#Top5OnTwitch: June 22nd - June 28th

Which games are rising on the Twitch charts? Which streamers are dominating the most popular titles? We bring you the hard numbers and reaction, every week, in the GAMESIGHT power rankings!

Note: The following rankings are based on a combination of both gross and percentage change to viewership and total streams. As such, dominant and stable titles near the top of the charts will not always, or often, appear. To compare to last week's rankings, click here.

Graphs for Top Rising titles show previous two weeks for context.

Top 5 Rising

1. Teamfight Tactics

Increase Viewership: 9,047,480 Hours (100.83%), 2nd Overall

Increase Channels: 30,377 Creators (282.89%), 1st Overall

There's no ignoring it: Teamfight Tactics is the hottest thing in streaming, right now, flying up the charts by having the largest increases in total streamers for the week and climbing to third most watched title overall, in terms of hours viewed. Many in the gaming space, ourselves included, wondered just how big the "Auto Battler" genre born from the Auto Chess mod for Dota 2 could become, and already it's blowing by our expectations.

While the aforementioned mod was a bonafide phenomenon when it debuted, it never reached more than 60,000 concurrent viewers after receiving its distinct Twitch category. Tactics, meanwhile, is threatening to reach a level where its daily low exceeds even that. This isn't just proof of the genre's broad appeal, though that shouldn't be minimized. Riot Games is also proving that the massive success of League of Legends, a title which is regularly the most watched on Twitch, can be a platform from which to successfully launch forays into new genres. There's a lot that goes into keeping a competitive online title like this alive, so how long this success can be maintained is still up in the air, but, for now, Teamfight Tactics can be called a runaway hit.

2. Dota 2

Increase Viewership: 10,388,254 Hours (153.01%), 1st Overall

Increase Channels: 175 Creators (1.11%), 110th Overall

The only title that increased its viewership more than the title above this past week is Dota 2, which was featured in its final major tournament of the season before "The International," which takes place in late August. The "Epicenter Major" was held from June 22 through the 30th in Moscow, and the impact on overall viewership is clearly visible in the graph above.

Meanwhile, however, the number of total participating streamers remained, essentially, the same, even as the viewing audience exploded. This isn't difficult to understand, with the tournament being the clear draw it doesn't really make sense, as a streamer, to return to or try Dota 2 for the first time. The eyes of the entire community are fixed on the event, so streaming it yourself isn't exactly putting yourself in a position to succeed. Still, during events like this we tend to see increases in total streams closer to 10%, as the excitement of watching the games draws smaller creators, not interested in building larger audiences, begin playing purely out of increased interest. Such was not the case here.

Still, Dota 2 is one of the most successful esports titles in history, and a consistent top performer on Twitch because its competitive community is so strong and dedicated. The fact that it can still draw such an enormous number of viewers for a major tournament is a testament to its staying power, and all the work the team at Valve has put into keeping the title fresh and its esports community active and engaged. This fantastic week of viewership is just one more in a long line of examples.

3. They Are Billions

Increase Viewership: 851,863 Hours (109.48%), 10th Overall

Increase Channels: 164 Creators (12.48%), 115th Overall

They Are Billions makes the second consecutive appearance in our rankings based on another strong week of viewership, drawing in large-audience streamers and keeping them engaged for many hours over multiple streams. Fifteen participating creators managed to accrue at least 10,000 hours of viewership, including AdmiralBahroo (695,893 Hours), godjj (155,737 Hours), and CohhCarnage (128,272 Hours). The zombie-filled city-building sim also continues to reach daily peak viewership of at least 15,000 audience members, its numbers remaining stable into its third week on Twitch.

Even as the audience grows, the increase in total streamers has begun to slow, and it seems likely that, without a major update, the title might be reaching the peak of its performance and will soon begin to lose its largest creators, marking the end of its time at the top on Twitch. Still, this has been a stellar run, so far, for what is typically a smaller genre in streaming. The teams at Numantian Games and Blitworks have a great deal of which to be proud.

4. Rocket League

Increase Viewership: 888,821 Hours (62.28%), 8th Overall

Increase Channels: 2435 Creators (9.16%), 13th Overall

Long live Rocket League. The eternally successful competitive exploding race-car soccer title held its Season 7 championship last weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, and the result was three massive days of viewership, granting it the eight largest increase in viewership on all of Twitch. At the same time, the latest update patch was released one day after team Renault Vitality claimed victory and the $200,000 prize. These two events combined also drew in more than 2000 additional creators on Twitch, either compelled by the excitement of tournament play, encouraged by the promise of new improvements and content, or both. It's still impressive for a title that's been around this long, and a testament to how important a dedicated competitive space can be for a game's long-term success.

