If you‘re an aspiring Twitch streamer, chances are you‘ve heard of AuronPlay. The Spanish creator has absolutely dominated the streaming world in recent years, skyrocketing to the #2 most-followed Twitch channel globally with over 15.5 million followers as of March 2023. His energetic personality, hilarious collaborations with other top creators, and entertaining gameplay have earned him a massive fanbase.
But how exactly did Raúl Álvarez Genes, the man behind the AuronPlay persona, achieve such meteoric success? What gear does he use to deliver high-quality streams to millions of viewers? And just how much does one of the world‘s biggest streamers earn?
In this ultimate guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look at AuronPlay‘s streaming career, setup, earnings, most iconic series, and more. By the end, you‘ll have a blueprint for what it takes to make it big on Twitch. Let‘s dive in!
The Rise of AuronPlay
AuronPlay‘s content creation journey began way back in 2006 when he launched his first YouTube channel at the age of 16. However, it wasn‘t until 2012 that he started the AuronPlay channel that would make him famous. His early content focused on humor, gaming, and reactions/commentary on trending topics.
Auron quickly made a name for himself with his signature style – a blend of irreverent, politically incorrect humor, scathing roasts, and video game fails and glitches. His subscriber count exploded, hitting 1 million in 2015, then 5 million in 2017.
But it was in 2019 that AuronPlay truly blew up after he began streaming on Twitch. His first ever stream in February 2019 peaked at over 100,000 concurrent viewers, breaking Spanish-language records at the time. More viral streams followed, including an epic 12-hour Minecraft session that pulled in 270,000 live viewers.
Since then, Auron has collaborated with some of the biggest names on Twitch and YouTube, including TheGrefg, Rubius, Ibai, and more. No matter what game he plays – be it Minecraft, GTA V, Among Us, Fall Guys, or Rust – his streams are guaranteed to pull in hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Today, with 15.5+ million Twitch followers and nearly 40 million YouTube subscribers across his two channels, AuronPlay‘s influence is undeniable. His streams regularly surpass 100,000 concurrent viewers, he trends on Twitter nearly every time he goes live, and his content racks up tens of millions of views per month.
The journey hasn‘t been without controversy – Auron has faced backlash over the years for his edgy humor and comments. But despite the occasional scandal, AuronPlay‘s star continues to rise.
So what‘s the secret to his success? A large part of it comes down to his engaging personality, top-notch production, and of course, his awesome streaming setup. Which brings us to…
AuronPlay‘s Streaming Setup
If you want to perform at an elite level, you need elite gear. And AuronPlay‘s streaming PC is an absolute beast built to handle intensive gaming and streaming demands. The man himself hasn‘t done a full setup tour, but thanks to information shared by the builder Nate Gentile, here‘s what we know about Auron‘s rig:
Gaming PC Specs
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K (24 cores, 32 threads, up to 5.8GHz)
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4090 Founders Edition with 24GB GDDR6X VRAM
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- RAM: 64GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
- Storage: 2x Samsung 990 PRO 2TB NVMe SSDs
- Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler, 3x NF-A14 140mm fans
- Case: Fractal Design Define 7 XL
- Power Supply: Corsair AX1600i 1600W
To give you a sense of how ridiculously powerful this setup is – the i9-13900K is literally the fastest gaming CPU on the market right now, with a monstrous 24 cores and maximum boost clock speeds up to 5.8GHz. Paired with the beastly RTX 4090 (the current king of GPUs), Auron‘s PC chews through even the most demanding games at ultra settings without breaking a sweat.
But Auron specifically wanted a streaming setup that delivered uncompromising performance while being as silent as possible – no annoying background whirring or humming to distract him or his viewers. That‘s where the Noctua CPU cooler and fans come in. Noctua makes hands-down the best air coolers and case fans in the business, renowned for their whisper-quiet operation and stellar cooling.
To ensure blazing fast load times and zero latency, Auron went with a pair of Samsung‘s latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs for a combined 4TB of storage. And it‘s all powered by a top-of-the-line 1600W Corsair PSU.
Streaming Peripherals
Of course, high-end PC components are only part of the equation. To deliver professional-grade streams, you need professional-grade peripherals. Here‘s what AuronPlay uses:
- Monitor: LG 27GN950 4K Nano IPS 144Hz gaming monitor
- Keyboard: Razer Huntsman Elite
- Mouse: Logitech G Pro X Superlight wireless gaming mouse
- Headset: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro wireless gaming headset
- Microphone: Shure SM7B cardioid dynamic microphone
- Webcam: Sony Alpha A6400 mirrorless camera
- Stream Controller: Elgato Stream Deck XL
- Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo
The 27" LG UltraGear is one of the best 4K high refresh rate gaming monitors on the market, with a super responsive Nano IPS panel, 144Hz refresh rate, and NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate for buttery smooth visuals. For controls, Auron rocks the optomechanical Razer Huntsman keyboard and lightweight wireless Logitech G Pro X Superlight mouse for precision and speed.
Audio is absolutely crucial for streaming, and Auron‘s setup is top-notch. His mic of choice is the legendary Shure SM7B, a dynamic microphone used in professional radio stations and recording studios around the world. It provides incredibly clear, detailed voice reproduction. And rather than using a standard USB mic, he runs it through a Focusrite Scarlett Solo audio interface for even better sound quality.
Instead of a regular webcam, Auron uses a Sony Alpha A6400 mirrorless camera for crisp, professional-looking facecam footage. Other accessories include the Elgato Stream Deck XL for controls/shortcuts and the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro wireless headset.
How Much Does AuronPlay Earn?
Now for the million dollar question – or should we say multi-million dollar question? As one of the biggest streamers in the world, AuronPlay pulls in some serious cash. But estimating creator earnings is always tricky since the figures aren‘t public.
