Streaming audiences are expanding, which makes it a great option for promoting games and other products. By engaging with popular streamers and creating high-quality streaming content, you can significantly increase your product's visibility. In this article, we will examine the top streaming platforms in Russia as of early 2025, analyzing their audiences and popular broadcasts to better understand how streaming can effectively engage today's viewers.

Key Streaming Platforms in Russia

In 2024, Twitch, YouTube, and VK Play Live are the primary platforms for gaming broadcasts in Russia, in that order. While there is an interactive Chinese platform called Trovo, it is not as popular as VK in Russia.

Twitch 

Twitch unequivocally leads the streaming industry. Following its spin-off from Justin.tv in 2011, it has maintained its dominance, currently holding nearly 75% of the global market share and a vast and diverse audience worldwide — 17.1 billion monthly visits. Its intuitive user interface caters to both streamers and viewers alike. The service's departure from the Russian Federation in 2022 has not had a significant impact on established accounts, despite the inability of Russian streamers to withdraw funds from the service or receive technical support. However, new users have encountered difficulties due to this change. 

Furthermore, the platform's global popularity has recently declined.Three years ago, Twitch was at its peak, with over 9.9 million streamer accounts.  However, according to the latest data from 2025, the number of active channels (i.e., streamers going live at least once a month) has dropped to approximately 7.3 million. The audience has also declined, with the average number of viewers now at 2.5 million, compared to 2.6 million previously.

While most countries are experiencing a downturn in Twitch’s global metrics, the Russian segment remains the only one showing growth. In 2024, the number of Russian viewers increased by 24%, and this positive trend continues into 2025. 

YouTube

YouTube is a popular streaming platform that is often used alongside other platforms. In the past, it used to benefit from the "rewind" feature, but Twitch has had it for a couple of years now. However, Twitch consistently receives more views than YouTube. Moreover, in 2024, YouTube was blocked in Russia by the authorities, and users now have to use a VPN to access the platform.

Nevertheless, YouTube Gaming budgets in Russia are increasing, with a projected market volume of around $267,2 million in 2025.

 

 

VK Play

The Russian platform VK Play was launched three years ago following Twitch's exit from Russia. Today, it brings together gamers, streamers, and viewers. With integration into social networks VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, as well as a strong focus on esports, it continues to grow in the Russian market. However, its metrics (101 million MAU worldwide, 2,000+ tournaments in the first year) remain significantly lower than those of the global leader Twitch (240+ million MAU).

 

 

In Russia, the platform attracts 79.5 million daily visitors, with over 5,500 tournaments held and 1.3 million registrations. This positive momentum among Russian gamers and streamers (over 40,000 users) is driven by an effective monetization system. Streamers can earn through donations, subscriptions, and advertising integrated with VK Ads and myTarget. Additionally, gamers benefit from fast technical support, partnership programs, and special promotions. Notably, live streams receive extra exposure through integration with VKontakte’s ecosystem, naturally expanding streamers’ reach and boosting their revenue.

Popular games on the platform include CS:GO, Dota 2, and Fortnite, along with mobile titles like Free Fire, Honor of Kings, and new releases from Russian developers.

Trovo

Trovo, a Chinese platform, primarily attracts audiences interested in mobile games (Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile и Free Fire such as Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile and Free Fire). However, World of Tanks dominates the platform, putting streamers of other games at a disadvantage. Streamers are reluctant to join Trovo due to difficulties with withdrawing funds and limited user support, while viewers also show little interest—unless the streamer already has a large audience on other platforms. As a result, Trovo is mostly seen as a "backup option" in case of issues with other streaming services.

In January 2025, web traffic on the Trovo website increased by 4.38% compared to the previous month. The platform’s most popular streamer, C1yMba, amassed 115,139 watch hours over the past seven days, followed by EviL_GrannY with 94,598 hours. These figures are comparable to those of top streamers on Twitch.

Trovo continues to retain existing users while attracting newcomers. For instance, in February 2025, the platform updated its "Trovo Goals" program, simplifying participation requirements and introducing new engaging challenges for streamers.

Streaming Platforms Audience in Russia

Over the past two years, the age range of game stream viewers has shifted towards the 25-35 category, with millennials now comprising 47% of viewers and Zoomers (17-25 year olds) making up 44.5%. Additionally, approximately 8% of the gaming platform audience are representatives of Generation X, aged 35-45. Millennials, the most financially stable demographic, provide financial support to their favorite streamers. They make up 46% of the audience for donation services, while Zoomers account for 35%.

Twitch's audience primarily consists of 'letsplayers'. The most popular games streamed on this platform in 2024 are GTA5, League of Legends, and Valorant. Other popular games in the top 10 include Fortnite, Minecraft, Dota 2, World of Warcraft, and Apex Legends. By the end of the year, the Top 10 also included games like Fortnite, Minecraft, Dota 2, World of Warcraft, and Apex Legends.

As of February 2025, the most popular games on the Twitch platform are:

 

 

Top 10 Twitch Streamers in Russia

The top 10 Russian Twitch streamers are determined by their average number of viewers, number of subscribers, views, and broadcasting time. The ranking changes every month depending on the volume of content produced by streamers. However, certain audience favorites consistently remain at the top. This ranking was last updated on February 10, 2025.

EVELONE192

Vadim Kozakov, also known as BigNose, is a popular stream host who gained fame during the Covid epidemic. He started with CS:GO and later moved to Fortnite. Kozakov founded the streaming community Freak Squad and was a partner of Epic Games. Despite receiving a ban on Twitch in 2020, he has successfully developed a channel on Youtube, where his broadcasts now receive up to 700,000 views each. After unlocking Twitch, EVELONE192 gained almost 2.5 million followers; on YouTube, the streamer now has over 700,000 subscribers.