5. Final Fantasy XIV Online

Increase Viewership: 640,188 Hours (86.94%), 14th Overall

Increase Channels: 2880 Creators (37.61%), 11th Overall

Shadowbringers, the third expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online, was released on the final day of our rankings period to those that pre-ordered, and, as you can see above, it dramatically increased the title's viewership, and in only 24 hours was enough to take the last spot in our list of trending returning titles. An MMORPG like this relies upon consistent updates, featuring new quests, items, character classes, and the like, to keep players coming back and viewers interested in seeing what's new, and moments like this are clear lessons in why that's the case. We'll be keeping an eye on its numbers into next week to see how long this boost can last, and how high it can climb up the charts before momentum again shifts in the other direction.

Top 5 New Releases

1. Super Mario Maker 2

Total Viewership: 2,591,028 Hours, 15th Overall

Total Channels: 6616 Creators, 28th Overall

Gaming's most beloved plumber and his friends have returned again, this time for a sequel to the hit build-your-own-level platformer Super Mario Maker, and even more than the original, this game is tailor made for streaming. Already the game featured the endless possibilities of player-created levels, the unique fun of building ones of your own and challenging others. The sequel, meanwhile, pushes the formula even further by adding online multiplayer, allowing friends to take on levels together, and this is a brilliant addition when it comes to making the game even better for content creators. The results speak for themselves, thus far, with it easily taking the top spot for new titles in this week's rankings, even with only two days in players' hands. Even with the limitations of only being available on the Switch, we expect this momentum to continue into the next week, and we'll likely be featuring this title again. We're excited to see how long this success can last.

2. The Sinking City

Total Viewership: 1,017,553 Hours, 28th Overall

Total Channels: 2302 Creators, 91st Overall

The overlap between the mainstream gaming community and those with an affinity for H.P. Lovecraft and "weird fiction" is substantial, and as a result the long-impending arrival of The Sinking City has been something for which many have anxiously awaited. Accruing more than 1 million hours of viewership in only four days, it certainly seems that audiences were excited to finally see the mysteries the title held. Horror games, in particular, tend to do well in streaming because viewers often don't have the confidence to play the title themselves, with the level of detachment they get from watching a streamer play instead allowing them to experience the story and gameplay from a safe distance. That's likely the reason viewership so steadily outpaced total streamers: fans have waited to watch more than they have to play.

All that being said, the arrow does already seem to be pointed down, as each day peak viewership has dropped precipitously. Reviews for the game itself have been mixed, with some praising the game as the Lovecraftian adventure they've been waiting for, and others deriding bugs and elements of "unfinished" or poorly designed gameplay. With its first full week ahead, we'll have to wait and see if it can maintain its momentum and continue to build out an audience.

3. Judgment

Total Viewership: 594,100 Hours, 43rd Overall

Total Channels: 1266 Creators, 153rd Overall

Officially released for the first time in the west on June 25th, Judgment is a spin-off of the Yakuza series, and features the same open-world filled with myriad activities, big and small, as those games. Clearly, as can be seen above, the title was already being streamed by creators, both those who had access to the Japanese release and those who received early access to the English version, in the days before its official unveiling, and that makes it somewhat more difficult to determine just where the game is in its Twitch life-cycle. How many creators interested in the title have already been playing? How much of the current community is made up of new players and viewers? It's really the next week that will tell the story, as we learn whether it can leverage this newer release into an increase in overall viewership, or conversely see it recede to smaller numbers. Its future will help clarify just how real its current position is, and whether this new version has really been the boost it appears to be.

4. Samurai Shodown

Total Viewership: 435,275 Hours, 59th Overall

Total Channels: 1506 Creators, 128th Overall

Samurai Shodown is back! The long-running fighting series was always the fun, misunderstood cousin standing just behind Street Fighter back in the days of the original Playstation on the many Neo Geo systems, and this week saw the first new entry in over 10 years, with the new title officially hitting every major system on June 27th. It hasn't emerged with the kind of runaway momentum games like Mortal Kombat enjoy – it was always a more niche series in the West, and its decade away certainly didn't help in terms of name recognition – but, still, it emerges strong enough to make our list of the top new releases on the platform. Like other fighting games, the consistent addition of new characters, stages, and game modes will need to combine with a robust competitive space to keep the title alive long term, and it's just too early to know whether the teams at SNK and Athlon Games can pull it off, but, for now, it's a pretty good start for this new entry in a historic franchise.

