FREE Game Recording Software for PC

What software is used to Record games on PC? There are so many tools and pieces of software for best Game Recording right at your fingertips!

In the upsurge of online entertainment propaganda, people are getting glued to the internet for different purposes including their leisure time activity. Where entertainment includes watching movies, TV shows, web series; reading comics; playing and recording game on PC has taken a significant role for a certain population of enthusiasts. E-sports is the new thing on the platter that has been enhancing with each passing day.

There are different sorts of games out there on the internet- multi-player, FPS games, strategic games, DS, DSi games, and more. However, the better experience takes place when one shares their game-plays with others- friends or other gamers. Some go for live streaming. The other safer way is to record the game while playing and later sharing those on the ‘video-sharing platforms’. For this sole purpose, there have been several games recording software on the internet to help out.

Also, with the help of these game recording softwares, people are creating ample amounts of money, sitting at home, enjoying what they do. Read about Tyler Blevins and Kyle Giersdorf and one will know clearly about it.

Here we will discuss the 10 best free game recording software for PC to download the game-plays and cater those on video showing platforms. Added with them are the pros and cons of mentioned game recording software.

10 Best Free Game Recording Software for PC:

#1. Open Broadcaster Software:

Open Broadcaster SoftwareOpen Broadcaster Software (OBS) is one of the best and preferable choices for gamers. Here, one can download the game-play at the same time stream it as well. A considerable number of Pros along with a handful of cons are being mentioned below.

Pros:

  1. It is free and open-source.
  2. Here, one can play with cross-platform support- both streaming and recording
  3. It records the game in MP4 and FLV formats.
  4. It uses the GPU of the device for high-quality streaming.
  5. It records the video as it is being played; no compression or contraction.
  6. For the video tutorials, there are some exclusive features like picture in picture mode, push to talk, and more.
  7. It uses different plug-ins for a better experience.
  8. One can get big community support here.

Cons:

  1. The learning curve for this game recorder is quite easy to learn.
  2. Many users report that it does not have a user-friendly user interface (UI).

It is compatible with different versions of Windows (10, 8, 8.1, and 7), macOS, and Linux.

#2. Streamlabs OBS:

Streamlabs OBSFor the users who find OBS’s UI a bit complicated, they come by this software and stick to it. This is one software, that has a very smooth and user-friendly interface. It is full of integrated features to help the user easily record their game-plays. As here, the user can directly connect to the Streamlab’s account; one can borrow all the tools from the company’s website.

Here are the significant features of Streamlabs OBS-

Pros: 

  1. It has a very easily navigating interface which is very much user-friendly.
  2. It uses many plug-ins to enhance the experience of the users.
  3. Along with several integrated features, streaming, as well as the recording of the games, is easier.
  4. As the user, after downloading this software can directly connect to the website account, it is easier for them to use all their required tools without copy-pasting the URLs.
  5. As the recordings are of high quality, it saves the resources as backup and keeps the settings saved in the clouds.
  6. It is downloadable and useable free of cost.

Cons: 

  1. It has several add-ons, and because of that, it has a high chance to crash on.
  2. It has a lesser number of encoding options than OBS.
  3. It is recently in Beta mode; hence there is a high chance that the user may face some problems using it.
  4. Unlike OBS, there is no platform support here.

This software is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, and 7 only.

#3. Nvidia GeForce Experience:

Nvidia GeForce ExperienceIf the user is an Nvidia GPU user, they already have been receiving the installation prompts of the GeForce experience on their devices. All the Nvidia GPU users must try at least once this GeForce Experience because of the following reasons-

Pros:

  • This app includes the shadowplay feature which makes the download easier.
  • During video encoding, it does not need much CPU power, hence power saving.
  • It records the game as it was shown on the display.
  • For basic game-play recordings, this software is the best.
  • It is free to use.
  • It is very user-friendly; straightforward and simple.
  • For encoding, it takes the help of GPU.

Cons:

  • It is only Nvidia GPU compatible. 
  • Lacks most of the features of other software in the list.

This software is compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.

#4. Bandicam:

BandicamBandicam is one of the most advanced levels of game recording software where the user can download the games in two modes.

Below mentioned are other exclusive features of this software-

Pros:

  • It records high bitrates and frames for the game while keeping it as a Windows screen recorder.
  • One has the choice to download videos in customizable rates of frames and 4K video quality.
  • It has an in-built contraction feature which makes it download and record high-quality videos in smaller sizes.
  • The recorded videos have the feature of adjusting with the associated PC activities and gaming; so is the size of the windows.
  • It supports several formats and codecs as well.

Cons: 

  • It is costly; there is a limited period of a free trial. Then for one player’s license, it costs $60. 
  • Some videos, according to the device configuration, might exhibit some lag issues.

It is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and Vista.

#5. Fraps:

It is again very high and popular game recording software with a simple user interface. Here is a list of positive and negative features of Fraps.

