Twitch once began a feature that permitted a streamer to send all his/her viewers to another individual’s stream some time ago. This selfless act permitted generous streamers to spread awareness to up-and-coming streamers that may have been struggling to break onto the Twitch scene. Twitch called this awesome feature ‘raiding’ and soon learning how to raid on twitch became the number one thing streamers searched for. 

In a simpler sense, when a Twitch streamer finishes their stream, they have two options. First, they can close the stream, limiting any viewers to switch to another channel or second, the streamer can raid another stream. This allows the forwarding of the audience into that channel and boosting the audience in the process.

Twitch streamers, especially new streamers, rely on this method of Twitch raids to boost their limited number of viewers per stream. A raid can massively boost audience numbers, especially if it’s a bigger streamer raiding a new streamer, increasing exposure and helping to grow follower numbers while having a little fun along the way.

Not only is this a nice gesture, but it’s also a two-way street. If you regularly raid other Twitch streamers, you’re more inclined to receive the same raids back when their stream ends (given that you’re still streaming).

How To Raid On Twitch: A 2 Step Method! 

Step 1: Type /raid ‘channel name’ into chat

Starting a raid as a creator is simple. The /raid command makes it easier for you to start a raid on Twitch and for your viewers to join. You’ll also have tools to manage raids and can see information on which streamer recently raided their channel. 

• The first step is to let your viewers know you’re going to start a raid and then share a chat message that you want your viewers to paste in the channel when they arrive. 

• You can also raid through the mobile and desktop app – it does not have to be via the browser.

• To commence a Raid, type /raid and the name of the channel that you want to raid (e.g. /raid primegaming to raid the primegaming channel). 

• Only you and your channel editors can begin a raid this way. So, when you are Live, simply type out this: /Raid ‘channel name’  into your chat. 

• Make sure that you replace ‘Channel name’ with the name of the channel you’d like to raid.

• After you’ve /raid, you will see a pinned chat message with a 10-second countdown in addition to an inactive Raid Now button. 

• After 10 seconds, you can select “Raid Now” to execute the raid. If you don’t select “Cancel” or “Raid Now” within 80 seconds, the raid will automatically commence. Your new visitors will see a pinned chat message which will tell them that they are joining a Raid. Visitors may exit a raid at any time by clicking the “Leave” button on the pinned message.

What if you didn’t mean to start a raid? No worries, you can cancel the raid during the 10 sec countdown by clicking the Cancel button in the pinned chat message or typing /unraid into your chat.

Step 2: Click “Raid Now” On the Pop-up control box

Now that you’ve entered the raid command ( /raid)  in chat, a pop-up control box will show up within the same chat. Be sure to click the ‘Raid Now’ option to start the raid with immediate effect. You can also cancel the raid during this point if you have changed your mind. 

If no option is selected, the raid will automatically begin in a matter of 80 seconds.

And that’s all there is to it. Once the raiding begins, you will be hosting (showing) that channel’s content with your community. 

Any user that enters your channel now will be directed to the raided stream and chatbox, with a pop-up alert to inform them.

Other FAQs:

What Is Twitch Raiding?

Twitch raiding is a feature that was introduced to allow streamers to take another channel’s content.

When a Twitch streamer finishes their stream, they can either say bye to his viewers and close the stream OR they can raid another channel and host their content – spreading awareness to other streamers.

New Twitch streamers can benefit from this support to try and break into the scene. 

Like all social media platforms, Twitch is a super arduous  place to make a name for yourself. So, if you’re feeling generous, go ahead and raid a channel to boost their following. Four times out of five you’ll find that the channel you raided will actually raid you back!

How to configure Your Twitch Raid Settings For Your Own Protection

Twitch has made a bunch of configuration options around your channel’s raid settings. This will permit you to choose who can and can’t raid your channel, who can use the chat during a raid, and reporting fake raiders after the occurrence.

To configure your channel’s raid settings, all you have to do is:

Select the settings (gear) icon in the chat box,

Change the channel mode to ‘Followers-only chat’ – this will limit the chat to viewers who actually follow your stream. This is very useful especially if a channel raids your stream for destructive reasons.

By enabling these settings, you’ll also be able to report or block accounts from raiding you. 

Underneath the ‘Tasks’ section of the settings bar, select the ‘Review Recent Raids’ tab. Once selected, you will have the option to ban or report previous raiders.

You can also just open your Twitch raids to friends only. This requires a little digging but it is still fairly simple:

1. Under the settings tab, click on the ‘Creator Dashboard’ from the menu
2. Inside the creator dashboard, navigate to Preferences>Channel options
3. Scroll down to ‘Raids’ and make sure the ‘Only allow raids from friends’ tab is selected. 

This will limit your account to a friends-only raid mode – protecting your stream from outside troll channels.

Benefits of twitch raiding?

Twitch, like YouTube and other streaming platforms, isn’t an easy platform to break into—you’ll need to hustle to make your mark, and having some tricks up your sleeve can go a long way! 

1. You can’t build a Twitch community overnight. It can take a long time to build up a loyal community of viewers, from a couple of regulars to thousands of loyal fans, ready to support your channel as it grows. One way to do just that is by learning how to raid on twitch. Learning how to raid on twitch is easy with the steps we’ve given above. 

2. Twitch raiding is a selfless act that helps to promote other Twitch streamers who, in turn, will hopefully return the favor. Of course, raiding another Twitch channel doesn’t do anything to benefit the streamer or user who does it. By forwarding a stream audience to another streamer, the immediate benefit is to the streamer who enjoys the recievement of the raid.

3. For Twitch streamers who do raid, it can provide networking opportunities that would otherwise be difficult to gain, particularly for new streamers. Groups of Twitch streamers with lesser communities can all raid each other to help grow their audiences, for instance.

4. If you raid mid-to-large Twitch channels, you may get lost in the list of other raids, but if you’re lucky, your raiding on twitch might gain the notice of the streamer, who will raid you back as a kind favour (with a big increase in audience numbers and followers).

5. You don’t need to worry about being forgotten about, either, as the Twitch interface allows the streamer himself/herself to see who recently raided his/her channel in the last 24 hours. This list can come in handy, especially if you’re a newbie hoping to help a new channel grow.

Lastly, please keep in mind that there isn’t any guarantee that a Twitch raid will mean that you benefit from a raid in kind, so don’t raid with the expectation of something in return. Sometimes it’s best that your raids are limited to your friends.