Game streaming and esports viewership is exploding. Total global gaming industry revenues surpassed $175 billion in 2021 and are projected to top $200 billion by 2023. Live streaming platform Twitch draws over 30 million daily active users.
With millions of people on the platform at this very moment, Twitch has become the beating heart of gaming culture. An estimated 56% of Twitch‘s user base have Amazon Prime subscriptions.
These savvy users have discovered linking their Twitch and Amazon Prime accounts opens up an Aladdin‘s Cave overflowing with coveted goodies. Free games. In-game content. Subscriptions. And more.
By completing a few quick steps to connect your accounts, you can tap into these perks and take your Twitch experience to new heights. Let‘s delve into the linkage process and the treasure trove that awaits…
Step 1: Understanding Amazon Prime Sign-Up
In order to access Prime Gaming rewards, you need an active Amazon Prime membership tied to your Amazon account.
Over 200 million users around the globe currently subscribe to Amazon Prime. An Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 annually. However, new users can start with a 30-day free trial to test it out.
Here‘s a closer walkthrough of getting signed up:
- Navigate to the Amazon Prime landing page and click "Start your free 30-day trial"
- You‘ll be prompted to add your credit/debit card or other payment method
- Enter your personal information such as name, email, address to generate your account
- Confirm your sign-up via email and start watching/shopping with your trial benefits
- Before 30 days, decide if you‘d like to continue ($14.99 billed monthly) or cancel
Important Notes on Eligibility:
- Users must provide a valid payment method during sign-up to enable the free trial period access. This ensures automatic renewal when the trial expires.
- Each account holder can only claim one free Prime trial ever. Previous trials make you ineligible.
- Amazon Prime Student memberships receive a 6-month free trial and discounted $7.49 monthly rate thereafter. To qualify, you need an
.eduemail address.
Now with access to the full suite of Prime offerings, you‘re ready for the next step – activation of your complementary Prime Gaming membership.
Step 2: Activating Your Prime Gaming Membership
Prime Gaming is Amazon‘s portal containing all the Twitch account linkage functions and gaming-related benefits for Prime subscribers.
As long as you signed up under the same Amazon login, Prime Gaming comes pre-packaged with your membership. Here‘s how to get it spun up:
- Visit the Prime Gaming website and click "Activate Prime Gaming"
- Located in upper right corner on desktop
- On mobile, check the hamburger menu icon ☰
- Confirm the popup with the prompt "This will activate Prime Gaming benefits for your account"
- If you‘ve verified the correct account, Prime Activation will trigger instantly
That‘s it! Prime Gaming is now unlocked and ready for your Twitch integration in Step 3.
⚠️If you run into activation issues:
- Double check you are logged into the correct Amazon account – specifically the one with the active Prime membership
- Try logging out and directly back in to the account with Prime
- Ensure your Prime membership payment details are valid
- Contact Amazon Prime support online via live chat or phone
With hands now firmly on the treasure chest of Prime Gaming, it‘s time to fuse it together with your Twitch identity!
Step 3: Connecting Your Twitch Account to Prime Gaming
In order to transfer those free games from Prime Gaming into your Twitch inventory, the two accounts must intertwine.
Here are the steps to securely link up your accounts:
- Hover over your profile picture on Prime Gaming and click "Link Twitch Account" in the dropdown menu
- If on mobile, access this via the ☰ menu like when activating Prime Gaming
- In the popup window, locate and click the bold purple button labeled "Link Account" at the bottom
- Do NOT enter your login info yet!
- The site will now automatically forward you to Twitch‘s official login and consent page
- Enter your Twitch account credentials and check consent documentation
- Click "Link Accounts" and confirm the popup
That‘s it! Sit back and watch your Prime Gaming and Twitch accounts merge together behind the scenes to unlock access to shared benefits and permissions moving forward!
Step 4: Unlocking Your Prime Gaming Treasure Chest
With the heavy lifting now complete, you‘ve built a bridge between your accounts and can freely transport exciting digital treasure from Prime Gaming directly into your Twitch account!
🎮 Free Games
As a Prime member, you can add new free games to keep each month with Prime Gaming. Recent titles span acclaimed series like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to indie darlings Gone Viral and retro throwbacks.
