YouTube has issued its first annual YouTube Recap. The feature is available to users worldwide and takes the form of a shareable YouTube Short that highlights favorites based on your watch history from the year. “You’ll get a set of up to 12 different cards that spotlight your top channels, interests, and even the evolution of your viewing habits, or which personality type you fall into based on the videos you loved to watch,” YouTube explains of the highlight reel. Along with YouTube Recap, the streamer also released its 2025 U.S. trending lists covering creators, songs, podcasts and cultural moments.

“YouTube celebrated its 20th birthday this year, and while a lot has changed over the years, one thing has stayed consistent: Pop culture continues to be defined by the ways creators and fans use video,” the company notes in a blog post presenting the Global Trends Report.

Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Squid Game” made the trending topics Top 10. “‘Squid Game’-focused skits and challenge recreations put the show in a new lens, while fans recognized ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ with videos that treated girl group HUNTR/X as if it was a real KPop group, fancams and all,” YouTube explains.

YouTube star and entrepreneur MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) was the No. 1 creator for the sixth consecutive year.

In a separate blog post on the Recap, YouTube says the personalized presentation went through “nine rounds of feedback and over 50 different concept tests” before arriving at the current presentation. “After digging into how we all watch YouTube, we didn’t just see data — we saw personalities, from the Adventurer or Skill Builder, to the Creative Spirit, and so many more.”

The most common personalities were the Sunshiner, the Wonder Seeker, and the Connector, while the Philosopher and the Dreamer emerged as “rare personas.”

The trending topics list, which is unranked, looks outward rather than inward and “is based on analysis by the YouTube Culture & Trends team of multiple data points, including views, uploads and creator activity around these topics” for the year, reports Variety.

“Users will also be able to see their top artists and songs of the year, but they can get deeper insights in the YouTube Music app with their annual YouTube Music Recap, which started rolling out last week,” writes TechCrunch.

Related:
Spotify Wants to Be the Next Big Video Service, The Verge, 12/4/25
Spotify Unveils Top 50 Podcasts of 2025, Led by Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Mel Robbins, Variety, 12/3/25
Spotify Wrapped ‘Listening Age’ Feature Has Music Fans Howling, The Wall Street Journal, 12/4/25
YouTube Music Rolls Out AI Powered Recap for 2025, Social Media Today, 11/25/25
YouTube Music Rolling Out 2025 Recap with ‘Ask About Your Year’ AI Chat, 9to5Google, 11/24/25