The 2025 edition of the Esports Awards marks a defining chapter in the ceremony's legacy, as it celebrates its tenth anniversary. This year, the show will "celebrate a decade of recognising greatness, honouring innovation, and commemorating the people, teams, and moments that have shaped our industry."
On a side note, Streams Charts' sister platform, Esports Charts, has been shortlisted for the Esports Coverage Platform of the Decade award at the Esports Awards 2025! Fans and readers can head here to vote for one of the top esports coverage platforms that provides real-time viewership aggregation analytics.
Since the 2025 iteration of the Esports Awards is a special one as it marks its tenth edition, the ceremony has been labeled the Decade Awards and will celebrate the most influential names of the past decade. The winners will be determined through a two-part process: public voting, worth 25% of the final result, and panel voting by industry experts, which will carry a say for the remaining 75%.
Streamer of the Decade nominees at the Esports Awards 2025
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Samantha "rivers_gg" Rivera
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Timothy "TimTheTatman" Betar
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Chance "SodaPoppin" Morris
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During the final week of voting, the power of fan voices will take special precedence under the special "turbo" phase, where each vote counts double. Public voting will be open on the official website until August 11, and the ceremony itself will take place at the end of the month during the Esports World Cup 2025 as part of a three-year partnership between the two events.
The Esports Awards 2025 will hand out trophies in 14 categories, including Esports Game of the Decade, Esports Personality of the Decade, and Streamer of the Decade. The nominees list features many of the industry's most iconic names, with stars like Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok recognized in multiple categories.
This article will detail the nominees in the Streamer of the Decade category, and particularly, what they have done and accomplished over the last ten years. It's quite a list, filled with some of the biggest names in livestreaming today, and hopefully, after reading through their achievements below, readers will find it easier to cast their vote.
Who are the nominees for "Streamer of the Decade" at the Esports Awards 2025?
#1 rivers_gg
One of the most famous and most consistent streamers to emerge from the Latin American (LATAM) region, rivers_gg has built a bulletproof reputation for herself. She created history by becoming the first Latin American to win the Streamer of the Year award at the Esports Awards 2023, then furthered her legacy by going back-to-back in 2024.
What makes her nomination for this category all the more impressive is that she has only been active for half the decade, having created her Twitch channel in late 2021. Since then, the 26-year-old has routinely emerged as one of the purple platform's most prolific content creators by viewership and currently has over 6.7 million followers.
Crucially, Rivers has built a connection with her audiences that is genuine and built on a strong bond, no doubt helped by her vibrant personality. This has helped make her the third-most-followed female streamer on Twitch and has seen her consistently finish among its 15 most-watched female creators in the last three completed calendar years.
Over the past few years, the celebrated streamer has branched into entrepreneurship and owns an Asian restaurant, MEIMEI, which she opened in 2021. She has also given interviews to various magazines and newspapers in her home country and outside. Rivers is also one of the faces of the Kings League (and its female version, Queens League), which are innovative seven-a-side media football competitions. She is president of PIO FC, which has teams in both the men's and women's events.
#2 TimTheTatman
One of the oldest Twitch channels to feature here, TimTheTatman, is also on the top ten most followed American streamers list for the Amazon-owned livestreaming service. He began his streaming career on this platform in 2012 and has since become one of the most recognized and watched figures in the gaming community.
Despite beginning his online career at a time when such a move was a rarity, the 35-year-old enjoyed such quick success that he went full-time in March 2014, demonstrating his sustained dedication and success in the field. He even has an equally successful YouTube channel, where he had an exclusive contract between 2021 and 2024, that has over 5.6 million subscribers, although he now multistreams on the two leading livestreaming services.
He is mostly known for his expertise in first-person shooters, and Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone were the titles that truly showed video gaming versatility and added to his popularity. What added to his aura was his engaging personality and interactive streams, which helped him cultivate a loyal fanbase, popularly known as the "#tatmanarmy."
TimTheTatman has also been acknowledged for his contributions to the industry via numerous awards and recognition, including a nomination for Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2020. Someone who heavily gives back to society and his community via charity, he is also the part-owner of Complexity Gaming, one of the world's oldest esports organizations.
#3 SodaPoppin
Twitch star SodaPoppin is one of the most influential American Twitch streamers, known for his long-standing presence and diverse content within the online streaming community. He began streaming on the purple platform in November 2011, giving him a well-earned status as one of its veterans.
The 31-year-old is one of the pioneers of Twitch and is considered a trailblazer in the livestreaming space, adapting and remaining relevant for over one and a half decades. He boasts one of the largest followings on Twitch among US names, with over nine million followers; on YouTube, his channel has over 1.1 million subscribers and over 520 million views.