Now that your accounts are linked, adding free games with your Prime membership is a cinch:
- Browse the Games tab of the Prime Gaming portal
- Find a game you want and click the "Claim Game" button
- Follow the on-screen prompts to add the game directly into your connected Twitch game library or desktop client
Once claimed, these games are yours to keep forever – even if you cancel Prime membership later on!
🔎 For convenience, you can filter the game listings by genre tags like Action, RPG, Simulation and more. So find your niche and get claiming!
💡 Pro Tip: Check back frequently, as new games are rotated in on the 1st of each month!
🧙♂️In-Game Content & Perks
On top of full games, Prime members also get access to exclusive in-game content and bonuses for nearly 100 popular games. This spans mega-franchises like FIFA, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, and countless more.
We‘re talking currency packs, weapons, skins, outfits, pets – even things like early character unlocks. Value ranging from a couple bucks to upwards of $50+ for the rarest items!
- Browse in-game offers and click "Claim" on your desired items
- For certain titles, you must have the game installed on the same account in order to claim
- Follow the links and instructions for grabbing items in-game
- Often instantly delivered when loading up the game!
- Equip flashy skins or new characters to show off to friends
Leverage these Prime Gaming packs to save money on buying content individually and deck out your in-game experience! Offers swap monthly, so check back often to see fresh finds.
💜 Free Channel Subscriptions
Supporting your favorite streamers gets easier too with 1 free channel subscription from Prime Gaming each month.
Channel subscriptions generally cost $4.99 monthly per user. Prime nullifies this fee – so you can boost up-and-coming stars or directly help top streamers continue creating content full-time.
Your free Prime sub carries the same perks as paid ones:
- No ads while viewing the subscribed channel live
- Access to subscriber emotes in chat
- Subscriber badges and flags denoting your support
- Potential access to private Discord groups, gaming sessions, or other VIP events
Beyond supporting creators, users who expend free subs and engage deeply with multiple channels tend to be recommended more relevant content by Twitch‘s suggestion algorithm.
So spread the love! Smaller channels can gain a huge boost from just 1-2 free subs.
🏅 Exclusive Chat Badge
Lastly, Prime members also receive a special Prime Gaming chat badge – visible on all channels across Twitch now that you‘ve linked up.
This badge appears next to your name in any stream‘s live chat. It uniquely identifies you as a Prime member and subscriber to the platform.
Don‘t underestimate the social value this brings! Beyond looking prestigious, folks rocking Prime badges tend to get more attention from stream hosts. It marks you as an invested community member worth noticing.
So links those accounts and flaunt your status while discussing gameplay strategies, cracking jokes, forging bonds and beyond!
Now the real fun starts mixing and matching all the free loot available through Prime‘s Twitch integrations. Keep reading below for tips to maximize your savings!
Strategic Ways for Savvy Users to Save More
Optimizing the full benefits included with Prime Gaming requires a discerning eye and bit of digital organization.
Review the quick tips below to make sure you‘re extracting every ounce of value from the Twitch freebies and discounts tied to your Prime subscription:
🔍Dig into Expansive Free Game Libraries
As mentioned before, the flashy skins and currency packs come and go each month. But the free games claimed through Prime Gaming are yours to keep permanently – building an impressive library of 50+ titles over several years:
| 2020 | StarCraft: Remastered | Scribblenauts Unlimited |
| 2021 | Batman: The Enemy Within | SNKRX |
| 2022 | Mass Effect Legendary Edition | Madden NFL 22 |
Dig deeper into the full Prime Gaming back catalogue to uncover forgotten favorites from years past now accessible to you through that Twitch account pairing!
🗓️Mind The Expiration Dates
Like an epic RPG quest on a timer, the deals offered via Prime Gaming won‘t stick around forever. Various content and offers expire monthly.
So be sure to pay attention to the listed expiration dates on anything that catches your eye. Mark your calendar if needed! This ensures you squeeze every last drop from your subscription.
💰Calculate Cumulative Savings
Tally up everything you claiming through Prime Gaming month to month. From indie games, to rare skins, to channel subs and badges – users average around $150 in total yearly savings through Prime Gaming.
