# Which game recording software do you use?



## Splinterdog (Jul 8, 2019)

I first started with Fraps, until the file sizes just became to large (avi) and then moved on to a trial of Bandicam which was really good, but rather expensive. That was until I found Mirillis Action! on sale at Steam a few years ago and I've been using it ever since.
However, AMD, Nvidia and Microsoft have respectively improved ReLive, Shadowplay and Game DVR enormously over the years. There are advantage over Action!, in that you can record at a higher bitrate with ReLive, which makes a big difference in the quality, and the file size of course. It also helps that they're free, with the quality being as good, if not better, than paid software.
I don't have much experience with Shadowplay since it's on my work PC and I don't game much on that one, but ReLive has an adjustable bitrate slider and I usually use around 50Kbps, encoding with HEVC. (I have to switch to AVC if I know I'm going to edit with Vegas Platinum 13, since HEVC isn't compatible)
Game DVR also produces excellent quality with all setting at the highest level, with the bitrate at 42Kbps.
Mirillis Action has issues with UWP games and very often churns out some really crap videos at 12kbps and I now use it less and less. For example, today I recorded Grid and it spat out a 30fps result, which looked awful. On the other hand, it records other games like DOOM perfectly well, but it doesn't have an adjustable bitrate.
As for YouTube, generally speaking, videos uploaded tend to look awful at first and not so good in 1080p either with their avc encoding, which is why I now set the in-game resolution to 2560 x 1440, so that YouTube encodes with the VP9 codec. The difference in quality is night and day, quite frankly and usually takes effect after about ten minutes.
If you right click on a YouTube video and hit Stats For Nerds, you'll see the encoding.
I think I might give Bandicam another go and see what it's like nowadays.
Edit
I forgot to mention that Game DVR will only record at a max of 1080, regardless of resolution.


----------



## sam_86314 (Jul 8, 2019)

OBS. It's free, open source, and supports hardware encoding on AMD, Intel, and Nvidia GPUs.


----------



## Solaris17 (Jul 8, 2019)

I use OBS exclusively for all recording or streaming.


----------



## sam_86314 (Jul 8, 2019)

I also use HandBrake to transcode my recordings to H265 before uploading to YouTube. It decreases the file size with little impact on quality.


----------



## Splinterdog (Jul 8, 2019)

I played with OBS and yes it has endless customisation, but in the end I couldn't quite get to grips with it.


----------



## FordGT90Concept (Jul 9, 2019)

ReLive because negligible impact on game performance thanks to the hardware encoding ASIC.  Only takes a few clicks to enable it and it just works.


----------



## Kursah (Jul 9, 2019)

I don't record, but my son uses and really has enjoyed ShadowPlay on his system with his NV graphics. It was simple enough for him to get into and create decent captures of his gaming, for tutorials and whatever else he wants to do. For him, keeping it simple was a priority, and I feel we succeeded here.

At work we use OBS for training material, its an awesome piece of software for sure. Takes more time than the NV or AMD software, but is worth the time investment IMHO.


----------



## jallenlabs (Jul 9, 2019)

I used to use Shadowplay on my Nvidia based rigs and it worked great.  Now, with AMD, Relive barely ever works correctly.  It will either be totally correct, or fine audio with a picture for like 30 seconds and then black screen.  Im tinkering with OBS.  I don't record much, so it would be nice if the "easy" software just worked.


----------



## sam_86314 (Jul 9, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> I played with OBS and yes it has endless customisation, but in the end I couldn't quite get to grips with it.


Here are my recording settings for OBS. I have it set to record 1440P at 60FPS. I'll probably change the format to MKV instead of MP4 after testing.







I have the OBS window on a second monitor whenever I'm recording. That way, I have access to all of the controls when I need them.


----------



## GoldenX (Jul 9, 2019)

FordGT90Concept said:


> ReLive because negligible impact on game performance thanks to the hardware encoding ASIC.  Only takes a few clicks to enable it and it just works.


Same here, just set the highest bitrate and quality, and then compress with handbrake later.


