How to Change Stream Delay on Twitch

What is Stream Delay?

Looking to boost viewer engagement and react quicker to any live event in chat? Then you’ll want to start by making a simple change to your stream delay on Twitch! By default, Twitch has a rough 5-30 second delay between the viewer and streamer. Depending on where the viewer and streamer are located, the delay could be longer or shorter. So back in 2018, Twitch added their Low Latency Mode which gave streamers the ability to reduce their live stream’s average latency from 5-30 seconds down to a crazy 2-3 seconds.

This low latency feature was not originally native to the Twitch platform and was their response to Microsoft’s now failed streaming site Mixer. Which had FTL (Faster Than Light) technology, giving viewers nearly zero lag which made for a pretty crazy viewing experience. Other competitors now have similar features, like YouTubes “Low Latency” and “Ultra Low Latency” modes which promote near real time latency.

Disabling stream delay is a feature available to every Twitch channel, regardless of partnership status on Twitch. So in this guide we’ll be going over a bevy of info on how to change stream delay and enabling low latency mode on Twitch for both streamer and viewer!

How to Change Stream Delay on Twitch – Streamer

Lets head over to Twitch, then click on our Twitch account profile image in the top right hand corner. Click “Creator Dashboard”

In the Twitch creator dashboard, look to the left hand side under the “Settings” drop-down menu. Select “Stream”

Under “Stream Key & Preferences“, locate the “Latency Mode” settings. Select “Low Latency”

With that, you now know how to change your Twitch stream delay! Please note that this cannot be done mid-stream, if enabled during your broadcast it’ll require restarting the live stream to take effect.

Pro’s of Low Latency Mode

• Faster engagement with viewers – Opting for the Low Latency Mode reduces your live streams delay significantly. So you’ll be able to react to follows, alerts, and have a real-time conversation with your chat. A perfect option for a highly engaged streamer looking to boost user experience.
• Improves viewer-interactive games –  Disabling Stream delay makes playing viewer interactive games like The Jackbox Party Pack or Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, feel more like a true coop experience. Especially in those time crucial game modes where that real-time interaction is needed!
• Works with all popular browsers – Twitch allows the viewer to choose if they want a stream delay or not as well, regardless if you have this Low Latency Mode enabled.  This function is supported across different browsers from Google Chrome, Edge, and even Firefox.  Even viewers watching on Android, IOS, PlayStation and Xbox can toggle a low latency option which is a nice added bonus.

Con’s of Low Latency Mode

• Dip in stream quality – This really depends on the type of games you play. For slower, more RPG like games, Low Latency Mode shouldn’t pose any serious or noticeable quality dips to your stream. But if you are more into competitive games like First Person Shooters, this could add more pixelization to your stream.
• Buffering issues for viewers – Twitch servers are sending out the video feed to viewers quicker than before. Which may require a good internet connection from viewers in order to quickly load the stream for faster playback, impacting their user experience. This is the reason why Twitch gave viewers the ability to turn Low Latency Mode off on their end, to prevent Twitch lagging or any playback issues.
• Stream sniping – Once again depending on the type of games you play, stream snipers could be a very real issue regardless of how big any streamer is. Turning off Twitch delay improves the amount of time a stream sniper has to join your lobby, oppose to trying to time the 5-30 second delay.

How to Turn on Low Latency Mode on Twitch Mobile – Viewer

If any streamer you are watching has enabled Low Latency Mode, you as a viewer will have the option to toggle it on or off as well. This feature is only available on the IOS version of the mobile Twitch app, sorry Android users!

When watching a stream, tap the playback window and select the “Settings” wheel in the top right corner

Next, in the list of options, find and enable the “Low Latency Player”

Once enabled, you’ll be prompted with the window below.

If you are getting buffering issues, your internet speed might not be fast enough to keep up with the bitrate of the stream. You can correct this by dropping the streams resolution or by turning off Low Latency Mode. Also might be worth it to do a speed test and see if there might be a bigger network issue.

How to Turn on Low Latency Mode in a Browser – Viewer

As the same with mobile, if a streamer has Low Latency Mode enabled you can toggle this feature on or off directly in your browser. While we did this in Google Chrome, the same process applies if you prefer a different browser that has been approved by Twitch.

Hover your mouse over the playback window, click on the “Settings” cog wheel shown below

Click on the “Advanced” kick out

Toggle the “Low Latency” option

Now you’ll be able to watch your favorite streamer in near real time! Much like with mobile, if you’re experiencing buffering or lag issues it might be better to leave this feature off. Or check your network and see if there may be issues with your internet service provider.

How to Check Stream Latency on Twitch – Stream/Viewer

Twitch allows viewers to check what your stream latency is on every channel. The Twitch video stats window gives some pretty valuable info, aside from just the stream latency. The video stats window also lets you see your resolution, frames per second, and buffer size as well. Here is how you can check your video stat window on Twitch:

In the bottom right hand side of the stream display window, click on the “SETTINGS” cog wheel as shown below

Next click on the “ADVANCED” kick out

From there you’ll have 3 sliders to choose from, click the “video stats” slider to enable the video stats window

Here is the video stats window, where you can see the “LATENCY TO BROADCASTER“. This is the seconds difference between the streamer and viewer.

Might be worth mentioning, if you are watching your own stream the latency is going to relative to only you. The amount of seconds will differ depending on where your viewer is located, but might be fun to ask how much latency each is getting. This video stat window was taken from friend of the site, BeardandHat’s stream has a pretty impressive latency of almost 5 seconds under NORMAL LATENCY. Which is already really good given our location is on the other side of the country. Low Latency mode would lessen that time for near real time interaction.

How to ADD Stream Delay Via OBS – Streamer

Now there may be situations where intentionally adding stream latency may be needed. If you’re playing in a competitive tournament that requires adding a specific amount of stream delay, you can do that directly in the OBS broadcasting software.

While simple to setup, its not without its drawbacks. For every second of delay you add in your stream delay settings, you are requiring OBS to use more of your PC’s RAM. So keep in mind your PC’s specs when enabling this feature or your stream might suffer. Here is how to add stream delay in OBS:

Firstly, Open OBS and go to “Settings”

On the left side of the settings selection, go to “Advanced Settings”

Look for the section that has “Stream Delay”

In the stream delay options, you’ll need to “Check the Enable Box” & add the desired duration of the delay

Reminder that when adding stream delay on purpose that it does have an impact on you PC’s performance. The longer the duration of the delay, the more RAM will be needed by OBS.