These days, there is much more to social gaming than inviting your buddies over to playMario Kart.
This guide is going to take a look at streamingandrecording your games across the biggest platforms.
Broadcasting games to an audience of strangers might seem a bit… strange.
After all, isnt the fun of gamingplayingrather thanwatchingsomeone play?
Sometimes you pull off some sweet trick or discover a hidden gem.
Sometimes its entertaining to watch someone else screw up.
Sometimes the story is so engaging, its almost a movie.
Watching movies is fun, so why wouldnt watching cinematic video games be fun?
All those videos youve ever watched of people playing games online have to come from somewhere.
(SorryMixerandYouTube Gaming.)
It even comes with a built-in chat room for your viewers.
If you want to share your games online, this is your first stop.
Streaming from your box requires special broadcast software.
Twitch recommendsseveral selections here.XSplit Gamecasteris one of the easiest to use.
The software will automatically set itself up to stream your gameplay to Twitch.
Choose a template that will act as the frame for your game.
Click Stream on the bottom of the screen, select Twitch and start playing your game.
Once youvedownloaded and installed OBS, youll need to get in to Twitch.
This key changes periodically, so you may need to update it each time you stream with OBS.
Select Stream in the left-hand pane.
Next to Service select Twitch.
Next to Stream Key, enter the key you acquired from your Twitch dashboard.
These will be displayed at the bottom of the window in red text.
If any of these exist, fix them before moving on.
When youre done, you could move onto setting up broadcasting.
Starting a stream will require a little more setup than Gamecaster, but its still fairly straightforward.
To get started, stick to this:
kick off the game you want to stream.
In OBS, right-click in the Sources box.
In the Add > menu, choose Window Capture.
Name the source and press Enter.
In the drop-down menu at the top of the next dialog box, choose the window of your game.
When youre ready to begin broadcasting, click Start Streaming.
OBS also hasa collection of pluginsthat can extend the apps functionality.
Its also the best option for streaming gameplay from a Mac.
By default, youll be sending your stream to Microsofts Mixer service.
A wizard will open to help you tweak things like broadcast quality, adding extra players and more.
Pressing the B button will send you back to your game.
And before you broadcast, youll need to link your account.
To do so, run with this:
bring up the Twitch app on your Xbox One console.
On the left side of the app menu, select sign in.
Opentwitch.tv/activateon your rig or phone.
Enter the six digit code on your Xbox to link your account.
Once your accounts are linked, you might start broadcasting.
Simply choose the Start Broadcast tile to begin sharing.
Youll be given the option to enable Kinect video or audio with your microphone.
The PlayStation 4 can also stream directly to Twitch.
To do this:
Go to options > Account Management > Link with Other Services.
Select Twitch and sign in to your Twitch account.
Then, launch the game you want to play.
To broadcast:
While playing the game, press the Share button.
Choose an online service.
Well use Twitch, but the PS4 also supports YouTube out of the box.
Sign in to your streaming account if prompted.
you’re free to also use the Share menu to take screenshots or record video clips.
In the top right corner of the site, click your profile icon and choose Creator Dashboard.
grab the Channel option at the left.
Toggle the switch next to Store past broadcasts to the On position.
With this option enabled, it’s possible for you to choose to save broadcasts for later viewing.
If youre not already into broadcasting, this is the simplest method to record your videos.
However, if you want to save and edit them before they go live, there are other ways.
(Mac users will want to use OSB.)
ForXSplit Gamecaster, youll see a record button right next to the stream button.
Click Output option in the left-hand pane.
Next to Recording path, choose the directory where youd like to store your output files.
Choose an output quality.
Click OK.
launch the game you want to play and add it to the Sources pane.
Click Start Recording in the lower right.
fire up the Game Bar by pressing Windows + G on your keyboard
Adjust the tweaks as needed.
poke the Record button, start playing your game and capture the action.
If you dont have a Kinect, run with this:
Press the Xbox button.
Press the X button to save the last 30 seconds of play.
Recording will start when you resume the game.
When youre done, press the Xbox button again and then the X button.
PlayStation 4
Sony has made recording your gameplay just as easy as broadcasting it.
To record clips, double-tap the Share button.
This will immediately start recording.
To stop, double-tap it again.
Sony also has a built-in video editor calledShare Factorythat you could use to edit your clips.
From the Capture Gallery, select Options and choose Copy video to USB.
This article was originally published in 2015 by Eric Ravenscraft and updated in April 2020 by Michael Franco.