----------



## StrayKAT (Jul 9, 2019)

I once used Nvidia, but now just use the Xbox/Windows built in stuff.

Once Microsoft makes something, it's hard for me to pull away. An app has to be above and beyond for me to think I need something more (the antivirus/security software also comes to mind).


----------



## racer243l (Jul 9, 2019)

I use ShadowPlay for recording in 3440x1440 and afterwards always send the files through Handbrake for compression and getting rid off the issue where the audio track would be missing or out of sync after importing into Davinci Resolve. Though I now work with Vegas which might not have that issue. Routine I guess...

At work we use OBS for screen capture for tutorials like how to first set up Jabber on first launch. Mainly because we only have glorious Intel HD graphics


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 9, 2019)

well i go with the flow : OBS ... for recording since it has a light implementation direct in NoX and the standalone software also for streaming on Twitch from time to time ...

just did a basic setup didn't fiddle with it much, if it works ... don't touch it... eh?



sam_86314 said:


> I have the OBS window on a second monitor whenever I'm recording. That way, I have access to all of the controls when I need them.


*note to self*: "buy a second monitor soon ..." (or a replacement for the one i use stepping up a bit the main monitor from 32" 1440p (1620p) 60hz (75hz) 5ms (overdrive) to a curved 32" 1440p 144hz 1ms although not sure i want to go from a IPS to a VA ....


although i have a Geforce ... i am no fan of Shadowplay and GEE (does Shadowplay come standalone now? if not: no thanks, bloatwares have nothing to do with my driver and computer )


----------



## sam_86314 (Jul 9, 2019)

GreiverBlade said:


> although i have a Geforce ... i am no fan of Shadowplay and GEE (does Shadowplay come standalone now? if not: no thanks, bloatwares have nothing to do with my driver and computer )


I used Shadowplay until GeForce Experience 3 was released. The new (worse) UI coupled with yet another mandatory login was enough to get me to stop using it altogether.

After getting used to OBS, I can safely say it is the best recording software I've ever used, and I have no plans to use anything else.

@Splinterdog The auto-configuration wizard under the tools tab in OBS does a good job at getting the software ready for use. It asks you if you're going to be streaming or recording and then does a basic setup for you.


----------



## kapone32 (Jul 9, 2019)

Relive all the way. You can do live streams to Youtube, Twitch and so on but there is almost no performance hit.


----------



## GreiverBlade (Jul 9, 2019)

sam_86314 said:


> I used Shadowplay until GeForce Experience 3 was released.


before that ... it was already bad and got  ... even more worse .... GFE is a bloatware.



sam_86314 said:


> After getting used to OBS, I can safely say it is the best recording software I've ever used, and I have no plans to use anything else.


Amen.



sam_86314 said:


> @Splinterdog The auto-configuration wizard under the tools tab in OBS does a good job at getting the software ready for use. It asks you if you're going to be streaming or recording and then does a basic setup for you.


ah! i knew i forgot something ... i wanted to mention the config wizard (although didn't use it ... just like with all, i am not fond of following a guide/tuto/wizard instead of discovering things by myself and read the F'ing manual when i am rock bottom  )


----------



## theFOoL (Jul 9, 2019)

In the past I used Action! *LINK *which I can't until I repair my hand due to my Car Accident


----------



## natr0n (Jul 10, 2019)

Bandicam.


----------



## advanced3 (Jul 10, 2019)

OBS


----------



## denrick (Jul 30, 2019)

Another OBS user here. For video editing, I use Power Director.


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 3, 2019)

denrick said:


> Another OBS user here. For video editing, I use Power Director.