SodaPoppin consistently ranks among the top streamers globally, both in terms of followers and viewership. In fact, as per his Streams Charts page, since 2021, he has finished among the top 60 creators every year on Twitch by Hours Watched (HW), reiterating his consistency. This has also netted him several awards, including Best MMORPG Streamer at The Streamer Awards 2023.
A major reason for the Austin, Texas, native's longevity is his dry and offbeat humor, combined with his interactive streams, which have cultivated a loyal fan base. He has been successful off-camera as well, becoming co-owner of One True King (OTK) and advisor and co-owner of NRG Esports, the North American esports organization.
#4 XQc
It is not a stretch to say that xQc is arguably one of the most recognizable streamers in the world today. The French-Canadian megastar was also one of the first high-profile names to make the jump from Twitch to Kick, breaking the internet after details of his payout with the Stake-backed livestreaming service became public.
Funnily, the 29-year-old's journey to fame began away from livestreaming, as he gained traction within the community as an Overwatch pro in 2016, where people quickly warmed up to him. Having taken to broadcasting while still playing the team-based shooter, he eventually left it and went full-time on Twitch, where he remains one of the most followed streamers.
At one point, xQc's fame reached such levels that he was Twitch's most watched creator for two straight years in 2021 and 2022. Even after going to Kick, his non-exclusive contract allowed him to livestream on multiple platforms, and he continued to be among both services' top names by watch time.
Today, like many of his prominent colleagues, the Quebec resident has ventured out from livestreaming into other events. He has been part of major influencer events like the Sidemen Charity match, PogChamps, and Twitch Rivals, which have helped him notch multiple awards and recognitions that have just added to his glowing legacy.
#5 Ninja
The original Twitch superstar, nobody came close to Ninja's popularity at his peak, and perhaps no one ever will. Want proof? Despite more or less being away from the purple platform for the best part of half a decade, which is when the company and the livestreaming boom kicked off, he remains its most followed streamer.
In fact, if it wasn't for this extended time away, there is a high chance the American would have reached nearly 30 million followers, ensuring it remains one of Twitch's untouchable records. Nevertheless, his time away was pretty fruitful in itself, even becoming the face of Microsoft's ambitious Mixer project that ultimately fell through the roof due to poor market share and an inability to scale in comparison to competing services.
He also became the first professional esports player to be featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, which many saw as a watershed moment for himself and esports into mainstream sports fame.
To think, like xQc, this iconic career started on the gaming side, as Ninja was a professional Halo 3 player before turning to streaming in 2011. It was the release of Fortnite in 2017 that cemented his legacy, as he became its undisputed best player in its early years, helping him gain mainstream appeal and play the battle royale builder shooter with the likes of Drake, Travis Scott, and JuJu Smith-Schuster on stream, even breaking a peak viewership on Twitch in the process.
It can be argued that nobody has been as crucial to a game's success as Ninja to Fortnite, which remains the gold standard for a lot of metrics on Twitch. And it's not just gaming where the Michigan native has been entertained, as he's bagged several appearances on popular forms of entertainment like Family Feud, The Masked Singer, Free Guy, and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
#6 Ibai
Ibai might be the most influential figure on Twitch since the middle of the pandemic era in 2022. The online sensation's success over the past few years has not only made him a global celebrity but also seen him become a successful entrepreneur and businessman. He has also emerged as a valuable community caster during esports tournaments, especially when his side, KOI, or Spanish teams are playing.
The 30-year-old is currently the third most-followed Twitch streamer with over 17.3 million followers, and his viewership numbers are almost unmatched. He has finished among the three most-watched influencers on the platform for the last four years, with millions of followers tuning in for his unique mix of gaming, talk shows, and live events.
Ibai's greatest trait might just be the way he has parlayed his online success into ventures away from the camera. Almost all of his projects have gone on to create some kind of milestone, none more so than his La Velada del Año, an annual influencer boxing event that has broken Twitch's viewership records for the past few years.
The Barcelona resident has also hosted interviews with football legends like Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, and Gerard Piqué. It was alongside the last name that he co-founded KOI, an esports organization that competes in games like League of Legends and Valorant. The duo also founded the Kings League, where Ibai plays a key role as a team owner.
#7 Shroud
Another former esports professional who successfully transitioned to livestreaming, shroud, is one of the most famous video gaming creators on Twitch today. Over the last few years, he has built up so much stock among fans and audiences that he can influence the viewership performances of entire games, especially new releases.
