Ever since its launch in 2018, Facebook Gaming has experienced massive growth and popularisation. Originally released as an independent streaming hub known as FB.gg, Facebook Gaming has become a worthy competitor to other game streaming platforms, namely Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
If you want to know more about this platform, take a look at our 2022 Facebook Gaming Statistics.
Top 10 Facebook Gaming Stats & Facts
- Facebook Gaming surpassed YouTube Gaming in hours watched in Q3 of 2021.
- There are over 350 million monthly active users on Facebook Gaming.
- Mobile Legends Bang Bang MM is the most popular channel.
- Smartphones are the most used devices to stream and access Facebook Gaming.
- Facebook Gaming’s year-over-year growth in terms of hours watch is 56%, the largest one compared to its competitors.
- Subscriptions to a streamer’s channel cost only $5.
- Facebook Stars are the official currency on the network.
- The number of UK Facebook Gaming users doubled after the start of the COVID pandemic.
- Facebook Gaming offers the widest language variety among viewers and streamers.
- Disguised Toast and many other streamers ditched Twitch to join Facebook Gaming.
General Facebook Gaming Stats
1. The average number of concurrent viewers for the third quarter of 2021 stands at almost 586 thousand.
(Streamlabs)
The number of concurrent viewers on live streaming on Facebook Gaming is constantly rising, with a year-over-year increase of almost 60%. Furthermore, 31% stated that they logged in to Facebook Gaming to stream video games.
2. The peak hours watched on Facebook Gaming occurred in May 2021, reaching a number of 663.2 million hours.
(Streamcharts)
In 2020, the peak number of hours watched on the platform was in December, reaching 363 million. The number went up in 2021, mostly due to quarantines and restrictions, reaching its peak in May, an 84% rise from previous periods.
3. In January 2022, viewers spent almost 300 million hours watching content on Facebook Gaming.
(Streamcharts)
Compared to January 2021, when there were 480 hours watched on Facebook Gaming, the platform shows a downward trend in viewership. This is, however, an effect all gaming platforms have experienced due to the loosening of Covid 19 restrictions.
4. There were around 440K unique channels on Facebook Gaming in the third quarter of 2021.
(StreamLabs)
In the last quarter of 2020, the number of channels stood at 1.15 million, an immense increase compared to the previous quarter (248K). However, Facebook Gaming stats show this number decreased to around 440K in Q3 of 2021.
5. Facebook Gaming streamed a record 20.8 million hours of games in the second quarter of 2021.
(StreamCharts)
This is the highest number of streaming hours for Facebook Gaming. Ever since the platform’s launch, the number of hours streamed has been rising. However, in Q3, 2021, the number stood at 17.1 million, showing a decrease in hours streamed.
6. The highest number of different games streamed per week on Facebook Gaming was close to 3000 in August 2021.
(StreamCharts)
The exact number of different games streamed in this period was 2948. The number slowly went below 2000 in September 2021, and continues to be the average number of different games streamed per week on Facebook Gaming.
7. Smartphones are the most used devices to stream on Facebook Gaming.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
Smartphones are the most used device to access the platform (70%), followed by laptops (47%), PCs (33%), and other media streaming devices (32%). Notice that the numbers don’t add up to make 100%, as users usually access the platform through multiple devices.
8. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang MM was the most popular Facebook Gaming channel in 2021.
(StreamCharts)
The Mobile Legends game dominated the streaming channels, having been included in the top 10 list three times. ML:BB channel that topped the charts was the one for the Myanmar audience, where 919.1 million concurrent viewers watched the grand final of the M2 World Championship.
Facebook Gaming Market Share Stats
9. Facebook Gaming’s year-over-year growth in terms of hours watched is 56%, the largest one compared to competitors.
(Stream Hatchet)
In the third quarter of 2020, the number of hours watched on Facebook Gaming was 2.2 billion. A year later, Facebook Gaming reports for Q3 2021 show 3.5 billion hours watched, revealing 56% year-over-year growth.
10. In the third quarter of 2021, Facebook Gaming surpassed YouTube Gaming in hours watched.
(Streamlabs)
Reports for Q3 2021 show Facebook Gaming had more hours watched than YouTube Gaming. According to these reports, Facebook Gaming stood at 1.29 hours watched, whereas Youtube Gaming viewers watched 1.13 million hours’ worth of content. However, with 5.79 billion hours watched in Q3 2021, Twitch is still in the lead.
11. Facebook Gaming experienced year-over-year growth of 125% in Q3 2021 in hours streamed.
(StreamLabs)
According to the most recent data, this growth helped Facebook Gaming get a 6.9% market share in streamed hours across all game streaming platforms. Twitch is uncomparable in the field, representing 89.7% of the total market share with almost 223 million hours streamed in Q3, while YouTube only has a 3.4% share in total hours streamed.
Monetising Facebook Gaming Statistics
12. The “Level Up” programme is the first step towards earning money through the platform.
(StreamScheme)
Through Facebook Gaming’s Level Up, you can monetise your gaming stream on Facebook and unlock many features (for example, you can broadcast in high definition (1080p, 60 FPS)).
