The video streaming service YouTube has recently launched YouTube Gaming, a new app (Android & iOS) and website dedicated to video game content: Let’s Plays, livestreams, speedruns and more. It will look to take over Twitch in hosting the biggest community of gamers on the web. This will be strengthened by the automatic pull function. The pull function automatically pulls in all gaming-related videos and live streams from YouTube onto YouTube Gaming.

With the launch of YouTube gaming, the battle-lines have been drawn for a streaming showdown between incumbent games video powerhouse Twitch and Google’s newcomer YouTube Gaming.

In January 2015 Amazon owned Twitch announced these incredible stats: 20 billion minutes watched every month, 1.5 million broadcasters and 100 million visitors per month. YouTube gaming will have to perform miracles to catch up to that. Another hurdle YouTube gaming will face is trying to convert Twitch loyalists into YouTube Gaming frequenters.

YouTube Gaming will have a dedicated page for more than 25000 games. That is guaranteed to keep all types of gamers happy. Users have the option of selecting their favourite games so that it becomes more customised to suit each individual. Whether you are a FPS fanatic, RPG  addict, RTS Geek or any other gaming genre loyalist, your needs are sure to be met.

Ryan Watt, who is  YouTube’s global head of gaming partnerships said that the YouTube Gaming app and website will let users subscribe to channels and be notified instantly of live streams when they start. The service will also make recommendations based on a user’s subscribed channels.

Both the website and the app come with a chat function which allows gamers to communicate in real time with other gamers from all around the world.

Live streams allow users to stream live games which increases the thrill as opposed to watching pre-recorded footage. However the upload feature is also available.

YouTube gaming gives gamers access to thousands of game trailers. Buying a game and hoping that it’s a good game is a thing of the past. Now gamers have access to game reviews, trending games, ratings,comments and trailers all on one platform.

With the tech powerhouse Google on its side, YouTube Gaming is guaranteed to be a hit.