How to Record Gameplay on Steam: 5 Built-in/Third-Party Tools

If you want to share your achievements with friends and other Steam users, you need to record your gameplay video on Steam. Given that, this post will show you the 5 best solutions for recording videos on Steam effortlessly.

(Upgraded in Aug, 2026)

Is it possible to record with Steam Itself?

YES. Steam provides a built-in game recording feature, which originally introduced Beta version in June 2024 and first release in Nov 2024. It supports continuous background capture (up to 2 hours) and editing tools to clip, save, and share your video without external software.

How to enable Stream Game Recording?

Step 1. Go to Steam > Settings in the top-left menu.

Step 2. Click the Game Recording tab on the left sidebar.

Step 3. Choose a recording mode as your demend: Record in Background or Record Manually.

Step 4. You can customize video and audio recording parameters there, including length, quality, audio capture, etc.

Step 5. Turn to In Game to open the Steam overlay, then you can start recording.

Limitation

Although Steam Game Recording is convenient and hardware-efficient, it can only record game content and cannot capture non-game content on the desktop. If you want more professional recording functions, such as recording webcam overlays, real-time streaming, or more flexible editing functions, you may need to consider picking the best game-recording software. There’re some better alternatives below that you can follow.

Comparison of 5 Steam Screen Recorders

Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-13700K / Apple M3 Pro

Graphics Card (GPU): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (12GB VRAM)

Record Steam Gameplay via VideoSolo [Overall]

VideoSolo Screen Recorder can be the best screen recorder for Steam players. This program works on both Windows and Mac and helps you record a Steam video with audio and webcam easily. To meet various demands, VideoSolo presets multiple formats and codec options. Video codecs include the common H.264 and H.265. Output formats for video include MP4, WMV, MOV, F4V, TS, and AVI, so you can record your gameplay video in HD quality at up to 60 fps without lagging.

When recording gameplay, you can customize the recording area, set up hotkeys, and add annotations to your recordings. You can also take a snapshot during the recording to save the special moments in images.

How to record Gameplay with VideoSolo?

Step 1. Download VideoSolo Screen Recorder and launch it

Choose the Game Recorder mode on the main interface.

Step 2. Launch Gameplay and select Gameplay Window

Open the game you want to record, click the arrow beside the first game button and drop down to find your game and select it as the game window.

On the second window, the Webcam is available if you want to capture your own face during gameplay recording. Webcam camera can be moved and adjusted during the recording process. The third and fourth window respectively control the System sound and Microphone sound. You can record voice at the same time to add your own commentary to the video.

Step 3. Customize recording settings

Click Preferences in more settings, you can customize your own settings. You can hide the floating bar and highlighting your cursor during recording gameplay for a better video-watching experience Go to the Output tab, you can set video format/quality, frame rate and location of output files. It's also highly advised to set hotkeys for better recording in convenience.

Step 4. Start Recording on Steam

If you have finished all your settings. You can click the REC button to start your recording. After the gameplay is over, press the stop button to end your recording. It will save to the directory of your computer according to the simple instructions within a few clicks.

Testing Experience

“VideoSolo Screen Recorder is my go-to solution for recording gameplay and streaming sessions. It captures every detail without affecting performance, allowing me to share my gaming experiences with my audience seamlessly.” – Sarah, Gaming Streamer

VideoSolo Screen Recorder supports scheduling and automated recordings, letting me pre-set the start time and stop pressing the keyboard flusteredly. It will be automatically recorded the moment I start playing, without having to manually start it again.

Record Steam Games with OBS Studio [Advanced Users]

OBS Studio is one of the most popular open-source Steam screen recorders supporting video recording and live streaming. It can record Steam DirectX 8/9/10/11/12, OpenGL games on Steam at up to 120 fps. Games, webcam overlay, and audio can all be recorded. OBS Studio is a professional video recording and editing tool, but it is available for free.

Step 1. Open OBS Studio and Add a New Source

Download OBS Studio and launch it. Click Sources in the main interface, choose the blank within the box, and select Game Capture.

Step 2. Launch Gameplay and Select Specific Window

Open your game on Steam, then turn to the OBS Studio interface to select the mode “Capture Specific Window” and choose the game as your targeted capture window.