That said, we can piece together a rough estimate based on his viewership and sub count. According to TwitchTracker, AuronPlay streamed for 243 hours over the last 30 days, averaging 101,181 viewers and peaking at 172,144 viewers. He currently has over 28,000 active subscribers.
So let‘s break it down:
Twitch Earnings
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Subscriptions: Twitch partners get a 50/50 split of sub revenue. Assuming an average sub price of $5, 28,000 subs works out to about $140,000 per month for AuronPlay.
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Ads: Twitch CPMs (cost per 1000 ad impressions) range from $2-$10. If we take the low end of $2 CPM, and conservatively estimate 5 ads per hour for his 100,000+ average CCV over 243 hours streamed, that‘s potentially another $243,000/month.
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Bits: Twitch viewers can cheer streamers with bits. We don‘t have exact figures for AuronPlay, but this likely adds thousands more each month.
YouTube Earnings
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Main channel (12M subs): Based on an average of 6.6M views/month and a $4 CPM, we can estimate monthly YouTube AdSense earnings of around $26,400 for his main channel.
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Highlights channel (18.5M subs): The real moneymaker. Averaging 80M views per month, this channel could generate $320,000/month with a $4 CPM.
Sponsorships, Merch, & Donations
On top of his Twitch and YouTube earnings, AuronPlay also makes money from direct sponsorships and brand deals, merchandise sales, and donations. We can‘t know the specifics, but it‘s safe to say this adds a substantial amount more.
So in total, a conservative estimate for AuronPlay‘s monthly earnings from streaming would be at least $700,000. That works out to a staggering $8.4 million per year. And if we factor in merch, sponsorships, etc. he‘s likely pulling in well over $10 million annually, if not more.
It‘s good to be the king.
AuronPlay‘s Most Iconic Series
You don‘t get to 15 million Twitch followers by just playing random games. Throughout his streaming career, AuronPlay has created several wildly popular, long-running series that his fans can‘t get enough of. Here are some of the most iconic:
Minecraft
AuronPlay is best known for his Minecraft streams and series. It all started in 2019 when he joined the Egoland Minecraft server alongside other Spanish creators like Rubius and TheGrefg. His noob antics and over-the-top reactions quickly made him a fan favorite.
After Egoland, Auron hopped on the Karmaland server for another epic crossover series with his streamer friends in 2020. Across 46 episodes, their crazy adventures and dramatic storylines pulled in tens of millions of views.
AuronPlay then created his own Minecraft server, TortillaLand, where he hosted two successful series: TortillaLand and Tortilland Extreme. These SMP (survival multiplayer) series were more hardcore, featuring permadeath and intense competitions between streamers. The highlight was when AuronPlay finally achieved his first Minecraft victory in TortillaLand Extreme after years of trying.
Most recently, Auron played the Exodus Minecraft adventure map with a custom modpack and missions. His comical failures and interactions with other lost streamers like Biyin and Maximus made for highly entertaining viewing as always.
Among Us
In 2020, a little game called Among Us absolutely exploded on Twitch. And AuronPlay was right there leading the charge. He streamed hours of Among Us with his friends nearly every day for months and it never got old.
Watching AuronPlay and his fellow streamers scream at each other over voice chat whenever someone got killed or sussed out the impostor was simply hilarious. His genuine reactions and banter with Rubius, TheGrefg, Biyin and more made for legendary content.
He still revisits the game today, with a recent Among Us VR stream peaking at 125,000 viewers. Goes to show the staying power of this simple yet addicting party game.
GTA V & GTA RP
Another game synonymous with AuronPlay is Grand Theft Auto V. He‘s streamed countless hours of GTAV over the years, starting out with races and deathmatches then moving on to role-playing in heavily modded servers.
Auron had several popular GTA RP series such as the AuronPlay Criminal GTARP streams and Marbella Vice. Watching him cause absolute chaos with Biyin and the rest of the Spanish streaming crew, crashing into things, failing missions, and getting into shenanigans with other role-players never got old.
He still plays GTA from time to time, although has mostly moved on to other games these days. Still, those GTA streams were a big part of what made AuronPlay such a massive success story on Twitch.
Other Interesting AuronPlay Facts
To wrap up our deep dive, here are a few more tidbits about Raul "AuronPlay" Alvarez Genes that you might not know:
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The name "AuronPlay" is a reference to the character Auron from Final Fantasy X, one of Raul‘s favorite games growing up.
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Before being a full-time streamer, AuronPlay worked as a dentist. He even continued practicing dentistry for a period while doing YouTube and Twitch on the side.
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Auron lives together with his longtime girlfriend Biyin, a fellow streamer with over 2.5 million Twitch followers herself. The two have been together for over a decade.
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Despite his massive fame and success, AuronPlay has openly struggled with mental health. He‘s taken extended breaks from streaming and social media to focus on his well-being, citing anxiety, addiction, and the pressure of being an online celebrity.
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While he doesn‘t stream as much as he used to, you can still catch AuronPlay live on Twitch most weekdays starting around 4:00pm CET. He typically takes one day off on weekends.
And there you have it – the ultimate guide to AuronPlay‘s streaming setup, settings, earnings, career, and more! Hopefully this gives you a better sense of what makes Auron such a dominant force on Twitch, and what it takes to reach the upper echelons of streaming stardom.
Of course, gear and numbers are only part of the equation. At the end of the day, AuronPlay‘s success comes down to his hilarious personality, genuine passion for entertaining, and ability to surround himself with other talented creators.
While not everyone can be the next AuronPlay, his story shows that with the right combination of hard work, comedy, creativity, and a ton of hours streamed, it‘s possible to make a successful career out of content creation.
Happy streaming!