Over the past 30 days, Vadim has streamed for 4 hours and 15 minutes on Twitch, reaching a peak viewership of 89,772 and an average of 63,460 viewers.

 

 

Buster 

Vyacheslav Leontiev, also known as Buster on his Twitch stream, has impressively amassed over 3.7 million subscribers. As of February 10, 2025, he accumulated 1,316,108 watch hours over seven days, marking a 122% increase compared to the previous period. He also runs two YouTube channels: the main channel has 3.71 million subscribers, while the gaming one has 935,000 subscribers.

In 2024, Buster launched the SLAY 2024 awards, often referred to as the "Streamer Oscar," and announced two major events for 2025: Stream Fighters and a football match between teams of streamers and YouTubers.

 

 

Nix

Alexander Levin, a former professional esports player. With his primary focus on Dota 2, he also showcases his skills in other games such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike, and DARK SOULS III. His streams consistently surpass official tournament broadcasts in terms of viewership, and he boasts an impressive following of over 936,000 on Twitch. Over the past 30 days, he has accumulated more than 2,964,000 watch hours.

In addition to Twitch, Alexander runs two YouTube channels. On his main one, Nix, he shares the most exciting gaming moments and personal vlogs, while the second is dedicated to stream recordings, allowing viewers to watch full replays if they missed the live broadcast.

 

 

Mokrivskyi

Mokrivskiy is the nickname of streamer Roman, who primarily broadcasts shooter games such as VALORANT, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2. Beyond streaming, he is working on growing his YouTube channel, where he launched the ‘Mokrivskiy Show’ project featuring other players. His show is also shared on the Freak Family streamer channel, with videos reaching up to 23,000 views.

 

 

Zubarefff

Alexander Zubarev is known not only as a streamer but also as a video blogger and TikToker. He started his blogs after returning to Russia from China, where he faced significant financial difficulties. On TikTok, he earned the title of ‘TikTok Legend’  thanks to his humorous and original videos, unconventional behavior, and creative editing.

On Twitch, he streams Just Chatting sessions, where he discusses various games, shares personal stories and observations, and often reacts to other creators' videos. In addition, he regularly streams games such as Virtual Casino and Grand Theft Auto V.

Over the past 30 days, he has spent 32.5 hours streaming, reaching a peak viewership of 41,708, with an average of 24,784 viewers.

 

 

Shadowkekw

Maxim Pavlov, the organizer of Dota 2 tournaments, also broadcasts CS:GO (767 398 followers) His live streams attract up to 27,000 viewers.Successfully runs a Telegram channel, 'Secret TG Shadowkek' with over 314,800 subscribers.

 

 

Sasavot

Sasavot is the alias of streamer and content creator Gleb, who broadcasts games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), VALORANT, Call of Duty, Dota 2, League of Legends, Fortnite, and PUBG.

As of early February 2025, his channel has over 868,900 subscribers. His highest peak in watch hours was recorded on January 13, 2025, reaching 99,873 hours during a casual Just Chatting stream.

Gleb initially joined the platform to support a friend but soon surpassed him in popularity.

 

 

Relog_pari_dota_ru

Relog_pari_dota_ru is the official Russian-language channel on this platform, broadcasting Dota 2 tournaments from the BLAST Premier and RES series, as well as other events related to the game. The tournaments are organized in collaboration with Relog Media and PARI.

The channel has over 108,500 subscribers, with its peak watch hours recorded on December 1, 2024, during a high-profile match, reaching 58,407 hours.

Recently, the channel covered the final matches of the BLAST Slam II Dota 2 tournament, featuring a showdown between Tundra Esports and Gaimin Gladiators.

 

 

Deepins02

Ivan Besmertnykh, better known as deepins02 on Twitch, has gathered over 2.3 million followers on the platform. Over the past 30 days, his total streaming time has reached 88 hours and 25 minutes.

Ivan primarily streams games like Fran Bow and ROBLOX. In addition to Twitch, he actively maintains an Instagram account with over 759,000 followers. He frequently shares moments from his life, posts photos from professional photoshoots, and announces upcoming streams, keeping his audience engaged.

 

 

BySL4M

The nickname SL4M or bySL4M belongs to commentator and streamer Igor Sopov, who primarily focuses on Counter-Strike. He began his career back in 2009, first on the gaming and esports enthusiast platform proplay.ru and later on place2play.ru. On Twitch, Igor has over 383,500 followers, with his streams attracting around 19,371 viewers on average. Over the past 30 days, his total watch time has exceeded 1.5 million hours. He has collaborated with major organizations such as StarLadder and WePlay Esports as a commentator, broadcast host, and tournament analyst.

Beyond Twitch, Igor actively runs a YouTube channel, SL4M & Counter-Strike, where he posts match reviews and other esports-related content, amassing 297,000 subscribers. He also manages the Telegram channel SL4M, where he shares news and stream announcements, with 50,300 subscribers.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Game streaming is a powerful communication tool for building sustainable interaction with a large gaming audience. Long-term relationships with viewers are built on the basis of shared gaming experiences, which can lead to user loyalty. It can be further used to convey advertising messages. Therefore, promoting game products through a loyal audience of streamers is an effective tool for game marketing. While we have written a more detailed review of the best strategies in gaming on our blog, it is important to note that there are other tools suitable for the movie industry as well. We also paid special attention to mobile games, as their promotion differs from other gaming products. 

Our RMAA team has extensive expertise in the gaming segment, which is confirmed by joint projects with many developers in the international gaming market. To discuss your project, please fill out an application form on our website to discuss your project.