Unlike Youtube Live and some other broadcasting services, Twitch has yet to come up with an official rewind option for its users. A choice that would allow stream viewers to go back to any point in a stream and perhaps rewatch their favorite moments or watch moments they might’ve missed.
That said, with systems like these, there are often workarounds or loopholes users can exploit to get what they want. And the rewind option on Twitch is no exception because we’ve come up with 3 different ways of rewinding streams on Twitch that effectively work around the platform’s limitations.
3 Ways to Rewind on Twitch Streams
You can use these methods to rewind live streams on Twitch and watch your favorite part again.
1. Twitch DVR Chrome Extension
If you’re a viewer who needs to rewind a Twitch stream by more than a couple of minutes then the Twitch DVR extension from Chrome is definitely going to come in handy.
The use of this extension does not involve creating or deleting any clips on Twitch and allows you to move to any previous point in the stream regardless of how long the stream is.
Here’s a step-by-step guide detailing its installation:
- Search for the Chrome Extension on your Chrome Browser or just click here to add the extension.
- Inside the Chrome Extension tab search for Twitch DVR and click on the first result that shows up.
- Click the “Add to Chrome” button next to the extension.
- Wait for the extension to install and be added to your list of browser extensions.
- Once installed, make sure you set the extension to enable on “twitch.tv” which makes sure that the extension starts working as soon as you enter the website.
- With the extension working, you’ll now start seeing a slider on the bottom of streams that lets you go back to any moment, just like when you’re watching YouTube videos.
2. Using Twitch VODs
Twitch VODs are basically videos that record the entire broadcast of a stream from the moment it begins. As a stream continues these VODs get updated in real time as well with a few minutes of delay.
These VODs, unlike the streams they’re recorded from, allow viewers to rewind back to any point they want.
However, it’s important to know that not all streamers have VODs enabled. Plus, watching a VOD instead of a stream would mean that you can’t interact with the streamer’s chat in real time.
Here’s how to access a streamer’s VOD:
- While watching a stream, click on the streamer’s name below the bottom left of the stream player.
- Otherwise, just write “/videos” next to the streamer’s name in the URL. For example “twitch.tv/thenormies/videos” would be the full URL. Or
- Both actions would take you to the streamer’s recorded videos or VODs. With the first option being the latest broadcast that’s been recorded.
- Click on the VOD and pause, play, and rewind to any moment in the video that you’d like to see.
3. Twitch Clips
Twitch clips is another feature that a streamer can decide to enable or disable. If it is enabled, it allows viewers to rewind 90 seconds back from the present second of a stream in order to create a one-minute clip of a moment they’d like to save.
Here’s how Twitch clips work:
- You click on the clip button located on the bottom right of the stream’s video player.
- You then drag the blue bar as far back as you want, provided it’s within 90 seconds of the present second.
- This gives you the opportunity to create a clip or just watch back the last 1 minute and 30 seconds that you missed.
Wrapping up
Despite there not being any rewind button for streams on Twitch currently, the popular streaming platform has mentioned that they’re open to adding the option in the future.
In fact, the company did just recently test out a rewind stream button that allows viewers to go back two minutes to the present second. So, fingers crossed that their efforts actually work out and we get a rewind button in the very near future.
Until that happens though, you do have the option of using any of the 3 methods we’ve mentioned in this article.
Just remember that these methods are not perfect and you might run into occasional problems and the best thing to do at that point is to stay patient.
