Ervin Kalemi
It takes a certain type of person to play video games for a living. But for those who do, the rewards are plentiful – fame, fortune, and most importantly, an exceedingly high level of skill. The list of YouTube gamers eligible for the 2022 Top 15 Coolest Gamers is set to be a copious one — with new names and old favorites alike that have risen from the ashes like phoenixes year after year.
It’s been a banner year for gaming on the internet: triple-A releases and indie hits have kept fans of the medium happy, while console updates and technological developments have ensured that gamers have something to look forward to every six months. With new games and trends like VR, YouTube Gaming has been at the forefront of this ongoing development.
More than ever, video game fans are looking for a way to engage with their favorite titles – and many are turning to YouTube gaming channels for it.
To say that gaming channel content creators are working hard would be an understatement; they’re putting in long hours on the live stream, not to mention all of their other “Patreon” efforts like webcomics and all kinds of videos. They’ve established worlds, relationships, and friendships to go along with their ambitions – with many taking on life-long commitments.
Before we start the countdown, let’s take a moment to note that there are many YouTubers who have worked very hard over the past couple of years and deserve a mention. Some have moved on, others are slowing down; either way, their hard work has contributed to getting us where we are today. The following list is by no means exhaustive — but we can’t deny that it includes just about everyone who made our contenders list.
It’s very hard to make it a few minutes into gaming YouTube without coming across Pewdiepie. The Pewds, as his fans call him, has been the leader of the YouTube gaming world for over a decade. Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg—AKA the King of YouTube, boasts 111 million subscribers to date.
Mr. Beast—whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, follows closely behind the king with 93.6 million subscribers and growing. Best known for his charitable donations both to his subscribers and various charities, He’s racked up quite the following for his entertaining videos and easy-to-love personality.
Though JuegaGerman only has about 45.4 million subs and some, he’s been making videos for nearly a decade. Amassing this following isn’t easy. However, his charm and humorous comments on games like Minecraft and The Last of Us have quickly captured the attention of his subscribers.
ElRubiusOMG has 40.4 million subscribers on YouTube, and he’s made a career out of doing whatever he wants. His most popular videos have fewer than 6 million views each — peanuts to someone like PewDiePie, who can rack up 9 million views in a single day. But ElRubiusOMG is a prolific poster who uploads at least once a day, and he seems to get more popular with every passing month.
Samuel de Luque is a popular Spanish YouTube gamer who’s racked up views for his Minecraft Let’s Play videos. With a subscriber count of 32.9 million, it’s obvious that he knows what his viewers want. While his videos aren’t in English, he still managed to rack up 14 billion views for his channel—impressive? We’d say so.
SSSniperwolf isn’t as popular as some of the other YouTube gamers on this list, but she’s making up for it by working several times harder. Alia Marie “SSSniperwolf” Shelesh is one of the most notable female content creators on YouTube, boasting over 30 million subscribers. While her videos are mostly reaction videos, vlogs or product reviews, fans look forward to the gaming content she posts on occasion.
Another Spanish YouTuber on this list, we’re happy to find Mikecrack following closely behind with 31.2 million subs. Though he doesn’t have as many subscribers as PewDiePie, he’s got a loyal following who attend his live stream events.
Dream is one of the most entertaining gamers on the internet, and in the history of gaming – period. The creator began his Youtube videos in 2014 and has since amassed 29 million subscribers with his Minecraft videos.
DANTDM is one of the most popular Minecraft gaming channels around. With over 26 million subscribers, his Minecraft video content has attracted a huge fan base. In addition to making videos for his channel, DANTDM also hosts a YouTube Shorts channel with over 765k subs.
VanossGaming fans undoubtedly feel like they’re playing with Vanoss when they watch him play. The gamer is known for his goofy, slapstick style and high-energy gameplay. They’ve become his channel’s signature since he started uploading videos in 2011.
The Game Theorists are well-known for “over-analyzing” popular video games such as Overwatch and Zelda. While this unique approach may seem strange to some gamers, the channel has attracted over 15 million subscribers.
Captain Sparklez, “the Captain” is a YouTuber who’s garnered a massive following of 11.3 million subscribers. He has a unique personality and Minecraft machinimas are well-known for their pop song covers set in Minecraft worlds.
Bradley “SkyDoesMinecraft” Matheussen is worth mentioning because he’s been one of the highest-ranked Minecraft players in the world since he started streaming. The channel got its start with a Minecraft Let’s Play series and it was only a matter of time before the gaming community caught on.
The channel name says it all—Pokimane (pronounced “po-kie-mane”) is a Minecraft gaming channel with 6.7 million subscribers. The creator does an in-depth analysis of Minecraft and other video game worlds, and her videos are popular for their music opinions, celebrity impressions and gamer cosplays.
With only 3.65 million subscribers, Valkyrae is one of the least popular gamers on this list. However, the channel has gained impressive popularity for the creator’s gaming commentary and Let’s Play series.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does include channels from the most popular gaming categories on YouTube. The channel creators listed all have at least a million subscribers and have been making videos for years. If you’re interested in building a brand as an online professional, these videos offer great inspiration:
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