Step 3. Customize Recording and Output Settings

Click File > Settings, and you can find Video and Output in the settings menu. You can make your preferences according to your computer configuration. Hotkey's settings are also available for you to make full preparation for game recording.

Step 4. Start Steaming Game Recording

When all the preparation is done, you can press the “Start Recording” button to capture your screen.

Xbox Game Bar Record Steam [Lightweight on Win]

Try Xbox Game Bar, the free Windows built-in screen recorder specializing in capturing game clips and screenshots. Xbox Game Bar works perfectly with most PC games, letting the user access various widgets with the ease of a click. It is convenient to use without installing any software.

Step 1. Launch Xbox Game Bar

Press Windows Key + G to open the Game Bar while playing a Steam game.

Step 2. Make up Your Own Settings

You can click the “Settings” icon on the menu bar to adjust your recording preferences, such as video quality, and turn the microphone on/off.

Step 3. Begin Steam Gameplay Recording

After all the settings are finished, you can tap the Capture button on the menu bar and select Start Recording on the “Capture” widget to begin gameplay recording.

Step 4. Stop Recording and Save Video

Click on the “Stop Recording” button to finish the recording process. Your Steam game videos will be saved in your computer folder by default.

Xbox Game Bar is a convenient recording choice for Windows users. But it has limited customization options and recording length (up to 120 minutes). What’s more, like Steam Game Recording, it doesn’t support recording your camera or PiP. In this case, VideoSolo Screen Recorder is a full-featured recorder that provides multiple customized options, and you can record both video and webcam at the same time.

Record Steam Gameplay with Online Screen Recorder

AceThinker empowers a popular online screen recorder to resolve the increasing need for users to record screens on any device. With no software download required, it assists users in capturing Steam gameplay on screens, only with a web browser open. Furthermore, AceThinker guarantees the original recording quality, and its intuitive interface will also lighten up the tool with its easy-to-use characteristics.

Step 1. Download AceThinker Launcher and open AceThinker Online Screen Recorder

To start recording, you need to download AceThinker Launcher first in the main interface.

Step 2. Customize Recording Settings

You can click on the Gear icon to configure some general and recording settings like bitrate, audio quality, output format, frame rate, etc. based on your preferences. Hotkey settings are also available for you to better control the recording

Step 3. Start Gameplay Recording

When set up all your settings, you can click the “REC” button to start your Steam game video record.

AceThinker is one of the best free Steam recorders on the market. It offers the very necessities required to record gameplay. But there are limitations to this application. It does not offer much in advanced video editing, and sometimes the recording process is not stable. It cannot perform complex video editing functions. If you want to have a better output of your game video, VideoSolo Screen Recorder can be the best alternative. It can record gameplay with stable HD resolution. You can do editing, add texts, annotations, and more.

FAQs about Recording on Steam

How to turn off Steam recording?

1. Click Steam > Settings > Game Recording.

2. Under Record Gameplay, choose Don't Record to disable all recording.

3. Click "OK" to save your changes.

4. Adjust Advanced Settings:

• Limit background recording storage space (e.g., 100 GB) to prevent disk clutter.

• Disable audio capture from other programs if needed.

Does Steam have a screen recorder?

Yes, Steam now has a built-in screen recording feature that captures video directly from games running through the Steam client. However, this built-in Steam recorder has some limitations. For example, it does not allow you to choose the recording area as freely as you like, and you cannot record non-game screens. You are recommended to use a more powerful Steam game recording software like VideoSolo Screen Recorder, which offers broader Steam recording capabilities.

How to take screenshots on Steam?

There are different ways to take screenshots on Steam:

Way 1: Press F12 while playing a game to instantly capture a screenshot.

Way 2: Press Shift+Tab to open the Steam overlay. Hit the Camera Icon to take a screenshot.

Conclusion

Although each software has its features, VideoSolo Screen Recorder is the best one for people who need a full-featured and lightweight screen recorder. It supports both Windows and Mac systems and has almost no limitations in your free trial. Why not just open your gameplay and try to start your recording now?

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