Recording a game in OBS Studio is a balancing act. The game itself is already using your processor and graphics card to draw the world, run physics, and handle input. OBS then has to capture that picture, compose your scene, and encode it into a video file, all without slowing the game down or dropping frames. If the settings are too demanding, you will see stuttering in the game, stuttering in the recording, or both. If they are too light, the recording will look soft or blocky, especially during fast movement.
This guide explains how to set up OBS for gaming in plain language, with starting points you can test on your own computer. It covers resolution and frame rate, encoder choice, bitrate for fast motion, the three main capture sources, and how to balance game and voice audio. Every number here is a starting point, not a promise of a particular frame rate or quality. Results depend on your hardware, your encoder, the game, and its graphics settings. For the general recording choices behind this guide, see our best OBS recording settings guide, and for the capture steps themselves, see how to record gameplay with OBS.
Recording games is different from recording a desktop
A desktop recording is mostly still: a document, a browser, or a presentation changes slowly, so the encoder has an easy job. A game changes constantly. The camera moves, characters run, particles fly, and the whole screen can change in a single frame. That fast motion needs more data to stay clear, which is why gameplay recordings use higher bitrates than desktop recordings at the same resolution. It also needs a steady frame rate, because a single dropped frame is far more noticeable during a fast turn than during a slide change.
The game also competes with OBS for the same hardware. A demanding game at high graphics settings may leave little processor or graphics power for encoding, even on a capable computer. That is why many gamers lower the in-game graphics settings slightly when recording, or use a hardware encoder so the graphics card handles encoding separately. Think of the game and OBS as sharing one budget: if the game takes almost all of it, OBS has nothing left. A short test recording during real gameplay, not just in a menu, is the only reliable way to see how that budget is being spent.
Resolution and frame rate for gameplay
For most gamers, 1920 by 1080, or 1080p, is a sensible starting point. It is sharp enough for on-screen text, health bars, and small details, and it is widely supported by players and editors. Recording at the same resolution as your game avoids extra scaling work. If your monitor is larger, you can still record at 1080p by setting the output resolution lower than the base resolution, which keeps files smaller and the encoder workload lower.
Sixty frames per second is the usual choice for gameplay, because it makes camera movement and fast action look smooth. Thirty frames per second can work for slow, turn-based, or strategy games, but fast shooters and racing games usually look better at 60. The trade-off is real: 60 frames per second roughly doubles the encoding work compared with 30. If your computer struggles, drop to 30 before you drop the resolution, and test again. A smooth 30 frames per second recording is more watchable than a 60 frames per second recording that stutters.
The best encoder choice for gaming
For gaming, a hardware encoder is usually the most comfortable starting point, if your graphics card offers one. Hardware encoders such as NVENC on NVIDIA cards, AMF on AMD cards, and Quick Sync on Intel graphics run on a dedicated part of the graphics card, so they leave the processor freer to run the game. That separation is the main reason they are popular with gamers. The software encoder, x264, runs on the processor, so it competes directly with the game for processor time and can cause stuttering in demanding titles.
Choose the hardware encoder in Settings, then Output, and start with a quality preset rather than a performance preset. If you do not have a hardware encoder, use x264 on a fast preset such as veryfast, and consider lowering the game graphics settings to free up processor time. Do not use a slow x264 preset while gaming: the extra quality is lost if the game or the recording drops frames. Test for at least two minutes of real gameplay, including a busy fight or a fast drive, and watch the OBS status bar for encoding overload warnings.
Bitrate and quality for fast motion
Fast motion is where bitrate matters most. When the whole screen changes quickly, the encoder needs more data to avoid blocky patches, soft textures, and smearing around moving objects. That is why gameplay needs a higher bitrate than a desktop recording at the same resolution. As a starting point, a 1080p gameplay recording at 60 frames per second often looks good at roughly 16,000 to 20,000 kilobits per second with constant bitrate, or with a quality-based setting such as CRF 18 to 20 for x264, or the equivalent quality setting for a hardware encoder.
Quality-based modes can be convenient for recording, because they give busy scenes more data and simple scenes less, so file sizes vary with the content. If you use constant bitrate, remember that recording is not limited by an upload connection in the way streaming is, so you can use a higher value than you would for a live stream, provided you have enough storage. Test by recording the same busy scene at two settings and watching both at full screen. Keep the lower setting if you cannot see a clear difference. Our OBS bitrate settings guide explains rate control in more detail.
Game Capture, Window Capture and Display Capture
OBS offers three main ways to capture a game, and choosing the right one affects both performance and reliability. Game Capture hooks directly into the game and usually gives the best performance and the cleanest result, because it captures only the game window, even if another window pops up in front of it. It is the best first choice for most games. Add it as a source, choose the specific game from the list, and start the game before you add the source if it does not appear.
Window Capture records a single window, which is useful for games that do not work with Game Capture, or for launchers and older titles. It is usually a little less efficient than Game Capture, but it is simpler and works with more programs. Display Capture records your whole screen, including everything on it, and it is the least efficient of the three, because it captures the desktop as well as the game. Use Display Capture only when the other two do not work, and avoid having more than one capture source active in the same scene, because each one adds work even when it is not visible.
