YouTube Shorts RPMs cross $1.20 for gaming — finally creator-friendly

Shorts RPMs crossed $1.20 average for gaming content. The platform finally pays competitively with TikTok and Twitch clips.

YouTube Shorts RPMs in the gaming category crossed $1.20 average in Q1 2026, up from $0.34 a year earlier. The new ad inventory format and sponsorship-disclosure tooling pushed advertiser CPMs up materially, and creators are finally seeing meaningful Shorts income.

Compared to TikTok Creator Fund payouts and Twitch clip revenue share, YouTube Shorts is now the highest-paying short-form video platform on a per-view basis for gaming creators. The cross-poster strategy that dominated 2024 is dead — the optimal 2026 approach is YouTube Shorts primary, TikTok secondary.