If the Xbox Game bar is not working or it does not meet your needs, you can look for Xbox Game Bar alternatives. You will find the top 8 tried and tested Xbox Game Bar alternatives to record your screen for all purposes.
Are you tired of Xbox Game Bar's limitations, like the recording duration limit? Many gamers struggle with its performance drops, inability to capture the camera, overlay conflicts, or even Xbox Game Bar is not working. It's critical to find a suitable Game Bar alternative if you need 4K capture, desktop recording, or customizable controls, etc. This guide delve into 8 best Xbox Game Bar alternatives for Windows 10/11.
Good alternatives to Xbox Game Bar for recording?
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To find the best Xbox Game Bar alternatives, we tested 20+ video recording software on a Windows 11 gaming PC (i7-12700H, RTX 3060, 16GB RAM)—matching the setup of most mid-to-high-end gamers. Our testing focused on:
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EaseUS RecExperts is one of the best Game Bar alternatives with excellent features yet simple to use. You can effortlessly capture gameplay without lag in its game mode with shortcuts. Also, you can capture desktop screens with system audio, microphone, and webcam for gaming, tutorials, and other content. Now, with more customizable functions and AI features, the tool is a complete package for all screen recording needs.
This best screen recorder for PC without fps drop helps you capture game highlights easily. Additionally, you can record encrypted videos and make use of built-in screenshot tools, video editor, cutter, and noise reduction features to make professional videos for YouTube and social media.
Key Features of EaseUS RecExperts:
Expert's Rating: 4.7/5
What Users Say
RecExperts is a well designed and easy to use screen recording app, one which will allow both PC and MacOS users to easily capture any on-screen activity and perform basic editing within the app straight afterwards. - by James
Editor Thought
EaseUS RecExperts is a great game bar alternative for newbies or professionals. This powerful screen recorder allows you to record any kind of gameplay without losing fps. It can also record screen and webcam simultaneously.
OBS Studio is a stellar and popular screen recording tool. It is open source screen recorder software and is available for free. The customization features it offers are the best in the world but require a learning curve to use the app. It packs excellent features and settings to record professional videos for streaming, gaming, etc.
From video quality to audio encoding, everything can be adjusted with the settings. Many popular YouTubers and gamers use this tool for live streaming. You can associate this app with other tools to produce excellent videos.
Key Features of OBS Studio:
Expert's Rating: 4.7/5
What Users Say
OBS Studio is a wonderful tool for recording gameplay videos, but it's not for novices. - by Ian Paul
Editor Thought
Although OBS is complicated to set up, once mastered, it will be a powerful free tool for us to create content.
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Bandicam is another powerful game screen recorder. This app can record DirectX and OpenGL, which makes it an efficient tool for gamers. The software is lightweight and can capture your screen in HD resolution. You will also get various modes like Screen Recording, Game Recording, and HDMI recording.
Gamers and educators enjoy Bandicam's features. The app is simple and also includes a screenshot tool to take a snap of your screen at any time. The video compression features allow you to save your video in a smaller file and save a lot of space. However, it is not available for Mac. To record on Mac, you can choose a suitable Bandicam alternative like OBS or EaseUS screen recorder.
Key Features of Bandicam:
Expert's Rating: 4.4/5
What Users Say
It's a simple, compact screen recording software that works on older machines.- by Jayson
Editor Thought
It's easy to learn and use with multiple recording modes. But it's only available for Windows users.
You may also like: Bandicam Without Watermark & Best Bandicam Alternative
Fraps is best suited for Windows-based devices, particularly high-performance gaming PCs and laptops. Fraps works with NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, ensuring compatibility with various gaming setups. This game recorder is also popularly known for displaying the benchmarking features on the screen while recording the video. You can measure the performance of any game on your PC with an FPS counter.
You can screen capture your games with ease. This app is quite old school (you can call it the first-generation screen recording program), with its last update over a decade ago. But this is still one of the most prominent and OG kinds of a tool for veteran gamers.
Key Features of Fraps:
Expert's Rating: 4.2/5
What Users Say
Fraps is great for benchmarking and easy to use with a minimal interface.. - by Ian Paul
Editor Thought
Fraps is a reliable screen recorder for capturing high-quality gameplay videos with minimal performance impact.
Nvidia ShadowPlay is a robust and feature-rich alternative to Xbox Game Bar, particularly for gamers with NVIDIA GPUs. Its high-quality recording and low latency, and clip last 30 seconds on PC features make it a powerful tool for capturing and sharing gameplay. You can record along with a webcam, select resolution from 360p to 8K HDR, and even set the FPS.
Though the app is known to deteriorate system performance due to high resource usage, with features like live streaming, screenshot capturing, and automatic clipping of game highlights, this one still makes the cut into the list.
