10 Most Popular Torrent Sites in 2026

The most popular torrent sites in TorrentFreak’s traffic snapshot published at the start of 2026 were YTS, 1337x, Nyaa, The Pirate Bay, FitGirl Repacks, EXT.to, EZTV, Skidrow & Reloaded, LimeTorrents, and RARGB. The ranking is based on estimated visits to individual domains, so it measures popularity rather than safety, legality, catalog quality, or total traffic across every proxy.

The domain checks dated July 22, 2026 show how quickly this category changes: some addresses responded, some redirected, and one returned an access-control page. A reachable domain is not automatically an authentic mirror, and it says nothing about the safety or rights status of a particular file.

BitTorrent has lawful uses, including distributing open-source software. Uploading or downloading copyrighted material without permission may infringe the rightsholder’s rights, and many clients upload pieces while a download is in progress. Use it only for files you are authorized to obtain and share.

The 2026 torrent-site ranking at a glance

Rank	Site	Main focus	Endpoint status on July 22, 2026
1	YTS	Movies in compact encodes	The domain in the January ranking now redirects elsewhere; verify any claimed replacement independently
2	1337x	General-purpose index	Its signed status page reports restricted features and ongoing attacks
3	Nyaa	Anime and East Asian media	The cited domain responded directly
4	The Pirate Bay	General-purpose index	The cited domain redirected to its own index path
5	FitGirl Repacks	Compressed PC-game repacks	The cited domain responded directly
6	EXT.to	Torrent metasearch	The site returned an access-control page; availability was not confirmed
7	EZTV	Television	The cited domain responded directly
8	Skidrow & Reloaded	PC-game release posts	The cited domain redirected to its www host
9	LimeTorrents	General-purpose index	The cited domain redirected to its www host
10	RARGB	General-purpose index	The cited domain responded; it is not the original RARBG service

This order follows the ranking’s summary table. Its detailed entries swap the labels for positions eight and nine, so those two positions should not be treated as a precise difference in audience size.

The same baseline warning applies to all ten entries: confirm the current domain, inspect the individual listing and file, and use only material you are allowed to obtain and share. The profiles below focus on what distinguishes each site instead of repeating that warning after every name.

1. YTS

YTS ranked first in the January traffic snapshot. It is a movie-focused index known for small encodes in multiple resolutions. The current operation is an unofficial successor to the original YIFY/YTS group, which closed in 2015.

Its address has been unusually unstable. Reporting traced moves from the long-running .mx domain to .lt and then .bz; on July 22, the .bz endpoint redirected to a different domain. That is a reason to avoid addresses copied from old articles or search ads.

2. 1337x

1337x is a broad index for movies, television, music, games, software, and other categories. It rose after several older competitors disappeared and remains one of the most visited names in the category.

The service publishes a signed status page because fake domains are common. Its April 2026 notice describes a sustained attack, an unavailable onion service, disabled public registration, and limits on login, comments, and uploads. Use that signed page rather than an old bookmark to identify the addresses the operator currently claims.

3. Nyaa

Nyaa specializes in anime, manga, live-action East Asian media, music, literature, and related software. Its category and language filters make it more focused than a general-purpose index. The current community-run site is a resurrection of the original Nyaa, which closed in 2017.

The index uses colors and account status to distinguish trusted uploaders and remakes. Anyone looking specifically for audio should use our separate music torrent sites overview, which covers that narrower category.

4. The Pirate Bay

The Pirate Bay dates to 2003 and remains one of the oldest active public indexes. It has survived raids, seizures, ISP blocks, domain changes, and long outages. Counting all proxy traffic could change its position, which is why a single-domain ranking understates some brands.

Its familiar skull icons identify site-defined trusted or VIP uploaders and provide context about account history. They are not an independent review of the file itself.

5. FitGirl Repacks

FitGirl Repacks is not a conventional all-purpose torrent index. It publishes compressed repacks of PC games and supplies magnet links, which is why the traffic ranking includes it alongside public indexes.

The focus creates an especially high legal and security boundary: commercial game files are generally copyrighted, and executable installers can cause more damage than a mislabeled media file. A recognizable site name, small download, or large comment thread does not establish authorization or safety.

6. EXT.to

EXT.to is a lightweight torrent search engine that gained attention after TorrentGalaxy disappeared. It relies largely on magnet links and search rather than trying to reproduce the community features of a large index.

A metasearch result inherits its details from the underlying listing and swarm. On July 22, the site returned an access-control page, so its current search results could not be confirmed.

7. EZTV

EZTV is focused on television releases. The operation using the name today is not the original EZTV team: the original group dissolved after losing its domains and data in 2015, while another group retained the brand.

Its domains have changed repeatedly, which makes clones and stale bookmarks a recurring problem. The cited endpoint responded on July 22.

