Twitch Dives Into Vertical Video to Compete with TikTok and YouTube Shorts
So, here's something fresh happening in the world of livestreaming—Twitch is now officially testing vertical video streams . Yep, you heard that right. The Amazon-owned platform, which we’ve all known for its landscape gameplay sessions and IRL chats, is finally making a leap into vertical content. This move, long overdue by some standards, aims to bring Twitch up to speed with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts—leaders in the short-form vertical video game.
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This all started with an announcement at TwitchCon Rotterdam earlier this year, where the company teased a new dual-format strategy and 2K streaming capabilities. Fast forward to now, and we’re seeing the first signs of that vision take shape. A market intelligence firm, AppSensa , recently uncovered some interesting tidbits in a fresh Twitch app update—specifically, alpha testing of vertical video is already happening with a select few streamers. That’s right, it’s live, but only for a handful of users at this stage.
What’s new about it? Well, we’re talking about a dedicated vertical theater mode , with its own interface elements and toggles allowing users to switch between the classic horizontal view and this new vertical format. If you come across the feature, Twitch will greet you with a friendly “vertical video is here” popup—reminding you that it’s still experimental and optional. And yes, just like with TikTok and Reels, this is optimized for mobile-first viewing , so it’ll feel natural to just hold your phone upright and dive into a stream.
What makes this a pretty big deal is Twitch’s recognition of how viewer behavior is evolving. Younger audiences are increasingly favoring mobile-native, quick-access content. Twitch has traditionally lagged behind in this area, but now it’s clearly playing catch-up. The integration of camera and mic permissions within the vertical stream build also suggests creators will soon be able to stream directly in portrait mode—right from their phones.
Of course, Twitch is still keeping things hush-hush. When asked for comments, they didn’t share much beyond what was said at TwitchCon: testing is limited for now, but will expand to more users throughout the year. It’s a cautious rollout, which makes sense—they want to get it right.
Overall, this move feels like a strategic push to stay relevant in a space that's become dominated by fast, mobile content. If Twitch nails the experience, this could be a game-changer—not just for creators, but for the way we consume livestreams entirely. And let’s be real, with TikTok and YouTube already miles ahead in mobile engagement, Twitch had to do something . Now the question is: will viewers embrace it? Let’s see how the stream flows.
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