If you’re a gamer looking to create high-quality recordings of your gameplay, you’ve likely heard of OBS Studio. It’s one of the most powerful and free tools available for video recording and live streaming. However, its settings can be a bit overwhelming at first.
This guide will walk you through the best OBS Studio settings step-by-step to ensure your recordings look clean, crisp, and professional—without overloading your system.
Step-by-Step Guide to the Best OBS Studio Recording Settings
1. Open OBS Studio and Navigate to Settings
- Launch OBS Studio.
- Click on the “Settings” button at the bottom-right corner.
- Ignore the General, Appearance, and Stream tabs for now.
- Go directly to the Output tab.
2. Switch to Advanced Output Mode
- In the Output tab, change Output Mode from
SimpletoAdvanced. - This unlocks more detailed settings under Recording.
3. Set Up the Recording Path
- Under the Recording tab, choose where your files will be saved.
- Click Browse and pick a folder on an SSD (Solid State Drive). 🔍 Why SSD? Recording to a traditional hard drive can result in stutters or corrupted files. SSDs handle high-speed data transfer better.
4. Choose the Right Recording Format
- Set the Recording Format to
MKV. 🔐 Why MKV? If your power goes out or OBS crashes, MKV protects your data from corruption. Unlike MP4, you won’t lose your entire recording.
Bonus: Auto-Convert MKV to MP4
- Go to the Advanced tab.
- Enable Automatically remux to MP4. ✅ This automatically saves your final file as MP4 (after recording), while retaining the MKV fail-safety during recording.
5. Select the Right Video Encoder
Depending on your hardware:
- If you use an NVIDIA GPU, choose
NVIDIA NVENC H.264. - For AMD users, select the AMD encoder option available.
- If you don’t have a dedicated GPU, you’ll need to use
x264, but be aware: ⚠️ Using x264 relies heavily on your CPU, which can result in lower performance and quality.
6. Set the Audio Encoder
- Choose
FFmpeg AAC(often listed just asFFmpeg). - This ensures high-quality audio with compatibility across most editing tools.
7. Recommended Encoder Settings for Recordings
Still in the Output → Recording tab, set the following:
- Rate Control:
CQP - CQ Level:
17(Lower is higher quality. Use16–20as a range) - Keyframe Interval:
2 - Preset:
P5for low-end systemsP6for mid-rangeP7for high-end rigs
- Tuning:
High Quality - Multipass Mode:
Two Passes - Psycho Visual Tuning: Enabled (
true) - Look-ahead: Off
- GPU:
0 - Max B-frames:
2
Click Apply once done.
8. Audio Tab Settings
At the top, switch to the Audio tab and set all tracks to:
- Bitrate:
320 Kbpsfor maximum audio clarity.
9. Set Audio Devices
From the Settings → Audio tab on the left:
- Desktop Audio: Select your primary speaker or headphone output.
- Mic/Auxiliary Audio: Choose your microphone (e.g., Rode PodMic USB if applicable).
Click Apply to save.
10. Adjust Video Resolution and FPS
Go to the Video tab:
- Base (Canvas) Resolution: Set this to your monitor or game resolution (e.g.,
1920x1080for 1080p). - Output (Scaled) Resolution: Match this to the recording resolution (e.g.,
1920x1080). - Downscale Filter: Use
Lanczosif you’re scaling down. - Common FPS Values: Select
60for smooth high-frame-rate recordings.
11. Explore Hotkeys (Optional)
Under the Hotkeys tab:
- Set up hotkeys for actions like Start/Stop Recording, switching scenes, muting audio, etc.
- Especially useful if you have a Stream Deck or extra keys on your keyboard.
12. Split Audio Tracks for Better Editing Control
Finally, you can split audio into multiple tracks (like separating mic and game audio) for easier editing:
- Go to Settings → Output → Recording.
- Check multiple Audio Tracks (e.g., Track 1 for game, Track 2 for mic).
- Later, in your video editor, you’ll have control over each audio source individually.
🎧 This is incredibly useful for adjusting game volume without affecting your voice, and vice versa.
Final Thoughts
Setting up OBS Studio for optimal game recording doesn’t have to be intimidating. With these configurations, your recordings will be smooth, high-quality, and editable with ease. Whether you’re a casual gamer or an aspiring content creator, these settings will help elevate your production game.
Software Mentioned
Tags:
OBS Studio settings, game recording tips, MKV vs MP4, best OBS configuration, OBS for gamers, OBS NVENC settings, record 1080p 60fps, separate audio tracks OBS, OBS advanced mode
Hashtags:
#OBSStudio #GameRecording #ContentCreation #OBSSettings #GamingSetup #StreamingTips #NVENC #VideoEditing #YouTubeGaming
Disclaimer:
Disclaimer: The settings in this guide are optimized for general use and mid-to-high-end systems. Your experience may vary based on your hardware. Always test short recordings to ensure compatibility and performance before starting long recording sessions.
