YouTube trends 2025: Key predictions for the year
Discover YouTube's predictions for new trends in content, tech, viewer behavior, and a bunch of other good stuff.
YouTube introduced a ton of new features and updates last year, but how’s 2025 looking content-wise? Let’s look at which YouTube trends are set to blow up, what the platform itself considers to be important, and other bite-sized bits of brain food.
Here’s what could be on the horizon for 2025:
- Animation pops off
- Legacy topics find new life
- Video podcasts rival traditional media
- …but nostalgia still does big numbers
- Content trends break borders
- Young viewers aren’t opposed to brands
- Gaming content goes way beyond gaming
- Fandom spans generations
- Fandom gets niche
- Fandom becomes the content
- YouTube Shorts content shines in key markets
In previous years, YouTube has compiled global, all-in-one Culture & Trends Reports — they provided data-driven, digestible snapshots of worldwide YouTube trends. However, looking back at 2024 and into the year ahead, the platform has done things a little differently.
The data and insights we’ll reference throughout this article come from three different YouTube reports: the Global Culture & Trends Report, the New Indian Aesthetic Culture & Trends Report, and the Fandom Culture & Trends Report.
11 YouTube trends for 2025
1. Animation pops off
Animation’s always had a home on YouTube — some of the platform’s earliest viral moments came from uncanny cartoons. Indie studio Glitch struck gold in 2024 with The Amazing Digital Circus, which is set to rule the roost this year, too.
The adult animated series only has three full episodes under its belt, all released last year. The Amazing Digital Circus has since been picked up by Netflix, and a massive 22% of 14-to-24-year-olds in the US had heard of the show by May 2024 — before the Netflix bump. The show’s die-hard fanbase threw it into the spotlight, racking up more than 25 billion views on content related to the series.
While quantity is important, quality rules. The Amazing Digital Circus’ bizarre 3D visuals, wicked humor, and zeitgeisty smashing of the fourth wall result in something wholly unique. Older viewers consider it a charming, witty throwback, while younger people may have no frame of reference. Either way, it’s a breath of fresh air.
2. Legacy topics find new life
The Olympics have been around for ages, as have comic-book characters like Wolverine. Last year saw these legacy topics kick off, drawing new eyes to old ideas. Deadpool & Wolverine’s box-office success was pushed online with new, buzzy features, with stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds seizing just about every promotional opportunity available.
Likewise, the Olympics were reframed in the form of memes, highlight reels, and coverage. In some cases, YouTube networks like Brazil’s CazéTV were even granted permission to stream specific events.
3. Video podcasts rival traditional media
Video podcasts have gained steam for the past few years, but they reached boiling point in 2024. Actual presidential candidates chose to appear on popular podcasts rather than participate in the old-school media circuit. Why?
Because video podcasts have unbelievable reach — they can be cut down, retooled, and reshared in a matter of minutes. This gives video podcast content the reach and relevance to rival traditional TV news programs.
4. …but nostalgia still does big numbers
Nostalgia is safe. Happy. Whether it’s your favorite band reuniting for one last paycheck or Tom Cruise flying planes just because he can, it’s a powerful tool.
German YouTubers have tapped into nostalgic content formats, giving fresh licks of paint to classic 2000s TV shows like Come Dine With Me. Going forward, this savvy refresh of tried-and-tested formats is sure to continue.
5. Content trends break borders
Different countries have their own trends — it’s only natural, given each nationality’s quirks, interests, and cultural norms. With that in mind, 2024 broke down geographical borders. Indian viewers lapped up US phonk music and drove Cristiano Ronaldo’s YouTube debut; Mexican users embraced Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and more; and the German/Dutch-language Barbara’s Rhabarberbar became a worldwide sensation.
Likewise, French TV’s revival of Star Academy kicked off a YouTube frenzy, gathering more than 103 million views for Star Academy-related content. Consider this alongside the Y2K fashion resurgence, box-office smashes for long-running franchises, and the comeback of well-worn genres like country music — nostalgia’s a scorchingly hot ticket on YouTube and beyond.
6. Young viewers aren’t opposed to brands
It’s true that rushed, shallow branded content won’t wash well with younger viewers — they’re more media-literate and can spot cynicism from miles away. But that doesn’t have to be the case, as long as the branded content, advert, or interaction rings true. In fact, 74% of US Gen Z viewers claim to enjoy watching brands engage with things they’re fans of.
7. Gaming content goes way beyond gaming
Online gaming content used to be associated with Twitch live streamers, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg nowadays. Roblox Studios’ Dressed to Impress scored more than 4 billion related video views on YouTube in 2024, piquing interest from gamers and non-gamers alike. Thanks to a collab with Charli XCX, Dressed to Impress took users’ and viewers’ Brat Summer to a whole new level.
8. Fandom spans generations
When you think of superfans, you probably imagine someone under the age of 20. YouTube’s shown that this just isn’t the case — 80% of self-identified US fans, aged between 14 and 44, consume content of which they’re a fan on a weekly basis. Moreover, 85% of people in that age group identify as ‘fans’ of someone or something.
This covers everything: casual fans, superfans, fans who know the birthdays, family members, and grocery lists of their favorite content creators. This spectrum accommodates people who only view content, right down to those who create their own theories, fan edits, and tributes to existing content, like with Dressed to Impress and The Amazing Digital Circus.
9. Fandom gets niche
While fandom is clearly open to people old enough to remember dial-up internet, it’s Gen Z who’re finding new niches. YouTube found that 47% of 14-to-24-year-olds claim they belong to a fandom for which they don’t personally know any other fans. This shows just how broad the art of content creation has become, but it also presents an opportunity. Lock into an untapped niche, and you could cater to an audience you didn’t realize existed.
10. Fandom becomes the content
We’ve focused on fandom for this chunk of the article because, well, without the fans, there’s no audience for content! And, as we touched on earlier, there’s so much more to content than the initial video. Three in five US adults admit to spending more time watching content discussing, unpacking, or theorizing about something than the actual thing itself.
YouTube offered the perfect data point to back this up. When Rockstar dropped the trailer for the long-awaited, comically delayed Grand Theft Auto VI, it snatched more than 93 million views in 24 hours. But step back a moment — reaction videos, deep dives, and other fan-made videos garnered 192 million views during the same period.
11. YouTube Shorts content shines in key markets
YouTube Shorts has only been on the scene for a few years, and it’s already found a home in key markets. Snappy, short-form content formats thrive on the platform — get-ready-with-me videos in India snagged more than 7.2 billion views during 2024, while skincare Shorts received more than 4 billion views.
YouTubers across the world create Shorts content in different, inventive ways. Indonesian creators use Shorts to keep their country’s vibrant — yet still fairly niche — gaming culture alive. On the other hand, Brazilian creators leverage music on Shorts to tell intimate, point-of-view stories rather than jumping on dance trends.
Now that we’ve gone through the key YouTube trends for 2025, it’s worth circling back to that final point: music. YouTube and YouTube Shorts’ monetization policies allow music usage within the platform, but it’s subject to limitations and revenue splits. Want more choice, more tools, more music? We’ve got you covered.
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