Last Updated on July 21, 2023 by Rick Darlinton
Creating virtually stimulating gaming content is just as much about the tools used as well as the content itself. With the best free game recording software, you can capture your screen while gaming in real-time – and without watermarks.
Though splashing the cash on premium game recording software is not a bad thing, there’s enough quality free stuff out there you should explore.
In this piece, we intend to look at the best free game recording software.
Best Free Game Recording Software
1) Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
You can’t talk about the best game recording software without mentioning OBS. The open-source application is a popular choice among game content creators. Using OBS, you can capture gameplay to create content for viewers in HD quality.
There is also the option of streaming gameplay in real-time – a feature that has put the Open Broadcaster Software at the top of the pile. Popular video-sharing platforms are supported by the OBS, so you can live stream on your favorite social media platform.
The open-source software allows users to record their screens for as long as they want, which is a big deal for a freemium tool.
On OBS, there are lots of settings to make the most of your game recording session. You can configure the free software as you deem fit. For instance, some hotkeys can be set to whatever action you prefer. This can be a timesaver for the average gaming creator out there.
What the OBS lacks in a clutter-free user interface, it balances with a capable video editing engine. You can tweak your captured game screen to your satisfaction using this software.
There’s no doubt the OBS is amongst the best screen recorder for gaming, and it’s available on Windows and Mac.
2) QuickTime Screen Recorder
Another best game capture software that’s free to use is the QuickTime Screen Recorder, an appendage of QuickTime player found on the Mac. You can use QuickTime to record your game screen. While this Mac software is great at capturing gameplay, it relies on plugins to capture in-game audio. If you’re interested in creating visually appealing game content with in-game sound, you will have to download a third-party application.
Like the OBS software, QuickTime doesn’t have a time limit for screen capture. You can record your game screen for as long as you want. Of course, the storage capacity of your Mac computer will have the final say on that.
With an FPS of about 30fps, screen recording on the QuickTime app isn’t the most stimulating. But it’s still one of the best game recording software for mac, and it’s free.
Editing captured gameplay is another area where the QuickTime Screen Recorder might be found wanting. Though the app supports video editing options like trimming, cutting, merge, and a few others, this can only be done at the start or terminal part of the video and nowhere else.
3) Nvidia GeForce Experience Free Game Recording Software
Nvidia might be renowned for its video graphics card, but the built-in software supports game recording at no extra cost. You can capture your gameplay, broadcast it to an audience or just save it in the gallery of your Windows PC.
While this software does a decent job of capturing your game screen, it doesn’t support all games. If a game isn’t supported by Nvidia, you can’t record or broadcast gameplay using the software.
Beyond this little gridlock, the Nvidia GeForce software has other settings that should make recording gameplay pleasurable. You can use keyboard shortcuts to record your game screen as fluidly as possible.
Another area where this best screen recorder for gaming software falls short is its 20 minutes time limit for screen capture. If you intend to exceed that time limit, this software might disappoint you.
Nvidia GeForce Experience software has an instant replay option. It allows you to go over the captured gameplay as soon as the recording session is over. There’s also the GIF creator function that makes it easy to create GIFs from screen recordings.
It’s only compatible with Windows PC.
4) Xbox Game Bar
It doesn’t get simpler and clutter-free than the Xbox Game Bar. Added among the default software on Windows 10, the Xbox Game Bar is poised to be a PC gamer’s ideal companion. Its array of tools, including the screen capture makes the job easier for game content creators.
The Xbox Game Bar doesn’t have the overburdened interface that plagues some of the best software to record gameplay. It’s something most users will appreciate.
The screen capture function is just one of the tools in the Xbox Game Bar. It enables users to record gaming activities on their PC screen with just the touch of a button. You can also take a screenshot of your screen as well for pictures of game activities. Audio incorporation into recordings is mostly through turning on the mic by tapping the relevant icon.
Game recording with the Xbox Game Bar has a time limit of 4 hours. This might be a rookie number compared to some of the best free game recording software, it’s still higher than the average freemium tool.
The Xbox Game Bar doesn’t support video editing. It’s another area where this best video game recording software is inadequately equipped compared to a few others considered earlier.
5) Icecream Screen Recorder
This is another best free game recording software for Windows and Mac. Icecream Screen Recorder has lots of features, which is surprising for a freemium app. You can record your game screen using the capture video button.
With this tool, you can screenshot your screen using Quickshot, a dedicated feature for taking photos of your monitor. Talking about monitors, Icecream Screen Recorder supports multiple monitors, so you can record and screenshot gameplay on all connected monitors.
This best game recorder for PC lets a user record system sound in addition to the microphone sound. For unadulterated system sound recording, proceed to the audio section and uncheck ‘record audio’ to not capture sound from the microphone.
Icecream Screen Recorder makes it possible to record your computer’s screen even in your absence. This can be done by scheduling screen capture sessions. The software gets to work based on data entered including the date, time, frames, and others.
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