Did you know that 2020 saw a record in gaming content viewership? The number has surged to 1.2 billion views which is why so many are wondering how to make money on YouTube gaming. It’s a lucrative industry and there are a lot of great examples of different ways to pursue this genre. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Letting Others Watch You Play Video Games

If you are any good at playing a specific game or multiple games, letting others watch you dominate is a highly profitable way to make money on YouTube gaming. Oftentimes this becomes somewhat a tutorial for those who struggle with making the right gaming decisions or find it hard to get past a particular point in a video game.

And since the main goal of this is showing your screen to the users so they can almost get a virtual experience, there is no need to show your face doing this. What usually works best is picking a niche in gaming such as sports or even more specifically FIFA. Showcasing your an expert can gain you a large following.

These channels tend to get lots of subscribers which is why through paid advertising such as commercial breaks or product placement, YouTubers with good followings can make quite a lot of money. Most of the time gamers do voice overs and when they mention a particular product or company they use, they get paid! It’s one of the best ways to make money on YouTube as a gamer.

When you have enough subscribers and watch hours, you can become part of the YouTube partner program and earn advertising revenue from this as well.

Reviewing Video Games

Some gamers want to know from a credible source how good or bad a specific video game is before buying it. If you are able to provide thoughtful reviews of specific games that showcase the pros and cons, this is a great way to make money on YouTube as a gamer. Again you could work in a niche like a specific line of games.

If you were to focus on the Madden NFL for example, you could review it each year and compare it to the previous years. You could also keep it broader to have more content and include other sports.

While you would want to disclose this information to your audience (builds trust), you could also do paid reviews from certain companies. Some video game manufacturers will pay for honest reviews of their game to large followings.

You can make money here through advertising revenue as well as through affiliate marketing. You can place affiliate links to the video game you are reviewing in your video description so that when people click and purchase, you get a commission.

Reviewing Video Game Consoles

We’ve all been there where we don’t know which gaming console to choose if we can’t afford to have them all. There are so many ideas on how to make money on YouTube gaming in this particular category. You could do side by side comparisons between the major gaming consoles like XBOX and PlayStation.

You could also just review how each generation gets better or worse than the previous model of that particular gaming console. Handhelds are now getting more and more popular so dedicating some space to Nintendo is not a bad idea.

Similar to paid product reviews you could also get paid for trying out a new system. If one of these gaming consoles is introducing a new product, you could be a part of their marketing scheme as being one of the first people to use it. All while getting paid.

This way to make money on YouTube as a gamer can also be monetized through affiliate marketing where you get paid a commission from each gaming console sale.

Providing Video Game News and Updates

The video game world has its own news section which is why creating a vlog dedicated to game news and updates is a fantastic way to make money on YouTube as a gamer. With all the genres in video games, there are a lot of different routes you could go with this. Especially with video games providing live rankings and communication across games.

A section just dedicated to ESports and how certain gamers continue to dominate and fall out of the ranks is a big topic. Another really important topic to be discussed is the new releases genre. Gamers who are passionate about specific video games want to know that the latest updates are for the next edition and its release. This is a great way to make money on YouTube as a gamer.

This is another great area to make money on YouTube gaming through advertisements. Teaming up with specific gaming companies and products is the best way to cash in on your YouTube following. Advertising revenue can also be made through the YouTube partnership program once you have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch time hours.

You can even make money here by becoming an affiliate of gaming companies where you get a percentage of the sale of a game or gaming system.

Ranking Video Games

If what we have covered so far has not grabbed your attention, then consider the sub-genre of ranking video games. This is a broader way to make money on YouTube gaming because you’ll need to keep your lists open to have enough content. You may look to comprise lists like Top 10 Games for Teenage Girls or this year’s video games ranked.

You may think that getting paid by a company in this category is a good idea but this is one of the few categories where YouTuber’s should stay away. Fans look to your credibility and getting paid to place Grand Theft Auto at the top of your list is a no-no. But there are plenty of other ways to make money with this type of faceless YouTube channel idea.

You may want to consider affiliate marketing with this on. You could let your viewers know that for any of the games that make your list that they can use your personal code to buy it and try it themselves. You can also do a partnered giveaway through your channel to get more traction.

Unboxing Video Game Equipment

Product reveals and unboxing has become popular among many different categories both inside and outside of the gaming world. While this wouldn’t work particularly for video games themselves, it does work really well for gaming consoles and gaming products like headsets and other devices.

It’s similar to a review but more general first impressions and favorite features. This is where product payment or affiliate marketing can be particularly helpful. When you show a specific product and then tell users that they can get it too at a discounted price using your affiliate link, you’ll make money off of sales and an initial payment for your review.

