The audience of YouTubers and streamers keeps growing, it's simpler than ever to publish content online, and many gamers want to ride that wave. One of the best ways to start is recording the screen during our gaming sessions and share some clips, but which software option is the most suitable? In reality, the market offer is quite broad, and today we are going to mention some popular alternatives.
The Game Bar in Windows 10 (and Windows 11)
Microsoft made a big bet by merging certain elements of the Xbox ecosystem with its operating systems, and one of the results is the Game Bar, which allows us to record the screen (among other things) with a simple keyboard shortcut. The Captures section saves all the advanced recording parameters. There you can configure the destination folder for your recordings, choose the framerate, set a maximum recording length, define the audio quality, and modify the video compression level.
Now, Windows 10 can be a bit picky with its minimum hardware requirements for recording the screen, and something similar happens with Windows 11. If you think you have enough firepower, you might need to update drivers. Otherwise, you can always look for another tool...
OBS Studio
Inevitable: If someone talks about the best screen recording programs, OBS Studio has to be on the list... but it would be unfair to suggest it only serves that purpose. It is a complete platform that records, live streams, mixes audio, applies filters, and much more. As if that weren't enough, OBS Studio is free and open source, with builds updated for Windows, macOS, and various flavors of Linux.
If there's something to criticize about OBS Studio, it's its learning curve. Don't expect a one-click solution: There's a lot to configure, change, and optimize. In fact, it's very likely that your first recording will be a black screen, and you'll need to modify something extra. In any case, we celebrate its fabulous flexibility and its open/free profile.
Nvidia ShadowPlay
Obviously, Nvidia wasn't going to stay out of the party, and if you have compatible hardware, you might want to take a look at the ShadowPlay module that is part of GeForce Experience. ShadowPlay's general goals are two: Record easily, and share quickly. Its integration with Facebook Live, Twitch, and YouTube Live is almost total, you can create animated GIFs instead of videos, and extensive use of keyboard shortcuts makes things even easier.
Of course... to play with Nvidia's resources, you must enter its garden. The company offers GeForce Experience during the installation of the video drivers, but you can download it separately, and you'll need to create an account because Nvidia wants your soul (?).
Screen Recording Programs: Bonus Track
To finish, a snack: FlashBack Express, which we've previously talked about. Besides working perfectly on Windows 10 and having a free edition, it also leaves aside watermarks, and it's installed as a sort of middle ground between the Xbox Game Bar and OBS Studio's natural complexity.
In its settings you can change audio parameters, activate different recording and performance modes (adjusting quality and framerate), modify keyboard shortcuts, set recording limits, and add notes. The price of its Pro edition amounts to 49 dollars, but if you only want to get your feet wet, the Express edition is more than enough.