What do you think of Power Director @denrick ?
I ask because I currently use the Steam version of  (Vegas) Movie Studio Platinum 13, but it has its limitations such as not being able to import HEVC video and multi-channel audio (anything above 2 channel). It also requires Apple Quicktime to be installed, unfortunately, because it falls down opening .mp4 videos without it.
So I've been looking at Movie Studio Platinum 16, but even that won't import multi-channel audio. Actually, that's not really a deal-breaker because stereo is perfectly good for my purposes, but I have to make sure that recording programs are always set to stereo and not auto otherwise, the video needs to be converted, which is yet another process that I'm trying to avoid.
i.e edit, render and voila.
I know that quality video editing software is expensive and you can pay hundreds of dollars, so I'm looking for something for around $60 that has compatibility for all video and audio formats. Power Director is $99, I believe.
Can anyone recommend another program at around $60?


----------



## ShurikN (Aug 3, 2019)

Splinterdog said:


> What do you think of Power Director @denrick ?
> I ask because I currently use the Steam version of  (Vegas) Movie Studio Platinum 13, but it has its limitations such as not being able to import HEVC video and multi-channel audio (anything above 2 channel). It also requires Apple Quicktime to be installed, unfortunately, because it falls down opening .mp4 videos without it.
> So I've been looking at Movie Studio Platinum 16, but even that won't import multi-channel audio. Actually, that's not really a deal-breaker because stereo is perfectly good for my purposes, but I have to make sure that recording programs are always set to stereo and not auto otherwise, the video needs to be converted, which is yet another process that I'm trying to avoid.
> i.e edit, render and voila.
> ...


DaVinci Resolve has a free version, maybe try that one. I've heard nothing but praises for this piece of software.


----------



## Splinterdog (Aug 3, 2019)

ShurikN said:


> DaVinci Resolve has a free version, maybe try that one. I've heard nothing but praises for this piece of software.


Thanks for that tip @ShurikN , I'll give the free version a go.
I forgot to mention that Movie Studio Platinum 16 won't play the previews correctly either. They end up all laggy and out of sync. All this fiddling about is putting me off Magix's editing software, frankly.


----------



## psyko12 (Aug 3, 2019)

I use mainly Nvidia Share for recording gameplay, OBS if I'm streaming and recording at the same time. Then use handbrake before uploading to YT or FB. If some editing is needed I use VEGA.


----------



## Flanker (Mar 9, 2020)

Xbox game bar


----------



## basco (Mar 9, 2020)

msi afterburner with lagarith lossless codec


----------



## YuliaMax (Jul 6, 2020)

Nvidia shadowplay, Game bar, OBS, Bandicam (not free)... There are so many  game recorders here. Even my  RecMaster screen recorder has a Game mode for so called optimized game capture.  I have to say,  among piles of screen recording apps, either hardware services  or  top game recorders that support hardware encoding are good choices for game capture. Video settings really matter a lot for users, cos  different people has different requirement on quality, resolution, size, editing features and surely price.  Just like Splinterdog said: fraps' AVI is too large, bandicam is too expensive....


----------



## Splinterdog (Jul 6, 2020)

I bought Bandicam when it came on sale last year and it's excellent with loads of configuration options. My main gripe with game recorders is not with the programs themselves but with the anti-cheat software that many games use, often preventing games from even loading. The Division 2 won't even start with Bandicam running and neither will any Forza games. You can however use MS's own Game recorder which is not seen as cheating.
Figure that one out.


----------



## Toothless (Jul 6, 2020)

Splinterdog said:


> I bought Bandicam when it came on sale last year and it's excellent with loads of configuration options. My main gripe with game recorders is not with the programs themselves but with the anti-cheat software that many games use, often preventing games from even loading. The Division 2 won't even start with Bandicam running and neither will any Forza games. You can however use MS's own Game recorder which is not seen as cheating.
> Figure that one out.


OBS creates no issues with Division 2 when recording, so if you really need to make a video there you go.


----------



## marcus89 (Dec 2, 2020)

I think the most important qualities of a good game screen recorder are
- no watermark
- light-weight and smooth
- record both video and audio
- better to be free

So open source and built-in screen recorders are the best options.


----------



## bonnieshona (Dec 4, 2020)

If you use Nvidia graphic card, you can use Shadowplay. It can record your gameplay and also, no performance loss.


----------