A Channel Dedicated to iPhone Games

Let’s not forget that the gaming world includes handhelds. Most people have heard of Angry Bird and Tetris which is why there is no surprise that YouTube gamers would dedicate their channels to hacking and defeating some of the most popular App Store iPhone games. This can go in a number of directions and even cross over into some of the categories mentioned above as Games Ranked.

Whether you are playing the games themselves, ranking them, or discussing news, there aren’t many limitations to revenue streams. Sponsored videos as a whole are a great way to make content where you could promote a new game as well as the YouTube partnership program.

You could also become an affiliate of any gaming company and get paid a percentage if any of your viewers buys a game through your affiliate link.

A Channel Dedicated to Android Games

Similar to iPhone, you could make money on YouTube gaming by catering to the Android family in any of the sub genres listed above. Something that could be particularly useful for Android users is showing tutorials because it is slightly less popular than the iPhone. While many Android games are available on the iPhone App Store and vice versa, there are some Android-specific games.

Remember a stronger engaged audience sometimes is better than a big audience so keep in mind that the Android niche can be a powerful sector. Through affiliate marketing, advertisements, and other popular revenue streams, this is a lucrative way to make money on YouTube gaming.

Tools Needed For A Successful Gaming YouTube Channel

So with all these different ideas on the table for creating a YouTube channel, how do people actually make money on YouTube with video games? They use a bunch of different YouTube tools from editing software to products like headsets for clear voice overs. Let’s talk about some of the top tools that you need to consider on-boarding.

Game Recording Software

Arguably the most important piece of equipment you could own as an aspiring YouTube gamer is the game recording software. While there are many different types out there, a high-quality game recorder will allow you to show your audience exactly what you do to beat the game. This is crucial for the section of YouTube vlogs dedicated to game tutorials and watching.

Keep in mind that not only game recording software will work for every device. If you are playing on your phone this is going to likely be different than what you use to record on your computer, or XBOX, and any other gaming console. Without a compatible program, it will be hard to make money on YouTube gaming.

We suggest a tool called Bandicam to record your screen while playing video games. This is a great tool to start with.

Video Editing Software

Chances are after capturing your content you are going to mess up. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing a product reveal or you are recording your gaming footage, getting a perfect take can be difficult. That’s why having quality video editing software is important. Even something like being able to clear out background noise or mute when your mom comes in is incredibly important.

Some video editing software is more extensive than others. If you have a Mac computer you will have the option of tinkering around with iMovie. While IMovie is great, the more professional you can make your channel the better off you’ll be off.

We would suggest wevideo as our best choice for online video editing. For a video editor you use on your computer we would suggest Camtasia for some of the most advanced video editing in order to make money on YouTube gaming.

Audio Recording Devices

Part of the fun that viewers love is hearing the commentary that comes with these videos. Even if you are doing a game recording of you killing zombies, players want to hear your reaction and even an explanation of what you are doing since they may not be able to see the control. With other categories, a quality audio recording device is a must.

If you are selling affiliate products, your sponsor is going to want to make sure that your audience can hear the correct pronunciation. While some headsets come with good microphones, there’s no real replacement for having a professional vlog or podcasting mic.

We suggest the Blue Yeti as an affordable but powerful mic.

Video Game Channels That Are Successful Doing This

Let’s take a look at some of the different gaming channels right now who are using these tools and methods to cash in on great followings and make money on YouTube gaming.

SovietWomble

SovietWomble

SovietWomble is a great example of gaining an audience through playing games. He has over 4 million subscribers which certainly should give hope to someone looking to make money on YouTube gaming.

This channel uses OBL which stands for Open Broadcaster Software and is a powerful way to record and live stream videos while playing them. Aside from YouTube channel pay per views they have a partnership with Twitch.

GamingBolt

GamingBolt

GamingBolt is a fantastic example of how to make money on YouTube gaming. They provide in-depth reviews on a whole variety of games in many different genres. Because of this they have a loyal following of over 1.1 million subscribers and growing. They also make ranked lists which is smart to combine different categories to take advantage of a big audience

They rely on heavy-duty video editing software. While they also use game recording software a lot of their reviews rely heavily on editing pieces to collaborate with voice overs to come together.

TheRelaxingEnd

TheRelaxingEnd

This channel called TheRelaxingEnd shows how to make money on YouTube with video games by partaking in the popular unboxing category. They do this quite well and have over 8 million subscribers to back this up. They dissect popular gaming products with a very up-close look which requires a different kind of video recording device. This is definitely shot from either a handheld or a phone video camera.

However, editing still needs to take place in case a perfect take is not happening. While they actually do not do a lot of talking, their microphone picks up the slightest sound of unwrapping which contributes to the overall user’s experience. Something that they have done is subscriber giveaways for product promotion.