Twitch has quietly rolled out a new feature called Treasure Trains, a modified version of the well-known Hype Train system. According to an announcement made on May 8 by Twitch Support, Treasure Trains will offer viewers discounted gift sub bundles—but only if the Hype Train reaches level 5.
“Treasure Trains are here! These rare hype trains offer a discount on gift sub bundles once level 5 is reached 🚂 Keep your eyes peeled while we experiment with this feature 👀”
While Twitch describes this as a limited-time experiment meant to reward engaged communities, the reception from streamers and viewers has been largely negative—and for good reason.
Another Layer in Twitch’s Monetization Push
Treasure Trains appear to be the latest attempt by Twitch to extract more revenue from viewers, all while maintaining the platform’s high cut from gifted subscriptions. But what makes this feature especially problematic is the fact that streamers can opt out of it.
That might sound like a good thing—until you realize what that means in practice:
If a streamer doesn’t opt out, gifted sub bundles will be sold at a discount once level 5 is reached, resulting in less money per gift sub received. So while Twitch encourages more gifting through this system, streamers are effectively making less if they don’t explicitly disable it.
This puts creators in a lose-lose situation:
- Opt in, and risk lower earnings on discounted gift bundles.
- Opt out, and potentially discourage participation in Hype Trains entirely, as viewers won’t receive the “bonus” discount Twitch promotes.
In other words, the streamer pays the price, no matter what.
Community Reaction: “We See What You’re Doing, Twitch”
Streamers and fans have been quick to point out that Twitch continues to introduce features that prioritize its own bottom line. Rather than tackling long-standing issues like:
- Unfair revenue splits (often 50/50)
- Platform instability and lack of streamer protection
- Terrible discoverability for smaller creators
- Increased ad frequency with minimal payout
Twitch has instead rolled out yet another feature designed to gamify viewer spending, while leaving creators to explain to their communities why their support is now worth less.
Benefits for Whom?
For top-tier streamers with massive communities, Treasure Trains may result in a short-term bump in gifted subs. But for most streamers—who don’t regularly hit level 5 on Hype Trains—it’s nothing but noise. Worse, it dilutes the value of gift subs and increases the pressure to constantly perform for monetization.
And if streamers don’t want to participate? The default is on—they have to opt out manually, meaning the feature silently rolls out and impacts earnings unless creators act.
Final Thoughts
Twitch calls Treasure Trains “rare” and “experimental,” but for most creators, it’s a transparent cash grab disguised as a community reward. It benefits Twitch far more than it benefits the people actually streaming.
Until Twitch addresses the real problems on the platform, features like this will continue to feel hollow—and creators will keep questioning who Twitch is really building for.