Key Features of Nvidia ShadowPlay:
Expert's Rating: 4.5/5
What Users Say
Nvidia's ShadowPlay is a solid, easy-to-use feature with good performance for mid-to-high end PCs.. - by Ian Paul
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Camtasia is both a screen recorder and a video editor. This tool packs a punch with features and functionalities to compete with premium video editors. If you are creating video tutorials, how-to videos, demos, or informative videos, you should go with this tool.
This app allows various kinds of overlays like text, design, transitions, and presets to make it a complete package for informative and tutorial videos. You can record both system and microphone audio. There are additional features like noise removal, pitch and gain adjustments, compressions, etc.
Key Features of Camtasia:
Expert's Rating: 4.5/5
Editor Thought
Its user-friendly interface, making it suitable for both beginners and professionals.
ScreenPal, used to be Screen-O-Matic, is also a great screen recording tool with intuitive video creation features. The UI makes it easy for anybody to create videos, and add effects like text, shapes, images, music, and auto-captions. You can record your screen with a webcam, a part of your screen, system audio and microphone audio. You can add various effects and make the video more reachable.
It is more of a fun tool with a lot of features to make your videos more attractive. Along with recording, you can also make edits like trimming and cutting to make your videos crisp. It is the most affordable freemium option compared to its counterparts.
Key Features of ScreenPal:
Expert's Rating: 4.5/5
What Users Say
ScreenPal is a good free screen-capture tool with a paid option for more powerful features.. - by Jordan Minor
Debut Video Capture is a video capture and screen recorder. The app records your screen and is also able to edit videos with various advanced editing tools. It is a great Xbox alternative. You can add color, video effects, captions, and timestamps to your video. The app works best for both newbie and advanced users.
Debut provides multiple screen capture modes, with the ability to set video resolution, size, and frame rate. The app is intuitive but requires a learning curve to use to its full potential.
Key Features of Debut Video Capture:
Expert's Rating: 4.5/5
Editor Thought
It is a simple, budget-friendly screen recorder suitable for casual users.
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The Xbox Game Bar is a great tool but also has some major downsides, making an average user look for Xbox Game Bar alternatives. The post introduces some top-notch Xbox Game Bar alternatives like EaseUS RecExperts, OBS, Bandicam, Fraps, etc. The following is an information comparison table:
Software | Price | Key Features | Rating | Ease of use |
EaseUS RecExperts | Free + Paid ($19.95) | Scheduled recording, record webcam, built-in editing features | 4.5⭐ | Very simple |
OBS Studio | Free | Live streaming, scene switching, plugins | 4.7⭐ | Difficulty |
Bandicam | Free + Paid ($39) | Multiple recording modes, 4K/120FPS | 4.4⭐ | Simple |
Fraps | Free + Paid ($37) | FPS counter, lossless AVI recording | 4.2⭐ | Simple |
Nvidia ShadowPlay | Free (NVIDIA only) | Instant replay, low performance impact | 4.5⭐ | Simple |
Camtasia | Camtasia Essentials ($179.88) | Customizable, multiple formats output | 4.5⭐ | Simple |
ScreenPal | Free + Sub ($4/mo) | Cloud storage, quick sharing | 4.5⭐ | Simple |
Debut Video Capture | Free + Paid ($29.99) | Supports old OS (Win XP), advanced editing | 4⭐ | Medium |
If you want a complete package that packs a punch with excellent features to compete with premium software, try EaseUS RecExperts. You can record audio and screen, edit, add annotations, and many more using this tool. This app is your perfect Xbox Game Bar alternative.
Here are some of the most frequent FAQs asked on Xbox Game Bar alternatives. If you have similar queries hope this will help you.
Here are the steps on disabling Xbox Game Bar on Windows:
Step 1. Click Start button or Press Win+I to open Settings. Then, navigate to Gaming > Xbox Game Bar.
Step 2. Click on Xbox Game Bar and turn off it.
Step 3. Then, click on the Apps option and choose Apps & features. Search Xbox and click the three dots icon.
Step 4. Select Advanced options. In the Background apps permissions, choose the Never option.
You will be able to turn Xbox Game Bar off completely through this way.
If you are facing issues or are unable to use it, here are some potential reasons:
Yes, it is OK to uninstall Game Bar, but Microsoft users had a hard time doing it. Since the app is built into the OS, the uninstall button is greyed out. Although, you can use Powershell or a third-party app to delete such system apps.
If you want to record clips on PC without the game bar, you have to rely on third-party apps to do it. There are a lot of options like OBS Studio, Nvidia ShawdowPlay, EaseUS RecExperts, and many more.
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