[Industry news] Twitch unveils major streaming and creator updates

This is a press release posted in addition to our usual editorial content.

Global livestreaming service Twitch unveiled a wave of new product, creator and community updates during the TwitchCon Europe 2026 Opening Ceremony in Rotterdam last week.

Announced by Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, the updates focus on improving the viewing experience across mobile and desktop, strengthening creator monetisation opportunities, expanding short-form discovery tools, and continuing to build community-first experiences across Twitch.

As livestreaming increasingly becomes a central part of internet culture across gaming, entertainment, sports and IRL content, Twitch says it is continuing to invest in tools that help creators grow their communities and help viewers connect in real time.

The announcements include:

• Dual Format streaming updates for vertical and horizontal viewing
• Expanded 2K (1440p) streaming support
• Stream Summaries, notification updates and Auto Clips features
• New Stories recap and clip discovery features
• New creator monetisation, sponsorship and Drops updates
• Gameplay Ads, Streamer-Led Promotions and payout updates for Eurozone creators
• Community and moderation updates
• New viewer engagement features, including GIFs in chat
• New Twitch Unity Guild expansions
• TwitchCon Europe 2027 announced for Berlin

The announcements come as Twitch says livestreaming is increasingly shaping culture across gaming, sports, music, entertainment and IRL content, with creators continuing to drive some of the internet’s biggest live moments.

TwitchCon Rotterdam – Key Announcements 

• Twitch is launching Dual Format streaming next month, allowing creators to stream in both horizontal and vertical formats simultaneously. Mobile viewers will receive an optimised vertical viewing experience, while desktop viewers continue to watch in the traditional horizontal format.
• As part of Enhanced Broadcasting, Twitch is also expanding 2K (1440p) streaming to all Partners and Affiliates in June, alongside increased bitrate support.
• Twitch also announced updates to notifications, including new ways for creators to notify their communities about key moments while live.
• To help viewers catch up on streams already in progress, Twitch announced Stream Summaries, a new feature that generates a brief synopsis of what has happened during a broadcast so far.
• Twitch is continuing to invest in Clips with the introduction of Auto Clips, which automatically generates captioned clips from moments in a stream. Twitch is also introducing automatic clip captions and updates to Stories, including stream recap features and additional clip surfacing across Twitch.
• Twitch announced several updates designed to help creators earn more, including Creator Badge Drops, Mythic Trains, Creator Sponsorships and the expansion of Bounty Board campaigns to Affiliates through Open Invite campaigns.
• Twitch is also introducing GIFs in chat for Tier 2 and Tier 3 subscribers, expanding Streamer-Led Promotions, increasing the rollout of Gift Em All, and continuing to expand Gameplay Ads.
• Twitch also announced updates to Drops, designed to make it easier for viewers to discover, earn and track rewards across Twitch.
• For creators in Eurozone markets, Twitch announced changes to SEPA payouts that will remove currency conversion fees and lower transfer costs.
• Twitch highlighted several community-focused updates, including improvements to AutoMod, Mod Anniversaries, and the expansion of Twitch Unity Guilds with the addition of Asian, Disability and Indigenous Guilds
• Twitch also announced that TwitchCon Europe will return in 2027, with next year’s event taking place in Berlin on 22–23 May.