Pros:

  1. User-friendly interface, easy navigation.
  2. It comes with advanced settings and configuration options.
  3. The video capture quality and frames can be manually handled here- from 30 to 120FPS. If the FPS is set below 30, there is a provision to provide custom FPS value here.
  4. It records audio and video both versions while recording game-play.
  5. One can get a live frame rate at one corner of the screen; which sometimes reminds the heavy game players about their area and data consumption.
  6. It is very lightweight and easy to use.
  7. From an external input device, it can highlight the cursor and capture audio while recording.

Cons: 

  1. It is not free; the trial version is free, the software costs $73.
  2. The files it downloads are of higher sizes as contraction saving quality is maintained here.

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 10, 8, 8.8, and 7 are the suitable compatible designs of this free game recording software.

#6. Gamecaster:

Gamecaster is one of the most powerful games recording tools available here. It is also a smart downloader- the features are mentioned down below-

Pros: 

  • Gamecaster can stream as well as record the games together. 
  • It is called a smart recorder because all it needs is to press the record button- then it figures out the configuration of the PC and starts downloading accordingly.
  • The other pros of this software include- picture to picture mode recording.
  • Besides, there are social media integration, watermarks, and video annotations.
  • It has a built-in video editor to edit and manage the downloaded videos.
  • Last but not the list, it has a clean and intuitive UI.
  • It also is advanced for having partner integrations.

Cons: 

  • It is not free; it has a trial version for a limited time; however, the premium version costs $8.32.
  • It is not at all compatible with advanced users.

Gamecaster is compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 versions.

#7. Radeon Relive:

Just like Nvidia GPU having its personalized and customizable video recorder, AMD has its own. Radeon Relive is AMD’s proprietary software, used to record game-play on the AMD card. Below are the super features of this software:

Pros:

  • AMD’s Radeon Relive uses the GPU for most of the encoding.
  • As a result of this, it saves CPU cycles taking place for other stuff.
  • The impact on the frame rates is comparatively small, 5-10%.
  • The software is designed with up-scaling as well (playing in 1080p can be recorded in 4K high definition quality).
  • It is free of cost; has an easy manual and set up.

Cons:

  1. It is compatible only with AMD GPUs.
  2. The recording software has the least features for recording.

The compatibility list of this software is a long one- RX Vega, Radeon Pro Duo, AMD Radeon™ HD 8500 – HD 8900 Series, Radeon RX 400 Series, and more.

#8 Action!-

It is one of the best game recording software; however, with some restrictions. It makes use of the GPU to amplify the recording speeds and keep the pressure lower for the CPU. Below are the significant features of this software-

Pros:

  1. It has n number of features, advisable for the recording purpose.
  2. It can save the videos as high-definition playback; up to 4K HD.
  3. Through this recording software, one can record the games in FPS along with the live commentary.
  4. The video recording has great options of file sharing with different other popular social platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Livestream, Hitbox, and Ustream.
  5. A time shift mode is also there- but it is limited from 10 to 20 minutes.

Cons:

  1. Higher the FPS, the bigger the file records.
  2. There is no option to customize the FPS rates.
  3. It is not free at all; a trial version is available but for a very short period.

‘Action!’ is compatible with Windows versions of 10, 8, 8.1, 7, and Vista.

#9. Xbox Game Bar:

Xbox Game Bar is perfect for Windows 10 users who are willing to record their game-play videos hassle-free. Below are the significant features of this-

Pros:

  1. Xbox Game Bar provides the video recording in high range speed- 30 FPS to 60 FPS.
  2. The video quality also starts from 720p and ends in 1080p which is recommendable.
  3. There is an audio bitrate too.
  4. All the keyboard shortcuts are active for this software.
  5. The biggest advantage is this software comes with an inbuilt Windows 10.
  6. It is free software to use with a very soothing user interface.

Cons:

  1. Being compatible with only Windows 10 is a big drawback of this software.
  2. It is good for beginners; hence advanced users.

Xbox Game Bar is compatible with only Windows 10.

#10. D3DGear:

This tool is a little deceiving, in a good way. Though the software looks simple, it is very much useful; also it does not need any special setup to run it. The salient features of this software are as follows-

Pros:

  1. It has a very lightweight design.
  2. It has a built-in system to compress files without affecting the quality.
  3. GPU acceleration is used here to put less pressure on the CPU.
  4. It has an auto-identifier with games and auto-connectivity to them.
  5. It has a very basic User Interface.
  6. Real-time compression is active here.
  7. Besides recording, it is also great to stream the videos on popular live-streaming sites.

Cons:

  1. Though it has so many attractive features; it is comparatively less attractive to the users due to its lack of features.
  2. The user interface here is user-friendly and simple, but it is outdated.
  3. It is not free; there is a 2 weeks trial edition though.

D3DGear is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10 versions.

Above are the 10 best game recording software for PC to enhance the user’s enjoyment to the next level.