13. Facebook Gaming uses ‘stars’ as its on-platform currency.
(Streamscheme)
Just like Twitch uses bits for on-platform payments, Facebook Gaming uses stars. They can be purchased through Facebook, with each one worth $0.01. When streamers collect 10,000 of these, they can exchange them for $100.
14. Subscriptions to a streamer’s channel cost about $5 per month on Facebook Gaming and can be cancelled at any time.
(Streamscheme)
For $4.99 per month, subscribers can earn badges and get access to exclusive content and groups.
15. The “Partner Programme” is the most advanced way of earning money through a streaming account.
(FacebookGaming)
Think of the Partner Programme as a premium version of Level Up. It has similar features as Level Up, but offers a more personalised experience and many advantages, such as access to exclusive content, special events, in-stream advertising, and so much more. So, if you want to earn money streaming, consider becoming a part of the Partner Programme.
Facebook Gaming Revenue & Spending
16. Top reasons for in-game spending on Facebook Gaming include removing ads and character personalisation.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
Surveys and reports state that these, as well as gear collection (buying additional resources) and the ability to skip the waiting period between games, are among the top reasons players engage in in-game spending.
17. New gamers spend more money than existing gamers on Facebook Gaming.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
New gamers usually spend almost $11 more than existing gamers on Facebook Gaming. The highest-spending in-game users are Germans, paying around $32.45, while Brits spend the least, with an average of $16.62 per month. A new gamer from America or South Korea spends between $20 and $27 per month.
18. Facebook Gaming revenue of active streamers can go up to $5500 a month.
(StreamScheme)
Using Facebook Gaming’s Level Up and Partner programmes, as well as relying on stars and subscriptions to their channels, active streamers can earn anywhere between $2750 and $5500 a month.
Facebook Gaming Demographics
19. There are more than 350 million monthly active users on Facebook Gaming.
(FacebookGaming)
Over 230 million of them are active in more than 630K gaming groups each month.
20. The most popular Facebook Gaming streamer in 2021 was Tarboun.
(StreamCharts)
The Egyptian creator, who broadcasts PUBG Mobile content, helped the platform accumulate more than 24 million watch hours. Spanish streamer NexxuzHD has a similar record (23.7 million hours), though he plays Minecraft and GTA.
Related: Who is the best PUBG PC player in the world?
21. Disguised Toast and other popular streamers ditched Twitch to join Facebook Gaming.
(StreamScheme)
Saying goodbye to Twitch, this popular streamer signed an exclusive Facebook Gaming Partnership agreement, bringing in all of his audience (1.5 million followers) to the platform. Others have followed his example, such as Corinna Kopf (with 1.1 million followers), and Kingslayer (472K followers, becoming top Facebook Gaming streamers.
22. Unlike Twitch, Facebook Gaming offers the widest language variety among viewers and streamers.
(Streamcharts)
Surprisingly, English is not the number one language on this streaming platform. Spanish is in the lead with 14.1% of total hours watched, followed by Indonesian (13.5%) and Vietnamese (almost 12.9%). In terms of hours streamed, Facebook gaming content was mostly streamed in Tagalog (11.7%), Indonesian (7.9%), and Bengali (7.9%).
COVID-19 Influence on Facebook Gaming
23. The massive Coronavirus strike in March 2020 brought an immense wave of new users to Facebook Gaming.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
- 8.6 million users came from the U.K
- 28 million from the United States
- 9.4 million from South Korea
24. The number of UK Facebook Gaming users doubled after the start of the COVID 19 pandemic.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
The number of new Facebook Gaming users grew by 50%, which is double the number of new users in the pre-covid era. There were more new US than UK users in this period, but the number of new users from the US only grew by 28%.
25. Users used to spend more before lockdowns for in-game purchases, by an average of $4.94 per month.
(InfluencerMarketingHub)
The only exception is Germany, where in-game spending has increased by around 50% after lockdowns, from an average of $8.74 to $17.21.
2022 Facebook Gaming Trends
26. Co-streaming is finally coming to Facebook Gaming.
(TheVerge)
Co-streaming, a much-needed feature that allows a better audience reach, was announced to soon be available to streamers on Facebook Gaming. You’ll be able to stream games with friends, offer your viewers the possibility to choose a stream they’d watch and react to, and much more. Unlike Twitch, which provides the feature only to paid partners, Facebook will offer it to everyone – without exemptions.
Finishing Thoughts
Facebook Gaming hasn’t been around for as long as its competitors; nevertheless, with the growth of the mobile gaming industry, it has managed to become popular, and a worthy competitor to other game streaming platforms. Offering many attractive and affordable features, it’s no wonder this game streaming platform is constantly growing.
The insights from the Facebook Gaming statistics prove that though very young, this is the largest growing platform, already stealing many viewers and influential streamers from Twitch and YouTube Gaming.