To record high-quality gameplay videos using OBS Studio, follow these steps:

  1. Download and Install: Get OBS Studio by visiting the official website and installing it on your system.

  2. Set Up Game Capture:

    • Launch OBS Studio.
    • Click the + sign in the Sources panel, then choose "Game Capture".
    • Optionally, leave it named as "Game Capture", or customize the name.
    • Choose one of the three modes:
      • Capture any full-screen application: Best for most situations.
        • Click OK, and "Game Capture" should appear in the Sources list.
      • Capture specific window: Allows selecting a specific window to record.
        • Click the gear icon next to "Game Capture," switch to this mode, and select a game from the dropdown menu.
      • Capture foreground window with hotkey: Records the active window when activating the hotkey.
        • Configure hotkeys for activation and deactivation within the Game Capture settings.

  3. Optimizing Settings:

    • Go to Settings -> Output.
    • Ensure the output mode is set to "Simple" for ease of use.
    • Set the Recording Format to MP4.
    • Adjust the Video Bitrate according to your hardware capability; for example, 12,000 Kbps for 1080p 60FPS videos.
    • Consider using the NVIDIA NVENC encoder if your graphics card supports it, as it offloads encoding tasks from the CPU.

  4. Audio Configuration:

    • Add Audio Input Capture(s) as needed for microphone input, desktop audio, and other sources.
    • Configure each audio source independently to avoid conflicts and improve overall sound quality.

  5. Test and Fine-Tune:

    • Run a test recording to check the quality and performance.
    • Experiment with various settings until you achieve the desired balance between quality and performance.

  6. Record Gameplay:

    • Start the game and ensure it's in full-screen mode (or the specific window, if using the "Capture specific window" mode).
    • Click the Start Recording button in OBS Studio.
    • Play the game, and when finished, click Stop Recording.

Remember that optimal settings may vary depending on your system specifications, and it's essential to test and adjust settings to achieve the best quality for your setup.