Gaming is a vast, diverse space across social video, attracting more than 1.5T views on YouTube alone. With so many creators, brands, and viewers influencing the conversation, the gaming space has developed its own unique set of content types. By understanding these content types — and which ones attract the most views and engagements — brand marketers can make an impact on the gamers that matter most to them.
Here’s a breakdown of the best-performing gaming content on YouTube:
Parody and let’s play content drives the most total views on YouTube, but brand-owned trailers also attract a large volume of views and engagements before a game or console launch. However, post-launch audiences turn to creators for game and console content over brand-owned videos.

Brand-owned TV ads repurposed on YouTube generate the most average views per video across gaming content types on the platform — most likely due to brands’ investment in paid advertising, targeting gamers before a launch — yet TV ads generate the fewest engagements on average. While reaction and game music videos attract a low viewership on average, these content types dominate when it comes to average engagements. Overall, comedy content — such as parody, prank, or sketch videos — attracts the most views and engagements on average.

The top creators attract 8X more views and 15X more engagements than top gaming brands — indicating that there’s significant room for brand marketers to bring their advertising to the next level. By and large, gaming brands are losing their audience to creators after game or console launches, and missing the significant opportunity to generate longtail impact by diversifying their content portfolio. By adopting creator best practices — such as producing long-form, digital-first content in a variety of engaging content types — brand marketers can extend the life of their advertising, and make an impact on the right gamers at the right time.
For more insights on the gaming audience across social video platforms, as well as a breakdown of which brands are making the most of their social video investment, download Pixability’s gaming study today.