The 31-year-old rose to prominence as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) pro in 2014. He earned his most prestigious win at the ESL Pro League Season 4 Finals with Cloud9 in 2016, before moving to full-time streaming a year later. Since then, he has been one of the top faces on Twitch, finishing among its 50 most watched streamers every year since 2020 and sitting in the tenth spot for its most followed creators with 11.1M followers.
Shroud was another star name to announce his move from Twitch to Mixer in 2019, announcing he would exclusively broadcast on Microsoft's service before leaving when the company shut down in July 2020. Having exclusively streamed on Twitch since, he moved to multistreaming on YouTube late last year.
The California resident even made a brief comeback to esports after signing with Sentinels' Valorant roster to stand in for the 2022 Valorant Champions' North American Last Chance Qualifier. They ultimately failed to qualify for the tournament.
Shroud's fame among audiences has seen him claim multiple awards, including Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards in 2019 and the Legacy award at The Streamer Awards in 2024. He even partnered with Mountaintop Studios in 2022 for an initial investment to create Spectre Divide as Lead Advisor and Investor, although the studio shut down in April this year.
#8 Pokimane
Undoubtedly, the most famous female Twitch streamer ever, pokimane has a legacy that few others in the industry can match. Nothing reinforces this notion more than the fact that she collaborated with US representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, along with other notable streamers like Jeremy "Disguised Toast" Wang and Hasan "HasanAbi" Piker, for a session of Among Us as part of a get-out-the-vote initiative for the 2020 United States presidential election in late October 2020.
The Moroccan-Canadian star was one of the earliest females to embrace livestreaming, starting off in 2013. Such was the success of her broadcasts, aided by her gaming prowess in multiplayer online titles, that she became the most followed female Twitch streamer by the early 2020s and remains so.
Pokimane has also been one of the most consistently watched female creators on the purple livestreaming service, ending within the top 20 multiple times over the past few years. She was also one of the stars of the COVID-19 lockdown era, helping put games like Among Us and Chess on the global map by attracting thousands of viewers to her collab streams.
The 29-year-old has also made moves in the business world, co-founding OfflineTV, an online social entertainment group of content creators. She also co-founded and serves as the Chief Creative Officer for RTS, a talent management and consulting firm. Pokimane also made mainstream appearances in the Free Guy movie and music videos like Inferno by Bella Poarch and Sub Urban.
#9 Gaules
Gaules is a name that every Counter-Strike fan in the world will recognize, such is his following and success as a community caster who regularly covers the game's biggest tournaments on Twitch and YouTube. He initially made his name as a professional CS player, turning up for sides like g3nerationX and mibr and even coaching the latter before transitioning into streaming.
The 41-year-old boasts unreal consistency on the purple platform, finishing among its three most-watched creators every year since 2020. He is also Twitch's third-most-followed Brazilian influencer, while he was YouTube Gaming's top name by HW in Q2 2025.
What has really helped Gaules thrive since debuting on Twitch in 2017 is his engaging commentary and ability to create a unique and entertaining viewing experience, which has contributed to the growth of a passionate fan base. This has helped him conquer not only the livestreaming genre but also the co-streaming sphere, as he is the most popular non-organization esports broadcasting channel on Twitch.
Gaules has also expanded his influence into other areas beyond livestreaming and is a team owner in the Kings League. His club, G3X FC, competed in the inaugural Kings World Cup 2024, finishing as the runner-up. Such endeavors have earned him numerous recognitions, including a nomination for Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards 2021.
#10 MortaL
Flying the Asian flag high is MortaL, one of the early esports stars in India and a pioneer of the incredibly popular battle royale genre. The former pro is known for being a PUBG Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) trailblazer, two games that have experienced a massive boom in the Southeast Asian market over the past decade due to the prevalence of mobile phones.
The 28-year-old was also one of the early names in his country to take to livestreaming his gameplays, debuting on YouTube in 2013. He began as a casual Mini Militia gamer before gaining recognition with PUBG Mobile, which led to a successful professional career that saw him clinch multiple trophies across the two shooter titles.
Since shifting to full-time content creation, MortaL has remained an intrinsic part of the YouTube Gaming boom in India, finishing among the nation's 20 most-watched names between 2020 and 2023. With almost seven million subscribers, he is also one of India's most followed gaming creators on the red platform.
The Mumbai native also co-founded S8UL Esports, one of India's top gaming content creation and esports organizations that has won the Esports Awards' Content Group of the Year multiple times. He has also used his fame and platform to support the movement to legitimize esports and gaming as a form of sports in the country, something that has only endeared him to fans and the community even more.
