Ever missed a live stream or a crucial game moment on Twitch and thought of getting back to it? With the help of VOD (Video On Demand), you can access content on the go.

But what if it’s an ongoing livestream? You can’t wait until you get a VOD, right? Hence, in such cases, you’d have to rely on some other methods. 

In this article, we will talk about how to watch Twitch VODs while already watching the live stream. 

Can You Rewind a Twitch Live Stream?

Technically speaking, you won’t be able to rewind anything on Twitch. However, live updates, recaps, and highlights of this popular event should be available somewhere on third-party websites or the community channels to which you are subscribed. Probably, the person is enabling some clips so other viewers can even capture short fragments of the streaming and replay them.

How to Watch Twitch VODs While Live While Streamer is Live

Some tricks, like Livestream VOD catch-up, can be very helpful for scrolling back through an ongoing live stream. Here is how to do it. 

1. Go to the Streamer’s Twitch Channel

First, open the Twitch channel of the streamer you’re watching. You can do this by typing their username or clicking their profile from the Followed Channels list.

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2. Click on the “Videos” Tab

Once you find the channel, head over to the video player. Below the main video player, click on the Videos tab to access all past broadcasts (VODs), clips, and highlights. This is where Twitch stores previously streamed content if VODs are enabled.

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3. Find and Select the Most Recent VOD

If the streamer has enabled VOD saving, their most recent stream will appear at the top under Recent Broadcasts. Click on it to open the video and start watching from where you left off.

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4. Adjust Playback to Catch Up on Missed Moments

Skim through VOD to quickly find the specific part of your stream you wish to watch after missing. Here, you fast-forward, rewind, or get to play on 1.25x to catch up super fast.

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Alternative Method to Watch Twitch Videos While Live

Apart from this method, you can also rely on third-party websites like Multitwitch.tv; this way, you will be able to go back to crucial moments of the live stream easily. In this, you would have to follow steps similar to those in the livestream VOD catch-up. Here’s how you can do it:  

Find the Twitch VOD and Live Stream Links

Start by locating the links to both the live stream and the VOD you want to watch. Go to Twitch, navigate to the streamer’s channel, and copy the URL of the ongoing live stream. Then, go to the Videos tab on the same channel and copy the URL of the VOD you wish to view.

Use Multitwitch.tv to Load Both

Once you have the links, open a new tab and go to https://multitwitch.tv. This will load both the live stream and the VOD side by side in a single window, making it easy to follow both without needing multiple tabs or screens.

Adjust the Layout for Better Viewing

Once both videos are loaded, you can resize or reposition the video players according to your preference. If the overlapping audio becomes distracting, you can mute one of the streams (either the live stream or the VOD) to keep the experience smooth.

Click on the “Videos” tab.

Now, on their channel page, locate and click the Videos tab, which is usually below the main video player. This will take you to their past broadcasts (VODs). In fact, you can also find the ongoing livestream you want to view there.

Optimize Performance

If you experience any lag or buffering, try reducing the video quality of one of the streams to 720p or 480p to save bandwidth and use a lower CPU/GPU. If the page is still slow, try running Multitwitch on an Incognito tab in another browser to resolve the system resource assignment.

Tips While Rewinding a Twitch Video

For each kind of video, you would have to open a stream in different tabs. Here are a few things to consider to improve your viewing experience.

• Always use Picture-in-Picture Mode to keep the VOD (Video On Demand) floating.
• To avoid audio clutter, mute either the VOD or the live stream. If you’re only skimming the VOD, you can mute it and rely on captions (if available).
• Reducing the resolution of one of the videos helps save bandwidth and CPU/GPU power. Keep the live stream in higher quality if it’s interactive.
• If you notice lag, disabling hardware acceleration might improve performance, especially on lower-end systems.
• You may even use a different browser or incognito tab to help by stopping unnecessary caching, which could cause delays. 

Conclusion

With tricks like VOD (Video On Demand) catch-up and Simultaneous Live & VOD Viewing, you can view the past moments in the timeline. However, please note that these tricks come with a limitation. Here, you will not be able to view the last 10 minutes of the stream. While viewing the same video in different tabs, always make sure you mute the ongoing livestream to enjoy a smooth viewing experience. 

FAQs

Is there a way to sync a Twitch VOD with a live chat replay?

Yes! When watching a VOD, you can enable Chat Replay to see the messages as they appeared during the original stream. However, it’s not perfectly synced in real-time with the VOD’s playback speed adjustments.

Can I watch a subscriber-only VOD if I’m not subscribed?

No, subscriber-only VODs are locked unless you have a valid subscription to the channel. Some streamers may release them publicly after a certain period, so check back later.

Why do some Twitch VODs disappear after a while?

Twitch automatically deletes VODs after a certain time: It could be around 14 days for regular streamers and 60 days for Partners and Twitch Turbo users. If a VOD is missing, the streamer may have also deleted it manually.

Can I download a Twitch VOD to watch offline?

Only the streamer can officially download their own VODs from Twitch. As a viewer, you’d need third-party tools (which may violate Twitch’s terms of service), so always check the streamer’s other platforms, like YouTube, for uploads.