Best streaming moments of 2021: Top 5 Ranked

We’ve celebrated the top streamers, but what about the best streaming moments of 2021 that cemented Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook stars in the history books? As part of Dexerto’s Best of 2021 series, we’ve ranked the top five streaming moments of the year.

We’ve celebrated the best streamers, and some of the breakthrough stars of 2021. Now it’s time to celebrate the moments that cemented some of those names at the top of Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms.

2021 saw the streaming space expand wildly as content creators continued to innovate with the limits they could push. With the slow return to events, creative muscles could really be flexed for the first time in over a year. Trends were born, history was made, and stars were discovered.

As part of our Best of 2021 series, let’s recap the best streaming moments of the year.

5 ⁠— TheGrefg sets new Twitch viewership record

For a western audience, he’s probably the biggest streamer you’ve never heard of. Now that he’s firmly in the history books, remember his name: David ‘TheGrefg’ Canovas.

The Spanish star broke Twitch records to start 2021, with more than 2.5 million viewers watching him reveal his official Fortnite Icon skin. Dressed in a bright red suit ⁠— matching the accents of his topless Icon skin ⁠— TheGrefg could barely stay in his chair as viewership climbed past his old record of 660,000 (which was the best for an individual streamer at the time) and into the millions.

The chase is now on for the title though. Fellow Spaniard Ibai Llanos managed to crack 1.5 million viewers later in 2021. For now, TheGrefg’s streaming record is safe, but the stakes have been raised.

4 ⁠— Asmongold’s adventures in FFXIV

Twitch star Asmongold is known for his plaudits in World of Warcraft. However, in a 2021 that saw his beloved game go on a downward spiral, he found a new home in Final Fantasy XIV.

The community welcomed him with open arms ⁠— too open, one might add, as the streamer was mobbed everywhere he went. His first stream in July 2021 had 210,000 viewers (and plenty more stream snipers clogging up his screen in-game), and by August players were having parties with the star at the end of DLCs.

As 2021 wraps up with Endwalker’s release in FFXIV, Asmongold is still getting greeted with the same level of excitement from the fanbase. But, those initial adventures in Hydaelyn will go down in history.

3 ⁠— KKatamina breaks Twitch subscriber record for a female streamer

We’ve already covered Kim ‘KKatamina’ Mi-young’s incredible ascent up the Twitch ranks in 2021, playing off the energy of OfflineTV to build her own platform. However, she truly ascended into the streaming mainstream when she broke the Twitch subscriber record for a female streamer.

Putting on a 14-day subathon (more on these in a bit) across November to celebrate her one-year anniversary on the platform, fans kept flooding in and smashing her expectations. When it was all said and done on November 22, she had more than 73,000 subs, breaking the previous record for a female streamer by 15,000, and cemented her place in the history books.

She also broke into the top 10 of all time across all channels ⁠— although that record is under threat. While she promised to never do a subathon again, with her explosive rise, KKatamina could be on to break her own record in 2022.

2 ⁠— Shitcamp brings streaming’s biggest names together

To coin an oft-overused term, it was streaming’s most ambitious crossover in history. Shitcamp was built on the success of Shitcon, which saw QTCinderella’s popular collab expand out the four walls of her home in Austin, Texas to all of Los Angeles.

Twitch stars like xQc flew in from other states to take part, and for three days in September, everyone across the platform was either there on the ground or watching the antics. From Ludwig’s live Mogul Money episode, to xQc and Hasan going to a shooting range, and plenty of random crossovers, Shitcamp was the ultimate viewing experience for Twitch fans.

The future of the streamer collab? An even bigger “Shitsummit” is being planned for 2022 ⁠— with more streamers and more events ⁠— so keep an eye out for that on Twitch next Summer (as well as next December in our Best Of series, because it’s bound to be big).

1 ⁠— Ludwig leads Twitch revolution with 31-day “subathon”

If the Oxford Dictionary did a “streamer word of the year”, 2021’s would undoubtedly be “subathon”. Hundreds, if not thousands, of streamers have now taken on the challenge of going live for as long as their viewers dictate through subscriptions. It’s all thanks to one man: Ludwig Ahgren.

The variety streamer started his subathon challenge in March 2021 with a promise: for every sub, he would extend his stream by 15 seconds. It was mayhem as Ludwig did everything from playing games, to working out, eating, sleeping, and even showering on stream. Viewers ran the clock down to within split seconds of ending it all, but kept the broadcast alive until he hit his hard cap of 31 days.

Ludwig started the subathon as a recognizable face on Twitch. By the end of it, he was undoubtedly one of the platform’s top stars. He set a new subscriber record on the platform ⁠— 283,066 ⁠— and led a cultural phenomenon in the streaming space that will live on forever.

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Keep an eye for more of Dexerto’s Best of 2021 rankings across gaming, esports, and streaming, dropping right through December.