Facebook Gaming has become an increasingly popular platform for both streaming and watching live gameplay in recent years. With over 700 million people already using Facebook each month, Facebook Gaming gives gamers and streamers access to an enormous built-in audience. But just how many people are actually watching gaming content on Facebook? In this article, we’ll take a look at the latest statistics on Facebook Gaming viewership and engagement to find out if people are really watching gaming on the platform.
The growth of Facebook Gaming
Facebook Gaming was launched back in 2018 as a dedicated hub on Facebook for gaming content. The main feature was a gaming video feed that aggregated live streams from popular streamers and gaming pages on Facebook. Since then, Facebook Gaming has seen tremendous growth:
| Year | Monthly active Facebook Gaming users |
|---|---|
| 2018 (launch) | 200 million |
| 2019 | 300 million |
| 2020 | 560 million |
As the above table shows, the number of monthly active users on Facebook Gaming tripled within just two years of launch, showing the massive potential of Facebook as a game streaming platform. This growth has been driven by Facebook promoting gaming more prominently on its main app and adding features like live streaming and gaming video discovery to attract gamers and viewers.
Watch time statistics
The best indication of whether people are actually watching Facebook Gaming comes from looking at overall watch time statistics. Facebook has reported several milestones that show gaming watch time skyrocketing:
- In 2020, the total number of hours watched on Facebook Gaming doubled year-over-year.
- In Q1 2021, Facebook Gaming live streams had 581 million hours watched, compared to 356 million hours in Q4 2020.
- As of June 2021, there were more than 800 million hours watched gaming content on Facebook each month.
These figures indicate that monthly watch time on Facebook Gaming has grown between 200-300% in the span of just 1.5 years. While YouTube still dominates overall game streaming watch time, Facebook Gaming has proven itself as a major force in the industry in a short period. The platform’s massive user base gives it unrivaled scale in terms of potential audience.
Top games and streamers
While Facebook Gaming attracts viewers across genres, certain games stand out as particularly popular. Here are some of the top games being streamed and viewed on the platform:
League of Legends
The MOBA juggernaut League of Legends has been one of the most-watched games on Facebook Gaming since the beginning. Top League of Legends streamers on the platform include coreJJ, KingStix, and Yassuo.
PUBG Mobile
As a free mobile shooter with huge popularity in Southeast Asia, PUBG Mobile has found big success on Facebook Gaming. Top PUBG Mobile streamers include Athena Gaming, RRQ Athena, and BTR Luxxy.
Free Fire
Along with PUBG Mobile, this mobile battle royale game is massively popular in regions like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Top Free Fire streamers include A_S Gaming, TG Dada, and GZxin.
Call of Duty: Mobile
The mobile version of Activision’s hit FPS franchise has become a streaming staple. Leading CoD: Mobile streamers on Facebook include Bobby Plays, iFerg, and Godzly.
Mobile Legends
MLBB has found an audience on Facebook Gaming, especially in Southeast Asia.Notable streamers include RRQ Lemon, Todak, and Aura PH.
The popularity of these mobile and MOBA titles demonstrates Facebook Gaming’s advantage in emerging markets where mobile gaming rules. The platform’s top creators come from regions like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and South Asia.
How streamers are using Facebook Gaming
To understand Facebook Gaming’s appeal, it helps to look at how streamers are using the platform. Here are some of the ways streamers engage viewers:
Geographic targeting
As mentioned above, many top creators focus on a specific national or regional audience. They stream in local languages and concentrategames popular in their target market.
FB sharing
Streamers leverage Facebook’s social features to share streams and clips to their personal timelines. This exposes their content to friends and followers who may not otherwise seek it out.
Facebook Stars
Facebook’s tipping and paid subscription system lets fans financially support streamers through monthly Stars subscriptions. Popular streamers can earn steady income through loyal followers.
Multi-streaming
Using services like StreamYard, creators can simultaneously stream to Facebook Gaming and other platforms like YouTube and Twitch. This expands their reach.
Gaming groups
Facebook has many regional and language-specific gaming groups where streamers can directly market streams to interested audiences.
By really taking advantage of Facebook’s unique features and global user base, creators have driven impressive viewership growth on Facebook Gaming.
How Facebook is promoting gaming
Facebook has invested heavily in making gaming core to its platform. Some of the major initiatives include:
- A dedicated Gaming tab in the Facebook mobile app
- Gaming video feeds with algorithmic recommendations
- Facebook Gaming mobile app launched in 2020
- Cloud gaming launched through the Facebook Gaming app
- Sponsorship deals with streamers and esports organizations
- Gaming and esports focused ad products
This focus has helped boost casual discovery of gaming streams and turned the Facebook app into a daily destination for gaming fans. The growth of cloud gaming will also allow instant play of streamed games. Facebook is sure to continue expanding gaming functionality across its family of apps.
Challenges Facebook Gaming faces
Despite strong viewership growth, Facebook Gaming faces some key challenges:
YouTube domination
YouTube remains the undisputed leader in hours watched for game live streaming and VOD. YouTube’s superior content discovery and massive tech infrastructure keep it in pole position.
Twitch loyalty
Among hardcore gamers, Twitch remains the preferred platform. Twitch has cultivated fierce streamer and viewer loyalty that could be difficult for Facebook to overcome.
Limited monetization
Facebook only recently began offering paid Stars subscriptions and lacks other monetization like display ads. This limits revenue potential for streamers versus Twitch and YouTube.
Inconsistent stream quality
Stream quality, latency and reliability on Facebook Gaming is not yet comparable to mature platforms. This leads to a subpar viewing experience at times.
As it continues maturing, Facebook Gaming will need to address these challenges through technical improvements and creator incentives.
The future of Facebook Gaming viewership
Facebook Gaming has already become one of the top game streaming platforms in just a few years, but still has plenty of growth ahead. Here are some predictions for the future:
- Continued expansion in developing markets – Facebook Gaming will leverage Facebook’s unmatched global penetration to bring gaming to new demographics, especially on mobile.
- Cloud gaming integration – Streaming games directly through the Facebook Gaming app will allow instant play. This removes a major friction point.
- AR/VR streaming – As consumer VR headsets grow, streaming VR gameplay could become a niche. Acquisitions like Ready At Dawn studios show Facebook’s interest in VR gaming and streaming.
- New monetization – More ad products, paid subscriptions, in-app purchases and tipping options will attract professional streamers.
- Expansion across Facebook properties – Streaming could expand to Facebook’s other apps like Instagram, Messenger and the metaverse.
With such a massive built-in audience and investment from Facebook, it seems inevitable Facebook Gaming will become a top viewing destination for gaming content worldwide across platforms. While still lagging behind YouTube and Twitch in some respects, expect Facebook Gaming to continue eating into their market share in 2022 and beyond.
Conclusion
In just a few short years, Facebook Gaming has emerged as a major player in the game streaming space thanks to Facebook’s strategic focus and massive user base. Key stats show streaming viewership and watch time growing at a rapid pace, even though the platform has yet to fully monetize that engagement.
While Facebook Gaming has its limitations and challenges, the numbers prove there is a highly engaged audience actively watching gaming content on the platform – especially across fast-growing regions and demographics. As Facebook continues enhancing the gaming experience across its family of apps, it seems primed for many more years of strong growth in both streamers and viewers. For creators and businesses in the gaming industry, Facebook Gaming looks to be too big to ignore going forward.