A study of gaming influencer marketing reveals the industry is maturing, with platforms developing distinct roles in campaign strategies and marketers increasingly focusing on performance metrics over follower counts.
The 2025 “State of Influencer Marketing in Gaming” report, conducted by HypeFactory and HypeAuditor, incorporates insights from over 50 industry experts, including gaming publishers, influencer agencies, content creators, and platform representatives.
Platform Distribution
YouTube maintains the largest share of gaming influencer marketing at 30%, followed by Twitch (25%), TikTok (20%), and Instagram (10%), according to the report. Each platform demonstrates unique strengths in the marketing funnel:
“YouTube is indispensable for gaming influencer marketing in 2025,” the report states. “It’s the most trusted platform for deep-dive content and the only major platform with lasting search visibility.”
Twitch excels at live engagement and community building, particularly for PC and console games, while TikTok drives discovery and viral reach. Instagram performs best for casual mobile games and lifestyle-friendly titles, though it shows limitations for hardcore gaming audiences.
Demographics Vary Significantly Across Platforms
The research reveals distinct demographic patterns across platforms. YouTube’s gaming audience skews 65.6% male, with the 25-34 age bracket representing its largest segment.
TikTok presents a more balanced audience composition with 51.6% female users—the only major platform where women outnumber men in gaming content consumption.
Instagram’s gaming audience is 68% male and primarily concentrated in the 18-34 age range, with engagement dropping significantly among users over 35.
Nano-Influencers Dominate Across Platforms
One consistent finding across all platforms is the prevalence of nano-influencers (creators with up to 10,000 followers). TikTok shows the highest concentration, with 84.7% of gaming creators falling into the nano-influencer category. Instagram follows with 66.1%, while YouTube has 55.4%.
“Gaming influencers outperform the average influencer in terms of engagement rate,” the report notes, with particularly strong performance in the micro and mid-tier segments.
Image source: 2025 “State of Influencer Marketing in Gaming”
Metrics Shift From Vanity to Performance
The industry increasingly prioritizes performance-driven metrics over traditional vanity measurements. Downloads/installs, cost per install (CPI), and retention rates now take precedence over likes and follower counts.
“The practice of using likes, views, and follower counts to measure success is outdated—especially in gaming, where long-term player engagement matters more than a one-time spike,” according to the research.
The report notes that sophisticated marketers implement multi-touch attribution and cross-platform tracking to capture the customer journey across YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram, though many brands still lack the technical infrastructure to do this effectively.
Authenticity, Scheduling, Attribution
The report identifies several persistent challenges facing gaming marketers:
Finding authentic partnerships ranks as the primary concern. “If an influencer clearly doesn’t care about the game, or if the content feels like a generic ad, players will ignore (or more likely, mock) the campaign,” the report states.
Scheduling conflicts create friction between brands (operating 9-5) and creators (working when their audience is online, often late evenings). Attribution difficulties persist, with cross-platform customer journeys complicating conversion tracking.
Regional fragmentation also presents challenges, as platform preferences and influencer cultures vary significantly across markets. The report notes that “an approach that works in the US won’t necessarily work in China, the Middle East, or India.”
Long-Term Partnerships
Forward-thinking brands increasingly build ongoing relationships with creators rather than one-off promotions. According to Tencent Games, “Most often, brands lack a strategy and long-term vision when working with gaming influencers; many give up after 1-2 unsuccessful campaigns.”
The report also suggests exploring non-gaming influencer categories with audience overlap, including technology, finance, food and drink, music, and lifestyle creators.
A study of gaming influencer marketing reveals the industry is maturing, with platforms developing distinct roles in campaign strategies and marketers increasingly focusing on performance metrics over follower counts.
The 2025 “State of Influencer Marketing in Gaming” report, conducted by HypeFactory and HypeAuditor, incorporates insights from over 50 industry experts, including gaming publishers, influencer agencies, content creators, and platform representatives.
Platform Distribution
YouTube maintains the largest share of gaming influencer marketing at 30%, followed by Twitch (25%), TikTok (20%), and Instagram (10%), according to the report. Each platform demonstrates unique strengths in the marketing funnel:
“YouTube is indispensable for gaming influencer marketing in 2025,” the report states. “It’s the most trusted platform for deep-dive content and the only major platform with lasting search visibility.”
Twitch excels at live engagement and community building, particularly for PC and console games, while TikTok drives discovery and viral reach. Instagram performs best for casual mobile games and lifestyle-friendly titles, though it shows limitations for hardcore gaming audiences.
Demographics Vary Significantly Across Platforms
The research reveals distinct demographic patterns across platforms. YouTube’s gaming audience skews 65.6% male, with the 25-34 age bracket representing its largest segment.
TikTok presents a more balanced audience composition with 51.6% female users—the only major platform where women outnumber men in gaming content consumption.
Instagram’s gaming audience is 68% male and primarily concentrated in the 18-34 age range, with engagement dropping significantly among users over 35.
Nano-Influencers Dominate Across Platforms
One consistent finding across all platforms is the prevalence of nano-influencers (creators with up to 10,000 followers). TikTok shows the highest concentration, with 84.7% of gaming creators falling into the nano-influencer category. Instagram follows with 66.1%, while YouTube has 55.4%.
“Gaming influencers outperform the average influencer in terms of engagement rate,” the report notes, with particularly strong performance in the micro and mid-tier segments.
Image source: 2025 “State of Influencer Marketing in Gaming”
Metrics Shift From Vanity to Performance
The industry increasingly prioritizes performance-driven metrics over traditional vanity measurements. Downloads/installs, cost per install (CPI), and retention rates now take precedence over likes and follower counts.
“The practice of using likes, views, and follower counts to measure success is outdated—especially in gaming, where long-term player engagement matters more than a one-time spike,” according to the research.
The report notes that sophisticated marketers implement multi-touch attribution and cross-platform tracking to capture the customer journey across YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram, though many brands still lack the technical infrastructure to do this effectively.
Authenticity, Scheduling, Attribution
The report identifies several persistent challenges facing gaming marketers:
Finding authentic partnerships ranks as the primary concern. “If an influencer clearly doesn’t care about the game, or if the content feels like a generic ad, players will ignore (or more likely, mock) the campaign,” the report states.
Scheduling conflicts create friction between brands (operating 9-5) and creators (working when their audience is online, often late evenings). Attribution difficulties persist, with cross-platform customer journeys complicating conversion tracking.
Regional fragmentation also presents challenges, as platform preferences and influencer cultures vary significantly across markets. The report notes that “an approach that works in the US won’t necessarily work in China, the Middle East, or India.”
Long-Term Partnerships
Forward-thinking brands increasingly build ongoing relationships with creators rather than one-off promotions. According to Tencent Games, “Most often, brands lack a strategy and long-term vision when working with gaming influencers; many give up after 1-2 unsuccessful campaigns.”
The report also suggests exploring non-gaming influencer categories with audience overlap, including technology, finance, food and drink, music, and lifestyle creators.
Get the full report here.