8. Skidrow & Reloaded

Skidrow and RELOADED are names associated with game-cracking groups. The site in this ranking uses those names for a blog-style catalog of PC-game releases; it should not be assumed to be an official site operated by either group.

The cited domain redirected to its www host on July 22. Because pages in this category commonly promote executable installers, readers face both copyright and malware risk. A branded release name is not a security review.

9. LimeTorrents

LimeTorrents has operated as a general-purpose index since 2009. It covers movies, television, music, games, software, anime, and other categories, with listing details such as age, size, seeds, and peers.

Older or less popular listings may have few active seeders, and its domain is blocked in some regions. Seed counts and category filters can help assess availability, but they cannot establish who created a file, whether it contains what it claims, or whether sharing it is allowed.

10. RARGB

RARGB is a newer site whose name deliberately resembles RARBG with the final letters reversed. It gained traffic after the original RARBG shut down in May 2023, but it is not a continuation authenticated by that former operator.

This distinction matters because retired brands attract clones and lookalikes. The cited RARGB endpoint responded on July 22, but the similar name should not be mistaken for continuity with the old RARBG team.

What changed from the older top-ten list?

TorrentGalaxy, Torrentz2, Torlock, and Torrent Downloads appeared in the previous VPNonline list but not in the 2026 traffic top ten. TorrentGalaxy is the clearest correction: current reporting says it disappeared in 2025, so describing it as active and ranked fourth was no longer defensible.

FitGirl Repacks, EXT.to, Skidrow & Reloaded, and RARGB enter the updated list. Their inclusion does not mean they are safer or better. It only means their cited domains reached the traffic threshold used for this particular snapshot.

How to evaluate a public torrent index

No public torrent site is completely safe. Evaluate the domain and the individual listing separately:

• Verify the address. Use a current signed status page or recent reporting where one exists. HTTPS protects the connection to a domain; it does not prove who operates a mirror.
• Inspect the full file list. An unexpected executable, script, browser extension, or password-protected archive is a warning sign, especially when the listing claims to contain only media or documents.
• Check uploader history and recent comments. Established accounts and reports from people who completed a transfer can reduce uncertainty, but copied comments and status badges can be faked.
• Treat seeds and peers as availability signals only. A healthy swarm can still distribute a malicious, mislabeled, or unauthorized file.
• Keep security software current. The FTC recommends updating security software and scanning for malware. CISA warns that infected files can spread through peer-to-peer connections.
• Keep personal accounts separate. Do not enter unrelated credentials, install a demanded browser add-on, or follow a redirect just because a page copied a familiar site’s design.

When BitTorrent is useful, and where risk starts

BitTorrent can distribute large authorized files efficiently without relying on one download server. A healthy swarm can resume interrupted transfers and spread bandwidth across many peers. Ubuntu, for example, provides official torrent files for its Linux images through its own download infrastructure.

The same design exposes a peer-visible IP address and usually uploads pieces to other participants. Public indexes can point to malicious or unauthorized material, and a weak swarm may make a file unavailable regardless of the site’s popularity. Our guide to limiting ISP tracking explains the network-level visibility without claiming that one tool makes a person anonymous.

The U.S. Copyright Office states that uploading or downloading protected works without the copyright owner’s authority may infringe reproduction or distribution rights. Other countries have their own rules and exceptions, so this is not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. The practical boundary is simple: use a torrent only when the rightsholder or applicable law allows you to download and share it.

What a VPN changes, and what it cannot change

A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server and replaces the home IP address visible to peers with the server’s address. Your ISP can still see that you connected to a VPN, and the VPN provider becomes part of the trust chain.

A VPN cannot authenticate a mirror, inspect every file, prevent you from opening malware, or make unauthorized sharing lawful. If you use BitTorrent for permitted files, our VPN for torrenting guide compares kill switches, P2P support, interface binding, and port-forwarding trade-offs without changing that legal boundary.

You also need a maintained client. Our free torrent client comparison covers software choice for lawful downloads; it does not provide a shortcut around file verification or permissions.

FAQ

Are torrent sites illegal?

There is no worldwide yes-or-no answer. BitTorrent is a file-transfer protocol with lawful uses, while a public index may point to copyrighted material shared without permission. The content, your conduct, and the law that applies where you are matter more than the protocol’s name.

What was the most popular torrent site in 2026?

YTS ranked first in the single-domain traffic snapshot published at the start of 2026. That ranking is historical and domain-specific. It does not mean YTS is the safest site, and its cited domain changed behavior after the ranking was published.

Why do torrent sites change domains so often?

Domains can be blocked, suspended, seized, abandoned, or moved after infrastructure and legal pressure. That churn creates opportunities for clones, so an address from an old article or search ad should not be treated as official without current verification.

Can a trusted uploader or high seed count guarantee a safe file?

No. Both can be useful context, but neither is an independent malware scan or legal clearance. Check the complete file list and extension, read current comments, use updated security software, and download only material you are authorized to obtain.