NoPixel roleplaying server that most GTA streamers are part of. These roleplaying servers allow streamers to collaborate with other streamers in the virtual world of GTA.
Each streamer on the NoPixel server has their own personality and character that they play, creating lots of interactive content between streamers that viewers on Twitch love.
What made NoPixel so popular on Twitch?
While there are many roleplaying servers on Twitch, Nopixel quickly became the go-to roleplaying server for Twitch streamers.
This is likely due to the creator and owner, Koil, being a Twitch streamer himself.
And while NoPixel always had a decent audience on Twitch since its release, it has most of its mainstream popularity on Twitch to thank from top-tier streamers who have come in to boost the numbers and name recognition of the server.
2021 was the best year for NoPixel as well as GTA5 thanks to large creators such as Sykkuno and xQc joining the server.
This all came together after Among Us had died down on Twitch and these top-tier streamers sought a similar that allowed that streamer-interaction that Among Us brought to the table.
Big streamers that have streamed the NoPixel Server
Here’s a list of big streamers that have helped GTA 5 gain popularity on Twitch through the NoPixel roleplaying server.
- Sykkuno
- xQc
- Pokimane
- Sodapoppin
- Valkyrae
- Asmongold
- Fuslie
- Hasanabi
- Jacksepticeye
Will GTA 5 continue to stay popular on Twitch?
Considering how many streamers are active on the NoPixel server, I don’t see the success of GTAV dying down anytime soon.
Even when big streamers aren’t playing on the server, NoPixel has a massive audience divided over a large number of smaller streamers.
If anything, GTA 5 will likely stay popular on Twitch until GTA 6 is released.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has given you some insights as to why GTAV is so popular on streaming platforms.
GTA5 is one of the most popular games streamed on Twitch and it is looking like it will remain so in the future. In 2021, GTAV was the most-watched game on Twitch.
The reason GTAV is so popular, is largely thanks to the popular NoPixel roleplaying server which consists out of many different Twitch streamers of all sizes.