Game Capture is OBS Studio’s most efficient way to capture a PC game because it hooks into the game’s rendering instead of recording the entire display. It uses fewer resources than Display Capture when it works correctly.
These steps apply to OBS Studio on Windows for recording or streaming PC games.
Does this affect you?
Use this if you want OBS to capture gameplay without showing your whole desktop or if a game source is blank and needs correct setup.
Add a Game Capture source
- Open OBS Studio.
- In the Sources panel, click the plus icon.
- Choose Game Capture.
- Name the source and click OK.
- Set Mode to Capture specific window for one game.
- Launch the game, return to OBS, and select it from the Window dropdown.
- Use Capture any fullscreen application if you switch games often.
- Leave SLI/Crossfire Capture Mode and Allow Transparency off unless you specifically need them.
- Resize the source in the preview so it fills the canvas.
The game usually has to be running before OBS can see it in the window list.
Set recording or streaming basics
- For recording, open Settings > Output and choose the recording path, format, and quality.
- MP4 is widely compatible, though some creators prefer safer recording formats and remux later.
- For streaming, open Settings > Stream, choose Twitch, YouTube, or another platform, and add your stream key.
- Open Settings > Video and set Base Canvas Resolution to your monitor or game resolution.
- Set Output Scaled Resolution to your target, usually 1080p.
- Set bitrate around 6000 to 8000 Kbps for 1080p60 recording, or around 4500 to 6000 Kbps for many streams.
- Check Settings > Audio for the correct desktop audio and microphone devices.
Always make a 30-second test recording and play it back before recording something important.
Hotkeys, FPS, and blank capture fixes
Set hotkeys for Start Recording and Stop Recording under Settings > Hotkeys so you do not have to leave the game.
If you want smooth gameplay footage, set Common FPS Values to 60 under Settings > Video. Recording 30 FPS from a 144 FPS game can look much choppier than the game felt while playing.
If the game runs as administrator and OBS does not, Game Capture may fail. Right-click OBS Studio and choose Run as administrator, or set it under shortcut Compatibility if needed.
Sources
- OBS Project – OBS Studio Quick Start Guide (2025)
- OBS Project – Sources Guide: Game Capture (2025)
- Twitch – Broadcasting Guidelines and Recommended Settings (2025)