The 5 Up-And-Coming Streamers You Need To Know

We know who the best streamers are right now, but who's on the rise? And what makes a rising streamer someone worth paying attention to?

Honestly, there are so many streamers out there. One estimate claims there are 6.91 million active streamers, while another posits there are 12.3 million active streamers. With that level of competition and saturation, how do you stand out? That's a tough question we wanted to answer with this list.

To answer that and the other above questions, though, we considered the following criteria: 1) the frequency with which we see their names on social media, 2) their connections to any other big-name streamers, 3) their channel metrics (that is, follower and viewer counts), 4) their relevancy to streaming culture, and 5) the nature of their streams. It's a somewhat similar criteria to Complex's previous streamers list, which makes sense, but we wanted to hone in closer on what's next instead of what's now.

Inevitably, with that many streamers active at any one time and the established criteria providing us with an extensive list of names, some folks got the chop. Otherwise, you'd be reading a list of maybe 50 or 100 names, and the whole point of this list is to put you on a curated selection of folks popping off so that you can add them to your regular watching diet.

5. Zoespencer_

Platform: Twitch

Followers: 174K

Known For: IRL and collab streams.

Zoespencer__ began her streaming career on TikTok with a range of dance clips and comedic skits. With a TikTok fanbase of an impressive 2.4 million followers, Zoe has transitioned much of her streaming to Twitch, where she now boasts a loyal audience of 174,000 people deep.

Much of Zoe’s Twitch content is made up of her spontaneous IRL streams and collaborations with other content creators, giving her audience regular, unique insights into her personal life. These include fun videos of her blind dates or smaller skits like pranking her friends. Her lively personality and openness is what really separates her from other creators.

A popular streamer in the "Just Chatting" category on Twitch, Zoe’s streams feel as real as they get and has really turned her into a streamer worth tuning in for, as well as a very deserving name on this list. — GF

4. Deshaefrost

Platform: Twitch

Followers: 531K

Known For: IRL and collab streams.

If there is ever a perceived limit on charisma, Deshae Frost will be the first person to break the ceiling over and over again simply because he can. The innovative creator is a success on every platform he puts his efforts and name towards, whether that's YouTube, Vine (RIP), Instagram, and now Twitch—the world of content is his forte. He’s without the limitation of a gimmick because he’s an envelope-pusher for lasting moments.

Deshae's original bread-and-butter is his natural humor and timing. With a penchant for creating short and clever skits aided only by his ability to stand out and make the audience laugh, his influence only grew after that.

Now, fans and new audience members alike enjoy his versatility in putting out content that can range from emotional relationship advice and perspective to challenges in various countries that he travels to. Not enough layers? His new signature content comes with collabs with creators and celebrities alike to give you a glimpse into how some of your favorite entertainers are in a (sometimes) natural environment. The variety is the hook, but the real reason is the man. Deshae may just be conquering Twitch as another content hub, but the quality remains the same—you know you’re going to get entertainment regardless of the URL. — TL

3. Leaksworld_

Platform: Twitch

Followers: 128K

Known For: Gaming and IRL streams (as well as NPC Miles Morales).

Prior to his success as a content creator, Leaksworld_ was actually homeless. It was in 2023 that his career took off when he went viral on TikTok for his streams in which he would go out dressed as Spider-Man, a feat which would see him dubbed as NPC Miles Morales.

Despite the success that cosplaying brought him, Leaksworld_ has always said that he wants to be known as himself and as his own streamer, rather than as just someone who cosplays. Nowadays, with the success that TikTok fame—and Mafiathon 2—brought him, Leaksworld_ broadcasts a mix of gaming, IRL, and conversational streams throughout each week.

He's also been running an event called a Maleakathon recently in which he and other creators take part in extended livestreams, playing games like Spider-Man 2, Fortnite, and Red Dead Redemption 2. The Maleakathon, which is similar to other streamers’ subathons, is made more enjoyable by his energetic presence and the wide array of unique costumes he wears to entertain viewers.

Leaksworld_ growth from a TikTok trend to a successful streamer has been remarkable, and if you’re looking for a fun and engaging streamer with a passion for Red Dead Redemption and Spider-Man, Leaksworld_ is a great creator to keep an eye on in 2025 and beyond. — GF

2. Thetylilshow

Platform: Twitch

Followers: 315K

Known For: IRL and collab streams.

New York has given us some of the world’s biggest streamers (looking at you, Kai Cenat). It makes sense, then, that Tylil hails from NYC. He’s only been streaming since 2021 but already has 315,000 Twitch subscribers. His streams feel like hanging out with a bunch of friends—everyone is dancing, screaming, singing, arguing, and just chilling out together.

Tylil is a rising star whose video collab with North West (featuring the “just gimme my money” trend) bumped him further into the mainstream. His content is quite varied, too; there are viral challenges, hanging out with family and friends, gaming, and watching videos. With collabs featuring Kai Cenat, Cash Cobain, Zoe Spencer, Ice Spice, North West, and more under his belt, the future is looking bright for Tylil. — LA

1. Plaqueboymax

Platform: YouTube

Followers: 1.1 million

Known For: IRL and collab streams.

Max has become a legitimate tastemaker. Thus far, Plaqueboymax has worked with artists from across the spectrum, with everyone from SoundCloud rap legends like Trippie Redd to ascendent drill group 41 checking in.

Within the last couple months or so, he’s also connected with Fivio Foreign, Nino Paid, BabyChiefDoIt, Bay Swag and Cash Cobain (“No More” really goes). He’s worked with Ian, too.

He would have worked with Lil Tjay, but…well it’s complicated. Fivio Foreign brought Lil Tjay into an In the Booth. But things became tense when Tjay and Fivio refused to stop smoking weed during filming, so they left. (They were in an Airbnb and Plaqueboymax didn’t want to set off a fire alarm.)

Speaking to DDG about the incident later, Tjay explained being confused by the Plaqueboymax situation, because he, “didn’t know him until that day.” After leaving the aforementioned Basement Boyz, Plaqueboy Max launched his own channel while also joining Twitch in April 2021 (telling his parents he wanted to take a gap year before college.) He gradually moved from once-or-twice-a-week streams to doing daily streams.

As his popularity grew, one of Max’s strengths was involving and platforming his followers, known as the 5$STAR community, into his streams, creating a family environment that involves everything from trading stories to speed dating. Things went into turbo mode in early 2024 when he was one of the new recruits for the esports brand FaZe Clan, boosting his popularity partially due to the success of their Subathon