If you’re an avid gamer, you probably want to grow your gaming channel like PewDePie, Mr.Beast, and Typical Gamer. But the gaming niche is saturated and you need to create content strategically so your channel is discoverable and gets more subscribers.
The first step to doing that is coming up with a solid list of ideas that will help you create high quality content consistently. If you already have the ideas, however, you can easily bring them to life using InVideo’s editor. But, if you’re struggling to come up with ideas in the first place, we have compiled a list of some of the best ones that will help you grow your YouTube channel in 2024.
Here are the ideas that are covered in the article.
Gaming video ideas for YouTube
1. Live Stream your gameplay
2. Make a game analysis video
3. Make How to videos
4. Host gaming challenges
5. Make game reviews videos
6. Make personal info videos
7. Share gaming news
8. Make videos about easter eggs
9. Make speed run videos
10. Create a compilation video
11. Game highlights
12. Gaming Q&A
13. Gaming walkthrough
14. Gaming reaction
15. Interview videos
Let’s jump right in!
1. Live stream your game play
When it comes to video ideas for gaming, live streams make it to the top of the list. They have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years and more so in the gaming space. The reason is simple — live streaming a game allows your viewers to not only get an understanding of your gameplay in real time but also of your reactions and of you as a person.
Live streaming games also often has the advantage of you being able to record your stream and upload it as a video later – allowing you to create two different pieces of content with one recording. This recorded live stream of the Typical Gamer playing Fortnite is a good example of a good and engaging live stream.
The best part is that you can stream your video without much preparation and upload it with minimal edits. What you do need to ensure is having a very high speed internet connection so that your stream doesn’t lag when and a good quality webcam to record your reactions and interactions with the audience.
You will also have to promote your live streams initially in order to build traction on your channel. A great way to do that is to create a trailer for your streams using an InVideo template and push it out on both YouTube and Instagram to build interest. Also, make sure you look at the camera and personally engage with your audience to make your livestream more engaging.
2. Make a game analysis video
Games are difficult to crack and understanding an expert’s opinions on it is a great way for audiences to decide whether it is suited for them and also how to play it. Budding gamers therefore love watching analysis videos that help them understand a game, figure out its pros and cons, and compare it to other similar games in the market. An analysis video can also help you establish yourself as an expert for a particular game.
Here’s Mathewmatosis’ in-depth critique of Bioshock Infinite, a popular FPS video game with roleplaying customization. It has received over a million views to date as the gamer breaks down every element of the game including the confusing timeline.
T0 create a game analysis video you will first need to develop a certain level of expertise on a game. This means in addition to playing the game to understand it, you will also need to study the game – everything from its creation to its response in the market and how it compares to other games in the genre. Interact with other gamers, get their opinions and take your time to build an analysis video. You don’t want to do a shoddy job here. While structuring the analysis make sure you point out the various elements in the game content like the plotline, characters, gameplay, engagement, graphics and more, like Mathew did.
Once you know how you want your game analysis video to be structured you can easily create the title slides, intro and outro, and add text to your videos using InVideo’s online editor. You don’t have to spend hours learning motion graphics in order to do this.
3. Make how-to videos
How-to videos make for excellent gaming video ideas as they focus on specific problems or challenges people might face in the game. Plus, they’re a great way to increase engagement because they’re often shorter and more engaging than analysis videos. How to videos don’t get into the entire gameplay but instead focus on one particular pain point or aspect.
Here’s a simple Clash of Clans (COC) guide from Judo Sloth Gaming that explains how players can upgrade their bases quickly. The video is well-researched and has plenty of takeaways which is why Jude’s followers keep coming back for his videos.
You can get ideas for How-to videos by looking into your comment section, asking your community on other social media platforms or browsing through gaming forums. Once you’ve got ideas, combine your practical experience and research to come up with an actionable How-to video to grow your channel. Start with this gaming intro template like this one, add and edit your clips, and finish with an outro video template like this to guide your viewers to other videos on your channel.
4. Host gaming challenges
Gaming challenges are fun and entertaining for the creator as well as the viewers because the very nature of a challenge is to elicit an emotional reaction. Creating and participating in challenges with your online community also helps strengthen the interpersonal relationship that the creator has with his audience and builds camaraderie.
