YouTube Challenges Spotify Wrapped with New Recap Feature
YouTube is set to challenge Spotify Wrapped with its new feature, YouTube Recap, launching on December 2, 2025. This personalized and shareable highlight reel offers users a comprehensive overview of their watch history, similar to year-end summaries provided by other platforms.
YouTube Recap Explained
YouTube Recap presents users with a tailored summary of their viewing habits over the year. The feature not only showcases top channels and interests but also assesses users’ “personality type.” This initiative aims to enhance user engagement by making content more accessible and enjoyable.
Release Details
- Launch Date: December 2, 2025
- Access: Available on the YouTube homepage and under the “You” tab on mobile and desktop.
End of Year Lists by YouTube
In conjunction with the Recap feature, YouTube has also revealed its five “End of Year” lists for 2025. These lists reflect the platform’s trends and highlight significant cultural moments.
Trending Topics of 2025
The “Trending Topics of 2025” list captures notable cultural moments across various domains, including films, memes, and music. The topics selected reflected heightened user interest this year.
- Squid Game
- User-Generated Roblox Experiences
- KPop
- Demon Hunters
- Brainrot
- Charlie Kirk
- Labubu
- Nintendo Switch 2
- Cookie Run Kingdom
- Blue Lock
- KATSEYE
Top Creators of 2025
The “Top Creators” list ranks creators based on the number of subscribers gained within the year, excluding brands and children’s channels. The standout creators are:
- MrBeast
- CaylusBlox
- IShowSpeed
- Double Date
- Cadel and Mia
- Charlie Kirk
- Law by Mike
- CoryxKenshin
- Zack D. Films
- Outdoor Boys
Top Podcasts on YouTube
The “Top Podcasts” list presents the most-watched podcasts based on total watch time in the U.S. The leading podcasts are:
- The Joe Rogan Experience
- KILL TONY
- Good Mythical Morning
- Rotten Mango
- The MeidasTouch Podcast
- 48 Hours
- Shawn Ryan Show
- Smosh Reads Reddit Stories
- This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
- The Diary Of A CEO
Top Songs on YouTube Shorts
The “Top Songs on Shorts” list highlights popular music creations that debuted or gained traction during 2025. The standout songs include:
- “YOUR WAY’S BETTER” – Forrest Frank
- “Passo Bem Solto (Slowed)” – ATLXS
- “Rock That Body” – Black Eyed Peas
- “Pretty Little Baby” – Connie Francis
- “chess” – Joyful
- “Anxiety” – Doechii
- “Doot Doot (6 7)” – Skrilla
- “Soda Pop” – Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
- “Confess your love” – Jiandro (feat. ola.wav)
- “Ocean Eyes” – Billie Eilish
Top Songs of 2025
The “Top Songs” list ranks tracks based on their views and overall popularity during the year. The leading songs include:
- “Die With A Smile” – Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga
- “APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
- “Golden” – HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
- “Soda Pop” – Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
- “Your Idol” – Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
- “El Mayor de los Ranas” – Victor Valverde, Jr Torres
- “How It’s Done” – HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters Cast)
- “Ordinary” – Alex Warren
- “Luther” – Kendrick Lamar, SZA
- “tv off” – Kendrick Lamar
With YouTube Recap, the platform is poised to enhance user experience while providing insights into musical trends and content engagement for 2025. This new feature aims to reshape how users interact with their favorite content on YouTube.
