A beginner’s guide to Twitch

Whether you’re looking for the best plays from your favourite game in real time or just seeking a chill space to watch more laid-back and casual content, there’s a corner on Twitch that matches your energy.

Before you join streams and chime into chat feeds, you’ll first need to sign up with your email or phone number, then choose your username and enter your birthday.

Your home tab is a scrollable preview of recommended streams that are currently live. Each preview contains details in the bottom-left corner, like the creator and stream title. Scroll up to skip to the next live or down to revisit the previous one. You can also tap the Following drawer in the upper-left corner to see which of your followed streamers are live.

Tap 'Clips' at the top of the home tab to see snippets of A+ gameplay, funny or witty soundbites or highlights from previous streams. This helps you catch up to Twitch’s recent popular moments, so you’re never out of the loop.

Watching a live stream is only half the fun – get the full experience by interacting with your favourite creators and fellow viewers. Tap into any stream to join the live. Chime in on the chat box at the bottom of the screen and cheer on creators or comment on what they’re currently streaming. You can also send emotes as reactions via the same chat box.

On a live stream, you’ll also find buttons to follow streamers and get notified when they go live. If you want to support Twitch Affiliates or Partners, you can also tap the Subscribe button to start a paid subscription. Depending on the streamer, you’ll unlock unique subscriber benefits, like a sub badge that gets better the longer you’re subscribed, custom emotes and ad-free viewing.

If you’re looking for something fresh, the browse tab is the place to be. Look through categories, like games that you’ve recently discovered or IRL interests, too, like music or sports. Tap into any category to find channels that are currently streaming, videos of past broadcasts and uploads or highlight clips.

Tap Activity in the navigation bar to catch up on your relevant updates. This includes notifications for when a channel you follow goes live, announcements and recommendations. Here you can also access Whispers – your direct messages to other Twitch users.

Jump into a world of real-time entertainment with a thriving community of gamers, ASMR artists, chatty streamers and more. Whether you’re looking for a digital hangout space that feels like an arcade, a relaxing lounge or a laid-back friend’s couch, there’s a streamer on Twitch hoping for a viewer just like you.