If you’re just starting out, you can ask your subscribers to give you a challenge, but if you’re well-established, you can create a challenge for your subscribers and encourage them to participate in it. This not only boosts engagement, it helps the entire community share in the losses and wins of those who participate.
For instance, check out MrBeast’s insane challenge where he asks 100,000 Minecraft gamers to a building competition. This video went viral because of the game’s mass appeal and the $50k prize money incentive.
To create an innovative gaming challenge, you want to start by picking a game that is quite popular so that you can get more people to participate. You then want to set it in a way that it is achievable but barely. Once you’ve done that, float the challenge to your community and give them an incentive to participate. It doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary like Mr. Beast. It can also be a simple giveaway or a chance to meet you. Set a deadline and once you receive your entries you can make a video out of that, featuring the winners, highlighting where they did well, and more.
5. Make game review videos
You can share your experience of playing an online game and lay out its prominent features to help your audience figure out whether they want to invest money it in or not. Game reviews work really well whenever a new game is released and people are still on the fence about whether to buy it or not.
Check out this Spider-man PS4 game review by Arris Quinones from Variant comics. His opinion is genuine and spoiler-free, so it amassed plenty of views and great engagement.
To create effective game reviews that build your credibility and showcase your expertise, begin with by answering the 4 Ws. Explain to your audience What game you’re reviewing, Who developed it, When it was released, and where they can find it. Once you have the basics out of the way, elaborate on the features, the pros and the cons. Try and avoid adding spoilers because that can ruin the experience for a lot of gamers.
Once you have your review recorded and your B-roll ready, you will need to put everything together in an editor to create a cohesive video. Check out this article to take a closer look at the different types of games video editors and pick the one that suits your needs and skill levels the best.
6. Make personal info videos
Creating a gaming channel isn’t just about the games you play. It is also about how you play them and how much of your personality you inject into your interaction with the audience. Personal videos perform exceptionally well on YouTube and are one of the best gaming video ideas as they help build a connection through relatable and entertaining stories.
Here’s a video by TheGamer showcasing the relentless training sessions these gamers go through before an online tournament. It got a lot of engagement as it resonated with aspirational gamers and gaming fans.
The field is huge with this one. You can create videos on how you became a gamer, a day in the life of a gamer, what your video creation process looks like, and how you prep for gaming tournaments. Since these are going to be different from your regular gameplay videos, you will want to create a good intro and outro to ensure higher engagement. Here’s a gamer intro template that you can check out to get started.
7. Share gaming news
Gaming news is an excellent way for viewers to keep themselves updated about what is going on in the industry, whether there are any new games that have come out, any upgrade to consoles, and so on.
So, you can get your geek mode on and share your opinions about the latest news in an entertaining way like Jesse does in this video to get more engagement and subscribers on your videos:
To create a video like Jesse, look out for trending news and make a list of topics you’re going to share information on. Keep your segments short and include the news first before delving into explanations. To create a video, choose an InVideo gaming template and add article clippings, transitions, and music. Export and upload your video when you’re done.
8. Make videos about easter eggs
An Easter egg is a hidden video game feature or surprise. Easter eggs are usually unlocked by using certain techniques to complete tasks in the game, or by entering a specific combination of buttons/keys to acquire access to secret game or game file areas. And while everyone loves finding easter eggs, they’re not the easiest to come by. Which is why, making videos around easter eggs is a great way to engage your community and provide them with valuable information.
Easter eggs videos are great gaming video ideas that will not only drive engagement but will also help establish you as an expert. And if you want you can also create a listicle revealing easter eggs in multiple games like is the case in this video by WhatCulture Gaming:
To create easter egg gaming videos, you will first have to figure out the easter eggs. A great way to do this is of course by playing and trying out different key combinations. But another way is to become active in gaming communities on Discord and Reddit. Once you have a few easter eggs to share, try them out to perfect them a bit before you make a video. To create a video like WhatCulture, make a list of easter eggs you’ve found using one of the gaming listicle templates from InVideo and add your easter egg list.
9. Make speed run videos
Speed run videos are based on the idea to complete a mission, a level or a game the fastest. These videos are fun to watch and get a lot of engagement on YouTube because they mix the high-energy feel of a challenge video with the thrill and suspense of completing a mission.
