vidIQ Research, September 2026
Can New YouTube Channels Still Grow in Crowded Niches?
We tracked 36,163 newer gaming channels for 360 days. Minecraft and Roblox show that even highly competitive niches can still leave room for growth.
vidIQ Research/Updated September 22, 2026
Study parameters
36,163
Newer channels analyzed
0–999
Subscribers at baseline
360 days
Observation window
Newer channels still broke through
We followed 2,752 Minecraft, 2,604 Roblox, and 30,807 other-gaming channels for 360 days and found 26% of tracked Minecraft channels and 42% of Roblox channels had at least 1,000 subscribers, compared with 16% of other gaming channels. During this time, 2.73% of Minecraft channels, 5.22% of Roblox channels, and 1.30% of other gaming channels reached 10,000 subscribers.
| Baseline niche | Channels tracked | Endpoint ≥1K subscribers | Endpoint ≥10K subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | 2,752 | 718/2,752 (26.09%) | 75/2,752 (2.73%) |
| Roblox | 2,604 | 1,102/2,604 (42.32%) | 136/2,604 (5.22%) |
| Other gaming | 30,807 | 4,977/30,807 (16.16%) | 400/30,807 (1.30%) |
Most channels saw more modest growth
The milestone rates show that meaningful growth was possible, just not typical for every newer channel. The median gain was 78 subscribers for Minecraft, 268 for Roblox, and 23 for other gaming.
| Baseline niche | Channels tracked | Gain p25 / median / p75 |
|---|---|---|
| Minecraft | 2,752 | 1 / 78 / 598 |
| Roblox | 2,604 | 10 / 268 / 1,354 |
| Other gaming | 30,807 | 0 / 23 / 234 |
What this means for creators entering a crowded niche
Competition alone is not a reason to avoid a niche. These results do not guarantee that a new channel will succeed, but they show that a crowded niche is not automatically closed to new creators.
Explore the data and methodology
What this does not prove
- These results describe selected, tracked, baseline-active channels. They do not prove that either game is universally saturated or unsaturated, or give every new creator a probability of success.
- The endpoint shares do not mean channels started from zero, reached 1,000 subscribers for the first time, or did so within six months.
- Subscriber thresholds do not establish earnings or YouTube Partner Program eligibility.
Methodology
- Population: vidIQ analyzed tracked/indexed channels, not a random sample or all YouTube channels. This page includes only channels created no more than 365 days before the baseline, with 0 to 999 subscribers at baseline and usable endpoint data.
- Clocks: the subscriber baseline is September 20, 2025 and the endpoint is September 15, 2026, 360 days apart. Outcomes are at or above 1,000 or 10,000 subscribers at the endpoint; they do not measure exact first crossings.
- Starting content: the classification window was June 22 through September 19, 2025. Minecraft and Roblox channels needed at least two starting uploads and at least two matching uploads, with at least 60% matching the game. Other gaming required at least two starting uploads, at least 60% categorized as Gaming, and no Minecraft or Roblox match.
- Creation age: newer means created no more than 365 days before baseline. Creation age is not first-publishing age and does not identify first-time creators.
- Classification: game matches use explicit names and conservative multilingual title/topics labels. Metadata does not verify gameplay, and edited titles, aliases, or mixed-game content can cause misclassification.
- Subscriber gains: the displayed 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are approximate channel-level estimates. Percentages use exact counts and are rounded to two decimal places.
Related resources
How to Start a Gaming YouTube Channel
Turn the findings into practical decisions about audience, format, ideas, titles, and thumbnails.
Has YouTube Become Saturated?
Explore the broader question of competing on a crowded platform.
Best YouTube Niches
Compare gaming with other niche options and ways to evaluate competition.