Anything earned through links essentially pays for your annual $139 Prime subscription and then some! So leverage Prime Gaming both for the financial and entertainment value it brings to gaming experiences.
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Linking Accounts
We‘ve explored mountains of loot available by merging Twitch with Amazon Prime. But playing devil‘s advocate, what potential downsides exist? Let‘s break down key pros and cons:
Pros
- 100% free value adds for Prime subscribers
- Expand your PC game library substantially
- Unique skins help you customize characters and stand out
- Support favorite streamers with paid-tier sub at no cost
- Heighten social status with chat badge displays
Cons
- Monthly management grinding through deals
- Potential skills/level glut with so many game options
- Security risks centralizing accounts and payments
- Possible Twitch addiction amplification
On the whole, provided you remain responsible with account security and gaming time – the pros undoubtedly triumph. Membership perks boost entertainment spanning gaming, streaming, and social engagement.
But excess distraction is a real concern parents watch out for today. So above all, exercise common sense when linking up access to expanded gaming universes!
A Look into the Origins of Prime Gaming
Before diving into Prime Gaming, it‘s worth understanding where it came from. Let‘s explore a brief history:
Twitch Turbo (2013)
Years before Amazon acquired Twitch, the platform still wanted ways to reward loyal community members and power streamers. Thus Twitch Turbo launched in 2013 – granting paying members perks like:
- Ads-free viewing
- Custom emotes
- Extended video storage
- A flashy chat badge
For $9 per month, users could upgrade their accounts and support Twitch directly.
Twitch Prime (2016)
When Amazon purchased Twitch for nearly $1 billion in 2014, even more possibilities emerged. So in September 2016, Twitch Turbo evolved into Twitch Prime as Amazon integrated their wildly popular Prime program.
This revamped iteration included much of Twitch Turbo along with fresh Amazon crossover perks like:
- Free monthly PC games
- Full digital game downloads
- In-game loot like skins and currency
- More free channel subscriptions
Baked directly into Amazon‘s Prime, users no longer had to pay an additional $9 access fee. Turbo‘s chat badge also transformed into the prestigious Prime badge we know today.
Prime Gaming Rebranding (2020)
After nearly 5 years as Twitch Prime, August 2020 brought about one final rebrand to Prime Gaming. This shift better reflected Amazon‘s centralized role in the service.
It also clarified Prime Gaming‘s expansive scope covering games, streamers, and community engagement tools. The core Prime-powered Twitch integrations remained intact throughout.
And now here we are today! Enjoying benefits evolved over nearly a decade that link together two titans of digital entertainment and ecommerce.
Seeking Additional Support If Issues Arise
We‘ve covered the full process linking Amazon Prime and Twitch step-by-step. However, with accounts and technologies intermingling, hiccups occasionally happen.
If you run into any trouble claiming offered games, content, or subscriptions through your linked Prime Gaming account – here‘s how to get support:
- Utilize Prime Gaming chat widgets – Look for the handy chat box placed strategically around Prime Gaming pages
- Contact Twitch Support Directly – As issues likely deal with your Twitch integration, their expertise is ideal via:
- Twitter (@TwitchSupport)
- Built-in ticket submit forms
Provide your full username, steps taken, and details around the error encountered. With hands-on guidance from the true experts behind Twitch, you‘ll be hauling digital treasure again in no time!
Linking Together Endless Gaming Entertainment
Like assembling Marvel‘s iconic Infinity Gauntlet, linking the god-tier free gaming loot injection from Amazon Prime into your core Twitch account grants near-limitless power!
Claiming several free games monthly fills up your digital shelves with beloved favorites across countless genres. Dressing up characters with legendary skins empowers self-expression and social clout. And channeling a free subscription to support someone‘s passion project fuels the community‘s heart.
With a few short clicks to enable Prime Gaming, this entire universe unveils itself to enhance your Twitch streaming consumption however you choose. So complete that account pairing and watch with wonder where Prime shall take your gaming experiences next!
The ultimate treasure awaits. Link today and let the gaming begin!