For example, this video from Dream shows how they broke the Minecraft World record by finishing the game in 22 minutes.
Now you can create speed runs both as a recorded video as well as a live stream. Or you can live stream the speed run and then also share the recording as a separate video. You can even add a challenge to this to rope in your audience. This means essentially, speed run videos can be a mix of a few different types of gaming video ideas, making them a great tool to add to your arsenal.
An easy way to create a recorded speed run video, is to do so by using the InVideo games video editor. Simply upload your speed run footage and add a voice-over explaining all the tricks and maneuvers you used to finish the game or level quickly.
10. Create a compilation video
Compilation videos are a great gaming video ideas to give your viewers an overview of several games or several aspects of a game. These videos perform excellently on YouTube as people search for “best of” lists all the time. Plus, they get a lot of comments from other gamers eager to share their top picks as well.
So, if you play a lot of different games, creating this list will be a no-brainer. Here’s a video posted by IGN you can use for inspiration to create such lists.
While creating compilation videos, you want to focus on keeping the most important piece of information in the video. Since lists tend to be long as it is, if you add too much detail into each point, it can end up creating videos that are super long and not fun to create. A good way to avoid this is by writing out a script and screenplay to ensure you’re only keeping what needs to be incorporated. Once your script is ready and you’ve shot the on-camera parts, put the video together using this top games template by Invideo.
11. Game Highlights
Most people on YouTube prefer watching the notable moments of the games as it helps them observe how their favorite gamers play and model their movements to improve their gameplay abilities and skills. Over time, this also helps players pick up new strategies and become better gamers themselves.
Since these videos include plenty of teachable moments, they get higher engagement and views. So, these types of videos are popular and should definitely be part of your content arsenal if you want to grow your channel.
For instance, this highlight reel having scenes from Mario Golf, Fallout, and other games has some nail biting scenes from these games. The commentary in the background gives viewers a good idea of how each player is playing through the game to beat others or the enemy and climb up the spots.
To create highlights videos, record your entire gameplay and sift through all the footage and note down the time stamps at which something interesting happens. Once you’ve done that, trim out your sections using InVideo’s Trimmer tool, use this E-gaming highlights template, add a voiceover, transitions, and export the video to upload to your channel.
12. Gaming Q&A
Doing Q&A videos is an excellent way to connect with your subscribers and build your following as it involves plenty of two-way, real-time interaction with your audience which helps them know more about the gamer they’re following and their opinions on all things gaming.
This is also the reason these types of videos get plenty of views and help you make yourself more discoverable and memorable in the gaming niche. So, you can do Q&As frequently to answer your subscriber's questions on gaming and video creation.
For example, check out this video of Alanah Pearce where she talks about gaming company acquisitions, her opinions on the latest gaming news, and how to play horror games without freaking out. Her knowledge about the industry is vast and it makes you want to subscribe to her channel immediately for more gaming content
To create a gaming video like Alanah, publish a post on your community group and on social media channels asking for unique exciting questions. Then filter the best ones to be included in your gaming Q&A and give an in-depth answer to each one. Since Alanah’s stream was short and it wasn’t a live session, she doesn’t interact much with her audience. However, you can set up a live stream and reply to your audience’s chats to make the Gaming Q&A session more interactive.
13. Gaming Walkthrough
Gaming walkthroughs educate players on how they can play the game efficiently, so they’ll stay more relevant than “let’s play” videos and get your channel plenty of engagement and watch time even months after the game is launched.
For example, this walkthrough video from ProsafiaGaming was posted 2 years ago but it still gets engagement from viewers in 2022 because it features the classic Mario game which never runs out of a fanbase.
To create a cool gaming walkthrough video like this one, use capture cards (for consoles) or a screen recording software to capture your footage. Then, edit your gameplay and add commentary using InVideo’s gaming editor to create a value-packed video that improves your follower count. If you’re just getting started with video editing, check out this video for some valuable tips.
14. Gameplay Reaction
Reaction videos to games are super popular on YouTube. This is because reaction videos allow viewers to experience the thrill and excitement of playing the video without even playing it.