Balancing game, microphone and chat audio
Game audio should be loud enough to hear effects and music, but not so loud that it drowns out your voice. In the Audio Mixer, set the desktop audio so it sits below your microphone on normal speech, and test by recording a minute of gameplay with commentary. Speak at your normal volume and watch the microphone meter: it should reach the yellow area on louder words without staying in the red. If your friends use voice chat, keep that audio on a separate track if you can, so you can adjust it later.
Use separate audio tracks for recording when you want control in editing. In Settings, then Output, then Recording, you can enable several tracks, for example one for the game, one for your microphone, and one for chat. That way you can lower the game sound or remove a noisy chat moment without affecting your voice. Add filters sparingly: a limiter can stop sudden shouts from distorting, and noise suppression can help in a noisy room. Our OBS audio settings guide explains tracks, monitoring, and filters in full.
Starting points by game type
Different games need different settings, because they move at different speeds and use hardware differently. Use these as starting points, then test with your own game and adjust one setting at a time. They are not minimum specifications and they do not promise a particular frame rate or quality on any specific computer.
Fast shooters and racing games
Use 1080p at 60 frames per second, a hardware encoder on a quality preset, and a bitrate of about 16,000 to 20,000 kilobits per second, or CRF 18 to 20. These games have constant camera movement, so they need the higher frame rate and bitrate most. If you see overload, lower the in-game graphics settings first, then the bitrate, and only then the frame rate.
Strategy, simulation and slow-paced games
Use 1080p at 30 frames per second, a hardware encoder or x264 on a fast preset, and a bitrate of about 10,000 to 12,000 kilobits per second, or CRF 20 to 22. The screen changes slowly, so the encoder needs less data and you can save storage without losing visible quality. This is also a good choice if your computer is modest: see our guide to OBS settings for low-end PCs.
Story games and casual games
Use 1080p at 30 or 60 frames per second depending on how much the camera moves, a hardware encoder if available, and a bitrate of about 12,000 to 16,000 kilobits per second. Dialogue-heavy games benefit more from clear audio than from maximum bitrate, so spend a minute balancing voice and game sound before a long session, and record to MKV so a crash does not lose the file.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is recording a game at the same settings you use for a desktop, then wondering why fast movement looks blocky. Games need more bitrate and a steadier frame rate. Another mistake is running the game at its highest graphics settings while recording, which leaves OBS with little power to encode. People also record with Display Capture when Game Capture would work better, leave several capture sources active in one scene, or forget to test during real gameplay and only test in a menu, where the workload is far lower.
- Using 30 frames per second for a fast shooter without testing 60 first.
- Choosing a slow x264 preset while a demanding game is running.
- Recording straight to MP4 for a long session, then losing the file if OBS closes.
- Setting game audio so loud that commentary is hard to hear.
- Forgetting to check free disk space before a long gaming session.
Troubleshooting
If the game stutters while recording, lower the in-game graphics settings, switch to a hardware encoder, or drop the recording frame rate to 30. If OBS shows encoding overloaded, reduce the output resolution or bitrate, close other programs, and check that no other recording software is running. If the recording looks blocky during fast movement, raise the bitrate or use a quality-based mode with a lower CRF value, and record the same busy scene again to compare.
If Game Capture shows a black screen, try running OBS as administrator, make sure the game is in the list when you add the source, and try Window Capture as a fallback. If there is no game sound, check the Audio Mixer meters, confirm the correct desktop device is selected, and make sure the game is actually playing sound. For persistent problems, see how to fix encoding overloaded in OBS and how to fix lag and dropped frames in OBS.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best OBS settings for gaming?
A common starting point is 1080p at 60 frames per second, a hardware encoder on a quality preset, and a bitrate of about 16,000 to 20,000 kilobits per second for recording. Test with your own game, because results depend on your hardware and the game.
Should I use Game Capture or Display Capture for games?
Use Game Capture first, because it usually gives the best performance and captures only the game. Use Window Capture if Game Capture does not work, and Display Capture only as a last resort, because it records the whole screen.
Why does my game lag when I record with OBS?
Lag usually means the game and OBS together need more processing power than your computer can give. Lower the in-game graphics settings, use a hardware encoder, or reduce the recording resolution or frame rate, then test again.
What bitrate should I use for recording gameplay?
For 1080p gameplay at 60 frames per second, about 16,000 to 20,000 kilobits per second is a reasonable starting point. Slower games may need less, and very fast games may benefit from more. Compare two test clips and keep the lower setting that still looks clear.
Can I record games at 60 frames per second on a modest PC?
It depends on the game and your hardware. Try 1080p at 60 with a hardware encoder first, and if it stutters, drop to 30 frames per second or lower the in-game graphics settings. A smooth 30 frames per second recording is better than a stuttering 60.
Conclusion
Good gaming settings in OBS start with the game, not with the highest numbers. Use 1080p at 60 frames per second as a starting point, a hardware encoder if you have one, enough bitrate for fast motion, Game Capture for the cleanest result, and balanced audio that keeps your voice clear. Test during real gameplay, change one setting at a time, and lower the in-game graphics settings before you lower the recording quality. That approach will give you smooth, clear gameplay recordings that are easy to watch and easy to edit.