What Are Twitch Drops, and How Do You Earn Them? (2024)

Twitch is the best place online to watch gaming content, particularly live streams of your favorite games. But why just watch when you could also earn rewards and loot that you can use in the games you love to play? Twitch Drops are a way to do precisely that.

What Are Twitch Drops?

Twitch Drops are a completely free-to-use feature available to any logged-in user. They are a way to earn in-game loot just by watching channels streaming certain games. Unlike Twitch channel points, Drops are not provided by Twitch creators or the Twitch platform.

Game developers provide and activate Drops for their games, and they decide which channels can give away their loot. Don't expect to see them available on all the content you watch. The type of loot included in a Drop varies between games and developers. You could earn unique weapons, clothing, character skins, in-game reward chests, or power-ups.

You can view a list of the games that currently have Drops enabled, as well as details of the loot you can earn in your Drops and Rewards inventory.

1. Go to Twitch, and click your profile picture.
2. Select Drops and Rewards.
3. Click All Campaigns to see a list of games offering Drops.
4. You can select any game on the list to see details of the loot you can earn and how long it takes to earn each item.

How to Earn Twitch Drops

You can earn Drops simply by watching any Twitch streams involved in the promotion. As soon as you start watching a stream with Drops enabled, progress toward earning that particular reward will start.

You will need to watch the drop-enabled channel for a set amount of time to earn the reward. The viewing time required varies between campaigns, but it's usually at least 60 minutes.

Some campaigns reward multiple loot drops if you watch for longer, such as 15, 30, or 60 minutes past the initial period. It may sound like a lot of time, but there are many ways to improve your experience on Twitch, so it feels like less time.

When you start earning Drops, you'll see a progress bar in your account menu. You can also view the progress by viewing the Drops and Rewards Inventory.

You can only progress toward one Twitch Drop at any time. You can switch between any channels that are offering the same reward and continue earning it, but you can't speed things up by viewing multiple channels at the same time.

Finding Twitch Channels With Drops Enabled

Finding channels that allow you to earn Drops is easy. Look for the Drops Enabled tag displayed with the other channel tags as you browse for something to watch.

Alternatively, you can filter results in the Browse tab to only show Twitch channels with Drops enabled. Drops can only be earned by watching live streams, so you'll need to select the Live Channels option. Then type "drops" in the tag search field, and click Drops Enabled from the suggested tags.

When viewing the stream in a channel, you can open the Twitch chat panel to see a message confirming it has Drops enabled. A message will also be shown here when you have earned any loot included in the Drop.

How to View Your Twitch Drops and Rewards

The Drops and Rewards inventory page displays the loot you are currently in the progress of earning, as well as any loot yet to be unlocked. It also shows you the drops you have earned in the past and any upcoming Drop campaigns.

1. In Twitch, click your profile picture and select Drops and Rewards.
2. The in-progress Drop will be displayed, showing loot earned and loot you are yet to earn.
3. There is often also a link you can click to learn more about the Drop on the game developer's website.

How to Claim Any Twitch Drops You Have Earned

After earning a drop, you need to claim it before the loot shows up in your game. You can click the reward notification briefly shown in chat or the Claim Now button on the Drops and Rewards inventory page.

You will be asked to connect Twitch to a relevant game account if you haven't done so already. Here's how to connect your accounts.

1. Open the Drops and Rewards Inventory in Twitch and find the Drop you want to claim.

   

2. Click the Connect button under the title of the Drop, which will take you to the developer's website.
3. Follow the instructions to sign in with your Twitch account details and link the accounts.
4. You will then need to sign in to the relevant game client, such as Steam or Uplay, so your loot can be credited to your account.

   

5. Finally, click Activate to complete the connection and add loot to your game.

Although you can earn Drops for multiple games without connecting accounts, this step is required before you can claim your loot. Some rewards can expire if not claimed within a specified period. The loot you have claimed will be displayed in a separate section of your inventory.

How to Cancel Current Drops and Earn Rewards for a Different Game

You can't choose to cancel the progress of a Drop that has already started. It will automatically cancel when you have earned all the loot or the Drop campaign ends.

If you want to earn Drops for a different game, you can simply stop watching one stream and begin watching another with a different reward. After a few minutes, Twitch will add the new Drop to your Drops and Rewards inventory, and you will start progressing toward earning it. The previous active Drop will be paused, although your progress will be saved.

As mentioned, you can't open two browser windows at once to earn drops for two different games. But you can switch between Drops, so you aren't tied to watching only one channel or streamer for hours.

Twitch Drops—What They Are and How to Earn Them

Watching an entertaining Twitch stream can be rewarding, but why stop there? Twitch Drops are a completely free way to earn loot for the games you play. Just by watching a streamer play, you can be rewarded with bonus goodies, such as skins, weapons, and characters, that you can use when you want to play instead of watching.