In June 2022, Apex Legends’ viewership on Twitch plummeted by almost 40 percent. The Respawn battle royale was still the seventh most-watched game on the platform throughout the month, but it’s a sharp slide nonetheless.
It was likely caused by the massive increase in numbers due to ALGS Split 2 Playoffs in May. It broke viewership records, so it was always going to be a hard act to follow.
Apex is currently in the midst of Season 13, which started on May 10. However, it hasn’t been a hit among players, particularly due to ranked changes (which had to be dialed back). There are also complaints about the game being a buggy, broken mess, and a portion of the player base even considering boycotting the game over, so that has impacted Twitch numbers too.
Interestingly, the decline also coincided with increased interest in VALORANT. It racked up more than 100 million hours watched in June, doubling Apex’s 50 million.
Most watched games on Twitch in June 2022
- League of Legends – 118,780,761 hours
- GTA V – 104,597,438 hours
- VALORANT – 102,167,775 hours
- Counter-Strike – 53,270,137 hours
- Fortnite – 52,173,806 hours
- Apex Legends – 48,060,154 hours
- Dota 2 – 40,662,174 hours
- Minecraft – 39,740,385 hours
- Rust – 34,083,044 hours
- Teamfight Tactics – 33,665,354 hours
It was only a two percent increase on the previous month, but it was one of the only games that trended positively. CS:GO, League of Legends, and GTA dropped. So, although it’s a minor boost, it went against the grain and that could have played a part.
If you widen the lens and look at the statistics throughout 2022, Valorant’s increase in viewership is even more impressive. It rose by 30 percent, the most of any other mainstream game when it came to streaming.
The 2022 stats also shed more light on Apex Legends’ trajectory. It turns out that the decreased viewership numbers in June are nothing more than a temporary road bump. It climbed by 7 percent, which is impressive.
As far as battle royale titles go, it’s still the most popular one—at least, on a long-term basis. Call of Duty: Warzone’s numbers pale in comparison, and although Fortnite is close, it’s not quite there.
Most watched games on Twitch in 2022
- League of Legends – 862,240,935 hours
- GTA V – 761,694,774 hours
- VALORANT – 598,170,472 hours
- Apex Legends – 393,818,857 hours
- Fortnite – 380,139,263 hours
- Counter-Strike – 372,956,709 hours
- Lost Ark – 260,382,014 hours
- Elden Ring – 257,537,812 hours
- Dota 2 – 241,777,411 hours
- Call of Duty: Warzone – 223,456,116 hours
So, it’s not all doom and gloom for Apex streamers and their fans. June has been a lowlight, but it’ll likely change once the circuit picks up again in July.
Meanwhile, VALORANT’s viewership continues to surge, suggesting it’s a good time to hop on board. If it keeps up, it could even dethrone League and claim Twitch’s top spot.
