How to Record Gameplay with OBS (In-Depth Guide)

Quick Navigation:

• How to Record Gameplay with OBS Studio (Step-by-Step Guide)
• Troubleshooting for OBS Game Recording
• How to Record Gameplay with OBS Alternative
• The Bottom Line
• How to Record Gameplay with OBS FAQs

OBS Studio is recognized as a professional game recorder for PC worldwide, as it is entirely free and multifunctional. With its help, you can record almost any gameplay video or other activities on your computer screen in high quality. Besides, this open source screen recorder even supports live streaming to different platforms when you are playing or recording gameplay.

However, this free game recorder has a great defect: it has a complicated user interface, making it difficult for most novices to do gameplay recording activities. Given that, this post comes in handy. Here we will show you how to set up OBS to record games, as well as a detailed tutorial about how to record gameplay with OBS Studio. Just continue reading to learn all information you need.

How to Record Gameplay with OBS Studio (Step-by-Step Guide)

To ensure a high-quality gameplay recording, it's necessary to learn the best OBS settings for recording gameplay. Here are some items:

• Adjust the video Bitrate: you can change it to around 800 Kbps for medium quality
• Set the audio bitrate: the higher the bitrate of the audio, the clearer the sound can be. For common recordings, it should be around 100 Kbps
• Change FPS: to record your gameplay smoothly, change it to 60 FPS

In the following section, we will show you how to set up OBS for game recording. Let's dive into it!

Step 1. Download and Install OBS 

First of all, get OBS Studio on your desktop. If you have already installed this software on your computer, you can quickly jump to step 2. Otherwise, you can go to https://obsproject.com/ to get access to the download portal. Once done, install the software on your desired system location.

Step 2. Set up OBS for Recording

To get a high-quality recording for gameplay, you need to adjust some settings before you start a recording task. Here we mainly show you some typical aspects. But first, you need to launch this free game recorder and choose the Settings option on the lower right.

#Resolutiuon and Frame Rate

Click on the "Video" button on the left panel; then you will see some options about Resolution and FPS. The standard resolution for a web monitor is 1920×1080, and the common FPS value is 30fps. But to record fast-paced gameplay, you can change the FPS to 60.

#Output Settings

Choose the "Output" option on the left. Next, you can see a default output mode, which is suitable for most situations. If you know how to use the Advanced output mode correctly, you can also change the parameters according to your needs. Plus, here, you are able to change the recording format, quality, saving path, etc.

#Audio 

At last, you can change the audio bitrate, which will affect the sound quality. Here, you can set the audio bitrate above 192 and under 320. With a higher bitrate, things will sound more natural. But notice that you can set it higher only if your computer is stronger.

Step 3. Choose Game Capture Source

Go back to the main interface, and move to the Sources box. Next, hit the "+" icon to select Game Capture, and add a new source named after your game.

Step 4. Select Game Capture Mode

Next, you will see three game capture modes on your screen: "Capture specific window", "Capture any fullscreen application", etc. You need to choose your desired one for your recording, according to your needs.

Step 5. Start Recording Games with OBS

When you are ready, click on the "Start Recording" button. Then, OBS Studio will begin recording gameplay in the way you like.

🔔🔔Read more: Where do OBS recordings go?

Troubleshooting for OBS Game Recording

While you use OBS to capture the gameplay, some issues might occur, like OBS gameplay not working, OBS not recording audio, OBS shuttering, and more.  To ensure a good recording experience, below are some common solutions to fix these problems:

#1. OBS Game Capture not working.

Insufficient permissions on your system are one of the most frequent reasons why OBS stops working on recording game videos. At that time, you only need to run the OBS as an administrator to overcome this problem. If it still doesn't work, you can find more solutions here: OBS Game Capture not working.

#2. OBS Not Recording Audio

If you accidentally muted the OBS in the Volume Mixer, there is no doubt that your OBS cannot capture the sound while recording gameplay. So, you just need to unmute the OBS on your computer. For more solutions, you can check OBS Not Recording Audio.

#3. OBS Shuttering While Recording

One of the key reasons why you are facing an OBS stuttering issue when screen recording is encoding lag. It happens when your GPU or other system resources gets overloaded. So, you can change OBS settings to overcome the problem. If you still have problems, refer to this post: OBS shuttering when recording.

How to Record Gameplay with OBS Alternative

As you can see, it is a little complex to use OBS to record gameplay. So, if you want to find an easy-to-use game recorder, look no further than EaseUS RecExperts. It is regarded as one of the most popular OBS alternatives on the market.

This Mac and Windows screen recorder provides a game recording mode, which helps you capture high-quality gameplay footage with a few simple clicks. During recording, you can flexibly add a webcam overlay or your own voice to enrich the recorded video. Plus, better than OBS Studio, this software allows you to change the FPS from 1 to 144, based on your needs. Last but not least, it offers some editing tools to make your recordings stand out before sharing. Now, click the below button to get this game recorder with no FPS drop.

Steps to record gameplay with OBS alternative - EaseUS RecExperts:

Step 1. Launch the gameplay that you want to record. Next, open EaseUS RecExperts and click on the "Game" button on the left.

Step 2. Click on the "Select Game" option to choose a Game Window or Game Process. Then, you can enable the audio and webcam recording if needed. When all are done, click the big REC button to start the gameplay recording.

Step 3. A floating toolbar will appear, and you can pause or stop the recording. Besides that, the camera icon enables you to take a screenshot, and the timer icon lets you stop the recording automatically.

Step 4. After saving the recorded gameplay video, a media player will pop up. It gives you a built-in tool to trim the recording, extract audio from the video, and add an opening & ending part. You can find the tool at the bottom of the player.

The Bottom Line

OBS is a good tool for recording gameplay on your computer, but it can be tricky to use. If you're looking for an alternative that's easier to use, try EaseUS RecExperts. It's a screen recorder that's designed specifically for capturing gaming footage, and it doesn't require any special configuration or setup. Just download it, run it, and hit the "Record" button to start capturing your game.

How to Record Gameplay with OBS FAQs

1. Is OBS good for recording gameplay?

Yes. OBS is good for recording gameplay. It provides many features that make all your recording tasks easier. However, it is a little challenging to set up for recording if you are a beginner.

2. How do you record a game with OBS?

We offer a detailed step-by-step tutorial on this page to record games with OBS. You can jump to Part 1 to learn some information.

3. How do I record myself playing a game on my computer?

First of all, you need to find a screen and camera recorder. Then, you can follow the on-screen instruction to record yourself playing a game on your computer. Here are some excellent screen recorders with facecam:

• EaseUS RecExperts
• OBS Studio
• Bandicam