Twitch Game Cover Art to be Powered by IGDB
In September of 2019, Twitch joined forces with IGDB, a public database that specializes in games and gaming knowledge. We leverage IGDB community contributions to augment many of our creator discovery mechanisms, such as search and recommendations. However, there was one piece of game metadata that so far has been managed separately – cover art.
Currently, to update the cover art displayed on Twitch, the game’s developer or publisher needs to register as a Twitch Developer Organization and claim the game via the Twitch developer console. Once approved, they can upload the cover art (sometimes referred to as box art) from the “Games” section of the console.
On or soon after November 17, 2021, we are migrating to an automatic ingestion of cover art from IGDB. This introduces a number of benefits to developers and publishers:
- A single source of truth for game cover art
- Ability to rely on community cover art contributions
- Improved user experience for games that are no longer actively managed
Frequently Asked Questions
**What will happen to my game’s cover art on November 17? **
The cover art found on IGDB will now be displayed on Twitch. You may submit a cover art contribution to IGDB in preparation for this change.
**How should I update my cover art in preparation for this change and after November 17? **
Sign into IGDB using any Twitch user account to update the cover art. Typically, a contribution will be reviewed within 24 hours (not including weekends and holidays) and will go live on IGDB as soon as it has been accepted. After November 17, an IGDB contribution will appear on Twitch within 10 minutes. Visit the IGDB Contribution Guidelines to learn more about contributing to IGDB.
What are the technical image requirements for IGDB submissions?
- 3:4 format ratio, with a minimum resolution of 600x800px
- No larger than 3MB
- JPEG or PNG format
See IGDB for additional guidelines.