Twitch and Kick emote design: sizes, rules, and how many emotes you need
Twitch emote sizes 28/56/112 px, Kick emotes, animated emote limits, sub badge tiers and the 28-pixel secret of a good emote. A short guide to custom emote design.
An emote is the one thing a viewer feels they own on your channel: they type it in chat, use it on Discord, even show it off in other channels. That makes the emote set the most-used part of the channel identity — not filler.
Sizes and technical rules
| Platform | Display size | Upload | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch static | 28 · 56 · 112 px | one square PNG (≥112×112, ≤4096×4096), transparent | 1 MB |
| Twitch animated | 28 · 56 · 112 px | GIF 112×112 | ≤60 frames, 1 MB |
| Twitch sub badge | 18 · 36 · 72 px | PNG | 25 KB |
| Kick | square PNG | 112×112 production size | 4 MB general limit |
| Discord | 128×128 | PNG / GIF | 256 KB |
| YouTube membership emoji | 32×32 display | square PNG | 1 MB |
Creatune delivery: every emote as 112×112 PNG (platform), 500×500 PNG (Discord, socials, stickers) and, for animated ones, GIF + alpha WebM. Source files (vector or layered) on request.
The 28-pixel rule
An emote lives its real life at 28 pixels — that is how it looks in chat. Most drawings that look great at 112 turn into a blurry blob at 28. The rules we apply:
- One idea, one silhouette. A waving hand, a laughing face, a crying eye. Never two ideas in one square.
- Thick outline, little detail. Thin lines vanish at 28; outline and main colour blocks stay.
- High contrast. Must read on both dark and light chat themes; a subtle outer stroke is insurance.
- Fill the frame. In face emotes the head fills the square; empty space is the enemy.
- Character consistency. The channel mascot/portrait is drawn with the same line weight and eye style across the set — in the Queddy set the portal and toxic green run through all six.
Which six emotes?
The first set that works answers nearly the same needs on every channel:
- Hello / welcome — the most typed at the start of stream
- Laugh — chat's native language
- Sad / cry — for lost matches
- Hype / fire — clutch moments
- GG / thanks — sign-off and gratitude
- The channel's inside joke — something only that community gets; usually ends up the most used
Deluxe (10) and Ultimate (12) add the second ring: "confused", "coffee", "sleep", "rage", "love", "salute".
When do animated emotes make sense?
Animated emotes draw attention in chat, but too many wear people out. Rule: short loop (0.5–1.5 s), one motion, readable at 28 pixels. A waving hand, popping confetti, a spinning eye. Ultimate includes 6 animated emotes; animating the six most-used static ones is the most efficient route.
Sub badges
Badges are the small icons that show subscription length (1 month, 3, 6, 1 year…). To stay distinguishable at 18 pixels, tiers change by colour + one shape change: bronze sword → silver sword → gold sword → crowned sword. Deluxe includes sub badges, Ultimate an 8-tier badge set.
For an emote set, send your channel link and the expressions you want on WhatsApp; we will look at which package fits. Package contents: Stream packages.
Frequently asked
1.What size are Twitch emotes?
Twitch shows emotes at 28×28, 56×56 and 112×112 pixels. Upload one square PNG (at least 112×112, up to 4096×4096, transparent background, under 1 MB) and Twitch generates the smaller sizes. Creatune delivers emotes at 112×112 and 500×500 (for Discord and socials).
2.How should an animated emote be made?
Twitch animated emotes are GIFs at 112×112 pixels, up to 60 frames and under 1 MB. Design a short, looping motion that still reads at 28 pixels. The Ultimate package includes 6 animated emotes.
3.How many emotes should I start with?
Six is a good start — hello, laugh, sad/cry, hype, GG and one inside joke unique to your channel. As a Twitch affiliate you start with 1 emote slot and unlock more as subs grow, but preparing the whole set up front keeps the identity consistent on Discord and socials.
4.How much does emote design cost?
Emotes are part of Creatune packages: Setup and Starter include 6 static emotes, Deluxe 10, Ultimate 12 static + 6 animated. We also do individual emotes outside the packages; message us on WhatsApp with the number you need.