#11 Kamet0
Perhaps France's most popular Twitch streamer, Kamet0, has built a massive and loyal fan base for himself over the years. He is now a highly influential streamer, content creator, and esports team owner, particularly recognized for his significant impact on the French-speaking streaming and esports scenes over the past decade.
The 30-year-old began his streaming career on Twitch in December 2011, making him a veteran in the space. As a former esports player of the game, he stuck to broadcasting League of Legends throughout the late 2010s, eventually building a steady and loyal following.
This popularity has seen Kamet0 become one of France's ten most followed streamers on Twitch, while he has consistently ranked among its 50 most watched names over the past few years. His channel record of 420,218 Peak Viewers (PV), achieved on April 4, 2022, puts him among his nation's most popular creators on the purple platform.
Kamet0 also co-owns one of Europe's most popular esports organizations, Karmine Corp, which has been instrumental in revitalizing viewership for regional leagues like the LFL (French League), sometimes matching the viewership of larger franchise leagues. Its rivalry with Ibai's KOI has also driven significant audience engagement, with both star streamers' coverage proving crucial to helping these tournaments generate massive viewership.
#12 Summit1g
Summit1g is one of the most recognizable American Twitch streamers, known for his exceptional gaming skills, engaging personality, and ability to adapt to various games. A former professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, he has amassed a massive following and remains a veteran of the region's livestreaming scene.
The 38-year-old played as a rifler for teams like Mythic and Area 51 Gaming before retiring from professional gaming and transitioning to streaming full-time. His high-quality gameplay, insightful commentary, and humorous interactions with his chat are what have endeared him to his thousands of fans.
At one point in 2018, summit1g was the most-followed channel on Twitch, and he remains a regular on Streams Charts' yearly rankings of the service's most-watched influencers. Like shroud, he has also become renowned for experimenting with different games, and that means he has quite a say when new games come out, as he tends to try them out early after their release.
The Colorado Springs resident also enjoys a fairly pristine reputation within the community, which has contributed to him being nominated for quite a few awards over the years. This includes being nominated for the Legacy Award at The Streamer Awards 2021 and for the Best FPS Streamer the following year.
#13 tarik
Former professional CS:GO player tarik is perhaps the most famous example of a former pro turned streamer, at least in North America. Nevertheless, he has made a significant mark in both competitive esports and content creation over the past decade.
Known for his aggressive rifling style and charismatic personality, the Sentinels content creator enjoyed a storied career in competitive CS:GO, capped off by a historic Major win in Boston in 2018 as part of the Cloud9 team. Tarik gradually transitioned to full-time streaming around 2019-2021, seeking more direct interaction with his fanbase and exploring diverse content.
Since then, he has become one of the most popular variety and community streamers in the world, even co-hosting and organizing the "Ludwig x Tarik Invitational" Valorant tournaments. Since 2022, he has ranked among Twitch's most watched influencers and is a massive reason behind the success of Valorant esports, emerging as the agent-shooter's top streamers by HW last year.
Tarik's livestreaming contributions have also been handsomely recognized by the industry, as he won the FPS Streamer of the Year trophy at The Streamer Awards 2023. He was also named to Forbes' 2024 list of "30 Under 30 North American creators" in the Games category, recognizing his significant influence in the industry.
#14 Tyler1
Tyler1, also known as loltyler1, is a popular American Twitch streamer and content creator, best known for his League of Legends streams. He became famous for his highly energetic and comedic personality, often featuring exaggerated rants, intense reactions, and playful antics.
The 30-year-old's career took a major turn in 2016 when he was banned from LoL for toxic behavior, but he returned a couple of years later, much to the delight of his quickly growing fanbase. One of his traits that really exemplifies him was his trademark catchphrase, "What’s up, guys, it's your boy, Tyler1," which helped draw viewers to his humorous and intense content.
In the early 2020s, Tyler was regularly one of Twitch's most-watched influencers, ending in the top 20 between 2020 and 2022. Intriguingly, the streamer fell in love with Chess and helped drive its growing popularity during this same period; he became one of the top Chess creators, even winning the Best Chess Streamer trophy at the 2023 Streamer Awards.
Outside of the livestreaming bubble, the American has ventured into organizing charity events and launched his own esports team, Team Tyler1. Alongside his philanthropic efforts, Tyler's comedic skits and collaborations with other streamers have made him a prominent figure in internet culture, not just in North America but globally.
With the quality of the nominees on display above, it is no doubt going to be a hard decision for fans to vote for the deserving winner of the Streamer of the Decade award. Irrespective of who takes the prize home, though, it is clear that all of them are winners, having each contributed massively to the growth of livestreaming and esports over the past ten years and more.
