YouTube has become the go-to platform for gaming content, with popular channels racking up millions of loyal subscribers. From walkthroughs to reviews to celebrity gamers, YouTube offers a robust gaming community catering to all types of video game fans. With so many options to choose from, which channels stand out from the rest? Here’s a look at some of the most popular and entertaining gaming YouTube channels out there.
PewDiePie
Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg stands tall as YouTube’s most subscribed channel, earning over 100 million subscribers. While not exclusively gaming anymore, PewDiePie gained his immense following by reacting to horror and action games with over-the-top shock and awe. His loud personality pairs well with explosive moments in games like Amnesia and Call of Duty. Even with branching out into wider pop culture and comedy commentary, PewDiePie still regularly reviews new games for his loyal “bros.”
Markiplier
Another solo gamer, Mark Fischbach (Markiplier), has won over 30 million subscribers with his heart-on-sleeve approach to gaming videos. Markiplier doesn’t hold back when terrified, delighted, frustrated, or moved by the games he plays. Horror games are still his bread and butter, eliciting bloodcurdling screams. But fans also love his emotional reactions while playing story-driven games like To the Moon and Detention. Markiplier’s genuine passion for gaming makes every video enjoyable.
Achievement Hunter
Under the Let’s Play network, Achievement Hunter serves raucous multiplayer mayhem with six core crew members and regular guests. Group games like GTA 5 and Minecraft produce highlight-reel hilarity as AH’s tight-knit cast plays off each other. Special side series pit AH crew members against ludicrous challenges in the worlds of Hitman and Red Dead Redemption. Their infectious camaraderie echoes that of longtime friends cracking jokes at a gaming session that viewers feel like part of.
Game Grumps
Game Grumps adds improvisational comedy to gaming by pairing comedic gamers together. Originally Danny Sexbang and animator Arin Hanson, the duo riffs on games, good and bad, while constantly going off the rails into absurdity. Their bizarre tangents, ironic dissections of game tropes and glitches, and alter-egos turn ordinary playthroughs into laugh-out-loud spectacles. Expanding to include guests like Jacob Anderson and Justin Roiland, the growing Game Grumps family feel like the gaming buddies we all wish we had.
Continue below for more top gaming YouTube channels spanning a wide range of styles and content…
Opinionated Reviewers
The boisterous personalities playing games drive many top YouTube channels. But beyond reactions and playthroughs, YouTube also provides outlets for critical commentary on games. These analytical channels dive deeper into game design and industry issues.
AngryJoeShow
Proclaiming “no PR bull!” Joe Vargas (AngryJoe) pulls no punches, giving both triple-A disasters and hidden gem indies brutally honest reviews. His loud personality echoes gamers’ frustrations with shady publishers and glitch-riddled releases. But AngryJoe is also quick to praise fantastic gameplay and design. Supported by skits and interviews, AngryJoe’s lengthy critiques offer some of YouTube’s most comprehensive analysis.
ACG
Providing purchaser guidance, ACG (Angry Centaur Gaming) deeply analyzes gameplay, visuals, sound, and stability to determine if a game is “wait for sale,” “buy,” or “skip.” While thoughtful and measured rather than angry, he still directly calls out developers for technical failings or misleading marketing. With rapid-fire reviews across genres and thorough evaluations of AAA titles, ACG helps inform gamers’ buying decisions.
Girlfriend Reviews
A novel approach, Girlfriend Reviews features a non-gamer girlfriend humorously critiquing her boyfriend’s favourite games to highlight their appeals…or absurdities. Shelby’s outsider perspective on dense lore and convoluted systems pokes fun while also identifying what draws players in. Her razor-sharp wit and extra mocking from the boyfriend make for amusing and relatable commentary on fanboy obsessions.
Technical Experts
Beyond just playing or critiquing games, YouTube also features more educational channels explaining how video games are made and how gaming computers function. These technical channels lift back the curtain on game development and systems.
Digital Foundry
Digital Foundry focuses specifically on the intersection of gaming and PC/console hardware through meticulous technical analysis. By frame rate testing games across platforms and benchmarking components, they demystify optimal specs for gaming. Their experts also explain differences in graphics settings options and how game engines and APIs work under the hood. For tech-savvy gamers, Digital Foundry offers an enriched understanding of gaming’s technical foundations.
AI and Games
Indie developer Alex Eissa goes deep into game development processes, from programming basics to artificial intelligence design to theoretical concept art directions. Alongside brief demonstrations of small test games he’s coded, Alex explains interactive scripts, behaviours, and algorithms that make AAA games respond dynamically to players. His lectures integrate neatly presented code samples and diagrams that both program-literate and casual viewers will learn practical skills.
Speedrun/Challenge Players
Think you’ve mastered a game inside and out from normal playthroughs? The best YouTuber gamers take skills honed across thousands of hours to execute amazing feats most would believe impossible. These elite gamers reveal the true potential of game mechanics and physics through impeccable dexterity.
Summoning Salt
Instead of broadcasting live attempts, Summoning Salt produces extraordinary documentaries chronicling world-record progression for classic games. Putting record-shattering speedruns in the context of technological innovations and community discoveries that made them possible, his investigations unveil the dedication and knowledge essential to mastering classic NES, SNES, and N64 games framed as epic sporting achievements.
SmallAnt
Skilled speedrunner SmallAnt tests his skills against Portal, Mario, Pokemon, and obscure oddities alike while explaining tricks for viewers. His easygoing demeanour, mixed with mind-boggling proficiency, makes normally mundane games fresh and fascinating again. SmallAnt especially showcases underappreciated games, reinvigorating classics and hidden gems outside mainstream sequels and franchises – always at a breakneck pace.
Conclusion
Top channels emerge across gaming genres, personalities, skills, and styles on YouTube. Solo gamers, friend squads, reviewers, essayists, speedrunners – they transform gameplay into entertainment according to their talents. Thanks to the platform’s range, video games remain equally diverse creative works reflecting these unique gaming voices. We all play for different reasons, so YouTube provides awesome channels to match however you enjoy games.