{"id":37473,"date":"2024-10-01T03:29:20","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T09:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=37473"},"modified":"2026-05-25T01:27:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:27:24","slug":"youtube-play-button","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/youtube-play-button","title":{"rendered":"YouTube Play Button: Everything You Need To Know (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have a favorite YouTuber, you <\/span>likely<\/span><\/i> know what a YouTube Play Button is already. But what is the history behind the Play Button? What types of buttons exist? How can you get a Play Button of your own?<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to answer <\/span>all of these questions<\/b> – and more – to help you better understand what these buttons mean and how you can work on getting one yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> YouTube Creator Awards are the same thing as Play Buttons and the verbiage is used interchangeably.<\/div><\/div>\n

What is the YouTube Play Button?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The YouTube Play Button is the plaque that many creators have in the backgrounds of their videos. You\u2019ve almost certainly seen someone with the Silver button on the wall behind them in their videos, which signifies that they hit <\/span>100,000 subscribers<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each button is an award of recognition for a specific subscriber milestone.<\/span><\/p>\n

YouTube says it best:<\/strong> \u201cCreators pour their heart and soul into their videos.\u201d And in an effort to celebrate creators, the platform offers these neat buttons that everyone raves about and strives to receive as a creator.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when did creator awards first start?<\/span><\/p>\n

On June 28, 2012, the first Creator Award was introduced at VidCon 2012, <\/span>but<\/span><\/i> the first plaque was actually the Gold one. Silver wasn\u2019t introduced until a year later and Diamond was introduced in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Types of YouTube Play Buttons<\/span> Can I Earn?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Play Buttons often contain rare metals, but the composition of the buttons has changed over the years. For example,<\/strong> the silver version of the button contained 2.5% zinc, 5% carbon and 92% nickel in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gold isn\u2019t made from 100% gold – unfortunately – but it\u2019s made of gold-plated brass.<\/span><\/p>\n

And with all of this in mind, let\u2019s look at the many types of Play Buttons and how you can begin earning them as a creator.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Silver<\/span> Play Button<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Silver is the first tier of Play Buttons, and you can earn this button by reaching <\/span>100,000 subscribers<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Gold<\/span> Play Button<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gold is the second tier button, and you\u2019ll need to hit<\/strong> <\/a><\/span>1 million subs<\/b><\/a> to receive this button.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Diamond<\/span> Play Button<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Diamond is the third button you can receive, and you\u2019ll be in the company of just 995 channels that have hit<\/strong> <\/a><\/span>10 million subscribers<\/b><\/a>. The composition of this button is silver-plating with a crystal, but it\u2019s not made out of diamond.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Custom<\/span> Play Button<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At its discretion, YouTube can grant someone the Custom button, which is for channels with <\/span>50 million subscribers. <\/b>What\u2019s really awesome about the custom award is that the color can vary.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example,<\/strong> PewDiePie was granted a ruby-colored award that looked like his logo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blackpink\u2019s award had a pink base with a black award on top of it, so it\u2019s a truly unique plaque. As you may have guessed, very few creators have a custom button.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Red Diamond<\/span> Play Button<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Channels that have <\/span>100 million<\/b> subscribers<\/strong> will receive this play button, and it features a dark red crystal. Some of the channels that have received this award are:<\/span><\/p>\n

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