Valkyrae
Valkyrae is back, she ditched YouTube's exclusivity deal, returned to Twitch on her 33rd birthday in January 2025, and immediately became the platform's most-watched streamer.
Rachell Marie Hofstetter, known online as Valkyrae, is one of the biggest names in gaming content creation. Born on January 8, 1992, she rose from a GameStop employee to a household name in streaming, becoming YouTube Gaming’s flagship female creator after signing an exclusivity deal with the platform in 2020.
After years as a YouTube exclusive, Valkyrae made a headline-grabbing return to Twitch on January 8, 2025, her 33rd birthday, pulling in numbers that made her the most-watched streamer on the platform at launch. The move signaled a major shift in her career and reignited massive public interest in everything she’s doing.
Beyond streaming, Valkyrae is a co-owner of 100 Thieves, the esports and lifestyle organization, making her one of the rare creators with genuine equity in a major gaming brand. More recently, she founded Hihi Studios, where she serves as CEO, pushing her further into the entrepreneur lane.
She isn’t without controversy. In 2021, she launched a skincare brand called RFLCT, which was quickly met with fierce criticism from fans and the wider community. The brand was discontinued shortly after launch, a rare and very public stumble for a creator who had otherwise built a near-bulletproof reputation.
People search for Valkyrae constantly, for her relationship life, her business moves, her net worth speculation, and her Twitch comeback. She sits at the crossroads of gaming, pop culture, and female entrepreneurship, which makes her one of the most Googled streamers alive.