It’s incredible how new the world of live streaming really is for gaming. Video game streaming platforms only hit the mainstream about a decade ago with the rise of Twitch, marked by an early CNET article about how to stream games on the popular live streaming platform. 

Since then, widespread demand for quality video game streaming content has grown. If you’re a gaming enthusiast and a content creator, then you already know the potential of gaming content. The question is, how do you maximize the value of your own streams? 

In this article, we’ll share five top gaming streaming platforms, what to look for in one, and how to make the most of it. 

Table of Contents

• What is a Gaming Streaming Platform?
• 5 Best Video Game Live Streaming Platforms
• Choosing a Gaming Streaming Platform
• Make Maestro Your Video Streaming Platform

What is a Gaming Streaming Platform?

A gaming streaming platform is a free or paid online service that helps gaming content creators broadcast their gameplay live to viewers around the world. Of course, these platforms aren’t just for streaming content – they’re also for making money from your content through features like subscriptions, tips, and ads.

Whether you simply want to broadcast gameplay with commentary or you want to live chat with your audience, a paid streaming platform may be what you need to take your live stream business to the next level. 

Now, briefly, I want to point out that a lot of the streaming platforms explicitly dedicated to gaming have already gone under, such as Hitbox/Smashcast, Mixer, and many more. Others that were once built to cater to gaming, such as Caffeine TV, have shifted gears to other things, such as live sports. 

Lastly, alongside these dedicated streaming platforms, there are also a lot of all-in-one live streaming solutions that will allow you to share whatever content you want to broadcast live, including gaming streams!

5 Best Video Game Live Streaming Platforms

Now that you’re more familiar with what a video game live streaming platform offers, it’s time to talk through five of the best options for your business! 

Let’s face it: you already know about Twitch, so we will focus on more advanced streaming platforms in this article instead.

1. Maestro

Maestro is an interactive streaming solution for professional gaming and esports creators like you! Our all-in-one platform allows you to broadcast live streams and upload videos that go beyond simple viewing and chat functionality.

Whether you’re an individual creator, publisher, league, or tournament organizer, the future of interactive live streaming for gaming is here. Maestro gives you opportunities to customize the viewing experience, better engage your audience, and view rich analytics to optimize and grow your business. 

Crucially, our platform also brings you inventive new monetization and optimization options, including tipping, shoppable video, gamification, subscriptions, and betting. You can utilize sponsorships, ticketing, merch sales, and personalized virtual events/

So, what else makes Maestro a worthwhile choice for gaming streamers? Well, to be perfectly honest, our platform is a fixture of the industry – Maestro is used by many of the top developers and publishers in the space.

Most notably, Maestro is the platform of choice for Fortnite GC! This entire experience is built on Maestro.

In terms of pricing, Maestro is free to get started, with a revenue share approach that lets you keep more of your total sales as you grow with a small monthly investment! The paid plans start at $19.99/month. 

Ultimately, Maestro is ideal for any streaming content creator who wants to control the viewing experience, monetize their audience in exciting new ways, and take their business to the next level! 

Want to see for yourself? Take Maestro for a test drive!

→ Try Maestro for Free

2. Uscreen

Uscreen is another option for creators looking for a live-streaming platform to take their online presence to the next level.

Uscreen is more of an enterprise-level solution, which makes sense because it’s most well known for its membership site solution for monetizing video content. If your primary goal is to make money from a membership site with video, Uscreen is probably the best fit for you.

While Uscreen offers a free trial for the entry-level “Growth” plan, ultimately, you will have to buy it at $149/month. Note that this level only gives you live streaming for up to one hour at a time, so it may not be the best choice if your streams run several hours.

3. JW Player

JW Player is a flexible video platform powered by its fast HTML5 player.

This platform isn’t primarily known for gaming, but it serves a range of different use cases. One prominent gaming group was able to boost user experience using JW Player to increase monthly impressions by millions year-over-year, primarily generating ad revenue.

JW Player has been around for two decades and offers a lot of robust video player and monetization options. The tech that powers JW Player’s reliable video player also played a key role in the early player on YouTube.

This is a highly professional solution, so you must contact them to request a custom quote or access a 30-day free trial. If you’re in the market for a streaming solution targeting enterprises, JW Player is worth a look.

4. Vimeo

Vimeo is a video-sharing platform that has been around since 2004. While it is not as well-known for game streaming as platforms like Twitch or YouTube, it does offer some features that make it a viable option for game streamers. Vimeo allows for live streaming of games with up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. 

Additionally, it offers the ability to monetize streams through Vimeo's "Pay-to-View" feature, which allows viewers to pay for access to content. 

Live streaming capabilities start on Vimeo’s Advanced plan, which costs $65/month.

5. Facebook Gaming

Facebook Gaming isn’t quite the same as the other big platforms on this list (which gives you full control over your stream and overall viewing experience). However, it's important to mention Facebook because it’s probably the biggest direct competitor to Twitch and YouTube right now, having absorbed Mixer a few years back in 2020. 

You can find the Facebook Gaming video hub within the Facebook website or the app, and it aggregates both live and prerecorded gaming videos for viewers to access.

Facebook Gaming is free for viewers and content creators, but it’s ad-supported. If you want to monetize your Facebook Gaming Page, you can do it by joining the Facebook Level Up program. It features many of the typical ways you would monetize a stream, from donations to subscriptions to in-stream ads.

3 Honorable Mentions

Most of our top platforms for streaming video games are just flexible platforms for streaming in general, with lots of customization, monetization, and analytics features for you. But there are also some dedicated gaming platforms of various sizes (besides Twitch) that you might want to know about.

1. Trovo

Trovo.live is a huge player in the video game streaming market, owned and operated by the Chinese tech giant Tencent since 2020.

2. DLive

DLive.tv a platform with a mission: to create a value sharing live game streaming platform that empowers creators and viewers through a revolutionary reward system. Uniquely, DLive operates on blockchain technology to reward both content creators and viewers on the platform and distribute revenue more fairly than traditional streaming platforms. 

3. Nimo.tv

Nimo.tv is a global platform for live streaming games, with a strong presence in Asian and South American markets. Launched in 2018, Nimo is unique because it’s primarily focused on mobile gaming. As a mobile game streamer, you can earn on Nimo through gifts from viewers, with a percentage going to them.

Choosing a Gaming Streaming Platform

So, which of these quality gaming streaming platforms is the right pick for you? The biggest concern is how much control you want over your viewing experience, your monetization, your analytics, and your overall reputation.

In our opinion, nothing matters if you’re not delivering a memorable and quality video experience. From there, you simply need to figure out an optimal way to monetize it so you can make a good living doing what you love.

Ultimately, the best gaming streaming platform is the one that helps you achieve your own goals. I hope this guide has helped you learn more about the top options in this space so you can find the one that’s ideal for your business.

Make Maestro Your Gaming Streaming Platform

Ready to tap into a streaming platform for video gaming that lets you live stream without confusion or limits? Maestro is here to help!

Maestro offers a full video CMS for creating, monetizing, and delivering your video streaming experiences. Set up a professional-looking streaming website with a few clicks. Add your branding, set up monetization, and go live in just minutes!

Sign up today to host exclusive streams for your audience in no time at all.

Join our Discord server to learn more tips and tricks for streaming on Maestro.