They’re not only fun to watch, they can also help you add your personality in the video and connect with your viewers on a deeper level. Your followers either agree with you on how you felt about the game or they don’t- both of these help you get your video more traction.
This video of Gemology reacting to Uncharted 4 chase scenes is a perfect example of this. Look how the players react to the videos as they play it and make their fans relive the experience.
To create a reaction video, you will need to have a camera setup to record your reactions while watching gameplay. Simultaneously, you will also want to record the device you’re watching the game on.
For instance screen-recording the laptop screen on which the gameplay video is playing. Once you have both your clips ready, you can go to InVideo’s gaming editor, upload both videos and then create a picture-in-picture effect to ensure the audience can see both your reactions and the simultaneous moments in the gameplay to which you’re reacting.
15. Interview Videos
People watching your videos admire the journey of their favourite gamers. So, once you have established your credibility in the industry, reach out to these pro gamers to schedule an interview.
This helps you indirectly cross promote your channel to their viewers and grow your following and that’s why this is one of the best gaming video ideas. For instance, take a look at this interview of Mr. Beast with 100 Thieves on their channel. It showcases Mr. Beast’s personality and brought a lot of his followers to the 100 Thieves channel, thus improving the visibility and reach.
To land an interview, start interacting with gamers on social media platforms outside of YouTube as well. Once you’ve established a relationship with them, request them for an interview. Once that’s done, ask meaningful questions that’ll give your community insights into the gamer and record the meeting in a studio or virtually. Then, spruce it up with InVideo’s gaming editor and you’re ready to post it.
Pro Tips For Creating Gaming Videos
Now that we’ve looked at the best gaming video ideas on YouTube, here are some pro-tips to create gaming videos that will get you higher views and increased subscriber count.
Tip #1 - Create a video schedule
The gaming niche is very competitive. There are a lot of YouTubers creating content on YouTube in this space. So, you need to work hard and carve out a space for yourself.
And becoming a popular gaming YouTuber isn't a one-day job; neither will one viral video help you become a rockstar gamer. You have to stay consistent and upload at least twice or thrice a week to work with the algorithm.
And the best way to achieve this is by creating a schedule including everything from listing your gaming video ideas to shooting and editing time, and sticking to it. This way, you will keep creating content, and people will start to know your presence on the platform.
Tip #2 - Always have a call-to-action
Creating content is not enough. That’s only half of the work- distributing the content and ensuring that users engage with it is equally important.
You shouldn’t think of CTAs as only like, subscribe and comment on your videos. And neither should you believe that your CTAs should only be at the start or the end of the videos.
CTAs like asking the viewer to watch all the way till the end (certain watchtime will also push your videos to the YouTube algorithm) or giving them a specific action like “comment below and tell me if you played the game yes or no” also works wonders.
Tip #3 - Get the equipment right
Gaming YouTube videos are meant to be fun and engaging. So, content is important but so is your ability to walk users through an almost visceral experience of what it means to play with that game.
And to produce that quality of content you need good equipment: microphone, webcam, powerful graphic card, etc. and some excellent editing of your recorded videos. So, ensure that you’ve got your equipment right and as for editing– turn to Invideo and we’ll take care of your videos.
Tip #4 - Create exciting YouTube thumbnails and titles
Video thumbnails and titles are what really entice viewers to click your content and do well. So, you have to make sure you’ve got exciting thumbnails and titles. And to make them, use target keywords that aren’t that competitive but are highly popular.
For ideas, you can use the search bar and use Youtube’s auto-complete feature for keyword suggestions. Once you are done here, create simple and eye-catching video thumbnails to get higher clicks and engagement.
Wrapping Up!
The video gaming industry is estimated to be worth $178.73 billion in 2021. The craze for online games is at an all-time high, people aged 18-35 make the largest share of gamers.
But the fun fact is that this age group is also the highest consumers of youtube videos. So if you are a passionate gamer, then there is no better time than today to start your Youtube journey. You can take inspiration from the best gaming video ideas we just mentioned and work your way up.
And if you prefer learning via videos, you should definitely check out our YouTube channel, where we share daily video creation tips and tricks, the latest video trends and ideas, and help you make more money as a video creator.
This post was written by Mrignayni and edited by Adete from Team InVideo