Total Viewership: 259,166 Hours, 84th Overall

Total Channels: 1988 Creators, 111th Overall

F1 racing is one of the most popular motorsports on the planet, often said to be as big a deal in Europe as Nascar is in the US, and every year sees the release of the latest entry in Codemasters' Formula One video game series, so players can experience the thrill of racing alongside each real-life season of competition. This past week saw the release in the latest entry in the series, as F1 2019 officially hit stores on June 28th, the final day of our rankings. Now, obviously, the real bulk of viewership came from creators who had the title in their hands prior to release day, with the game reaching peak viewership three days prior. That being said, this means that the majority of potential players were unable to contribute to this week's numbers, and it's possible that an even larger week of viewership and streams lay ahead, now that it's freely available. We look forward to seeing just how many additional streamers pick up the game, and whether its enough to climb up the Twitch charts.

Top 5 Most Watched Overall

1. Fortnite (↑ 1)

Total Viewership: 22,592,091 Hours (+6.14%)

Total Channels: 357,879 Creators (+8.93%)

Top Creators by Viewership

1. Tfue: 2,112,411 Viewer Hours, 55 Hours Streamed, 22 Streams

2. Ninja: 1,066,436 Viewer Hours, 31 Hours Streamed, 8 Streams

3. Gotaga: 689,764 Viewer Hours, 35 Hours Streamed, 19 Streams

4. Dakotaz: 688,658 Viewer Hours, 48 Hours Streamed, 9 Streams

5. TimTheTatman: 637,270 Viewer Hours, 31 Hours Streamed, 8 Streams

2. League Of Legends (↓ 1)

Total Viewership: 19,906,787 Hours (-4.28%)

Total Channels: 89,867 Creators (+4.07%)

Top Creators by Viewership

1. RiotGames: 3,154,423 Viewer Hours, 58 Hours Streamed, 63 Streams

2. LCK_Korea: 741.860 Viewer Hours, 30 Hours Streamed, 10 Streams

3. lck: 441,735 Viewer Hours, 30 Hours Streamed, 5 Streams

4. lol_ambition (앰비션_): 428,222 Viewer Hours, 47 Hours Streamed, 24 Streams

5. RiotGamesBrazil: 399,014 Viewer Hours, 19 Hours Streamed, 5 Streams

3. Teamfight Tactics (↑ 1)

Total Viewership: 18,019,685 Hours (+100.83%)

Total Channels: 41,115 Creators (+282.89%)

Top Creators by Viewership

1. DisguisedToast: 1,224,125 Viewer Hours, 83 Hours Streamed, 27 Streams

2. Reckful: 1,039,814 Viewr Hours, 76 Hours Streamed, 37 Streams

3. Rakin: 649,194 Viewer Hours, 52 Hours Streamed, 12 Streams,

4. Handongsuk (한동숙): 456,901 Viewer Hours, 37 Hours Streamed, 12 Streams

5. Scarra: 409,671 Viewer Hours, 62 Hours Streamed, 9 Streams

4. DOTA 2 (↑ 3)

Total Viewership: 17,177,486 Hours (+153.01%)

Total Channels: 16,000 Creators (+1.11%)

Top Creators by Viewership

1. Dota2RuHub: 5,583,286 Viewer Hours, 132 Hours Streamed, 97 Streams

2. Epicenter_en1: 3,667,573 Viewer Hours, 149 Hours Streamed, 89 Streams

3. Ybicanoooobov: 391,977 Viewer Hours, 45 Hours Streamed, 8 Streams

4. Epicenter_en2: 365,316 Viewer Hours, 41 Hours Streamed, 14 Streams

5. Gorgc: 289,793 Viewer Hours, 43 Hours Streamed, 19 Streams

5. Grand Theft Auto V (↓ 2)

Total Viewership: 15,368,359 Hours (+15.64%)

Total Channels: 35,228 Creators (+8.78%)

Top Creators by Viewership

1. Lord_Kebun: 680,439 Viewer Hours, 52 Hours Streamed, 11 Streams

2. Vader: 509,031 Viewer Hours, 53 Hours Streamed, 9 Streams

3. dasMEHDI: 301,958 Viewer Hours, 58 Hours Streamed, 8 Streams

4. buddha: 262,157 Viewer Hours, 43 Hours Streamed, 8 Streams

5. RebirthzTV: 249,479 Viewer Hours, 42 Hours Streamed, 10 Streams

Check out our breakdown of how streaming still helped make Total War: Three Kingdoms a smash success in a country where Twitch is banned, and also compare these rankings to last week's #Top5OnTwitch. Also follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for all the latest blogs, announcements, and game marketing news from the team at GAMESIGHT!