A subathon timer for OBS that adds time by itself
Every sub should extend the stream without anyone doing maths in chat. Set up a subathon timer that adds time on its own and shows it in your overlay.
Vision account required. You build the overlay in the editor. · Updated
How it works
What you need for a subathon timer
Create a subathon in Vision, set its starting duration and decide how much time each sub, gift sub, 100 bits or euro adds. Assign where events come from, add the Subathon layer to an overlay and load that overlay in OBS as a browser source. Start the subathon when you go live.
- OBS Studio and a Vision account on Basic or higher
- Access to Subathons, which is currently in beta
- Your Twitch or Kick account, plus any donation tool you use (StreamElements, Streamlabs, Ko-fi, …)
Step by step
Set up the subathon timer in OBS
Create the subathon
Open Subathons in Vision and click Create subathon. Give it a name and pick a starting duration, for example 4 hours, or set a custom duration in days, hours and minutes. It starts with editable rules for subs, resubs, gifted subs, bits and donations.
Decide what each event is worth
Under Contribution rules, edit or add rules: choose the contribution, the provider under From, For every and Time to add. Rules run from top to bottom and only the first match adds time. Use Maximum time per contribution to cap big gifts or donations.
Assign your event sources
Open Integration sources and choose one provider per event type, for example Twitch for subs and StreamElements for donations. Then click Save sources. Counting each event type from one source prevents the same sub from adding time twice.
Add the timer to your overlay
Click Add to overlay and pick your overlay, or add the Subathon layer in the overlay editor under Timers & Counters. Choose a theme and what it shows: the timer, milestones, the latest contributor or stats. Save the overlay and add it to OBS as a browser source using its link.
Test, then go live
Use Test events to preview how much time a sub or donation adds before you start. When you go live, click Start subathon. Pause, Resume and the −5 / +5 minute buttons stay available during the stream.
Set a limit before you start
A subathon without a limit can run longer than you planned. In the settings, set a Timer cap: a maximum duration or a fixed end time. Time that would go past the cap is logged but not added.
Decide whether contributions still count while the timer is paused, and whether the subathon should end automatically when the timer reaches zero. Both are switches in the settings.
Let your mods run the clock
During a long subathon you will sleep, eat and take breaks. Give moderators permission to control the subathon so they can pause, resume and correct the time from their own browser.
Every change, whether from an event, a mod or a test, appears in the activity log with its reason. That makes it easy to check why the timer jumped.
Troubleshooting
If something is not working
- No time is added? Check Integration sources: each event type needs a provider, and that provider must be connected.
- Time is added twice? Make sure each event type is assigned to only one source.
- The timer doesn't show in OBS? Save the overlay, check the browser source link and confirm the Subathon layer is visible.
FAQ
Subathon timer: common questions
Do follows add time?
No. Subathon time comes from subs, resubs, gift subs, bits and Kicks, donations, raids through your donation tool, and Shopify sales.
Does it work on Kick?
Yes. Kick subs, gifted subs and Kicks can add time, alongside Twitch and your donation tools.
Can I give Tier 3 subs more time?
Not in the rule editor at the moment. Each rule applies to the contribution type as a whole.
Does the subathon start automatically at the scheduled time?
No. The scheduled start shows a countdown in your overlay, but you start the subathon yourself with Start subathon.
