If you are a game lover, you must also be familiar with the game streaming videos or clips sharing on some platforms like YouTube and Twitch. MMO, MOBA, FPS…there are so many types of games we can enjoy, join with others, and share with more people. When you want to record and share your gameplay videos, you will need a game recorder.
However, not all game recorders can work as you expect. Some may record with dropping FPS, while some cannot record the webcam or even add ugly watermarks on your recordings. How to find the best game recorder that you just need? This post collects 8 good screen recorder for gaming that you may like and will introduce to you in detail.
How Do We Choose the Best Game Recorders?
In order to guarantee that our recommended best game recorders are the ones you will need, here we conclude the factors that we consider while choosing the best screen recorders for gaming:
High Video Quality
Excellent games usually come with beautiful graphics and high FPS. To retain the quality of the game screen, a good game recorder should be able to capture the gaming process with high resolutions and no FPS drop
No Lag
Although a screen recorder is good at video quality, it will also make you anxious when the recording is laggy. So, it will be good that the software occupies a low CPU and can lead to a smooth gaming recording process.
Webcam & Live Stream Recording
When we record gameplay videos, we usually record the game screen with the webcam or doing live streaming. Therefore, a screen recorder compatible with webcam and live stream recording functionality would be better.
Extra Features
A screen recorder that contains good features for conveniently recording game videos will earn extra points, like supporting hotkeys to flexibly control the gameplay recording, or being able to record only the gameplay video and excluding to record other running programs.
8 Best Screen Recorder for Gaming of 2022
Now, just keep reading to find out the best-recommended software to record gaming on desktops.
Top Game Recorders: An Overview Table
| Software | Supported OS | Our Comment |
| FonePaw Screen Recorder | Windows, Mac | Best gameplay recorder for beginners to get started with the handy software |
| Windows Game DVR | Windows (Windows 10 only) | Best for Windows 10 users who desire a built-in screen recording tool to capture the gaming process without extra help |
| OBS Studio | Windows, Mac, Linux | Best for game players requiring to record gaming with the gameplay window and also capture footage from a webcam simultaneously |
| Bandicam | Windows | Best for Windows users requiring professional screen recording software to capture games in Ultra HD resolution |
| Action! | Windows | Best for players requiring excellent performance in both smooth gaming recording and live streaming functionality |
| Nvidia ShadowPlay | Windows | Best for desktops with NVIDIA graphics card to record gaming without lagging and high video resolution |
| Fraps | Windows | Best for users who desire a reliable screen recorder for gaming launch through years with continuous enhancement focusing on gaming recording |
| Gecata | Windows | Best for users with gaming recording demands to capture gameplay at 4K and even higher FPS |
1. FonePaw Screen Recorder
🔎 Best gameplay recorder for beginners to get started with the handy software
💻 Supported OS: Windows, Mac
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As the top 1 pick game recorder, FonePaw Screen Recorder stands out for its easy-to-grasp functionality in recording any activity on screen. It is able to capture gaming moments with original resolution and up to 60 FPS. It's also designed as a lightweight program that enables a low CPU for ensuring the smooth recording process without any lagging during the gameplay.
FonePaw Screen Recorder is also equipped with helpful features to enable more convenient control on recording gaming, such as the hotkeys control, with which users are able to use the keyboard to control the gaming recordings flexibly. In addition, the flexible customization on adjusting the recording area and sound volume also enable users to save the gaming recordings in the best state they desire. Users are also available to select the fix gaming window for recording only!
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Of course, FonePaw Screen Recorder provides multiple recording modes such as webcam recording, live streaming recording, and audio-only mode for capturing any activity on screen without hassle. Based on your personal requirements, you are sure to fully use the functionality brought by FonePaw Screen Recorder to record gaming on your Windows or Mac desktops with ease.
👍 Pros
- No lag recording ensured;
- Mouse effect and real-time annotation adding available;
- Rich recording modes supported to select flexibly;
- Scheduled recording available to auto-recording the screen;
- Noise cancellation feature to clearly capture the voice with high quality;
- Customization on output parameter settings are allowed.
👎 Cons
- Although FonePaw Screen Recorder offers a free trial, only a 3-minute duration of each recording could be saved.
2. Windows Game DVR
🔎 Best for Windows 10 users who desire a built-in screen recording tool to capture the gaming process without extra help
💻 Supported OS: Windows (Windows 10 only)
It would be hassle-free for Windows 10 users to record the gaming moments, as the system has provided the built-in Windows Game DVR for video game players to use for recording the gameplay on desktops. It is compatible with UWP games recording, which may be lacking in many other screen recording software.
Users only need to awake the recording feature by pressing the default shortcut of "Win + Alt + R" to specify the 30fps or 60fps gaming recording in the standard 720p or higher 1080p HD resolutions. Despite this, this built-in functionality launched by Windows 10 only takes a low CPU, so users won't feel the performance of your desktops lagging behind while recording the gaming process.
👍 Pros
- No extra software installation required;
- GPU acceleration added to the latest version for boosting efficiency;
- Easy-to-control functionality.
👎 Cons
- Not always working properly like recording some demanding games;
- Devices on lower-spec GPUs would fail to use the functionality successfully;
- Only available on Windows 10 system;
- Limited customizations options available.
3. OBS Studio
🔎 Best for game players requiring to record gaming with the gameplay window and also capture footage from a webcam simultaneously
💻 Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Linux
OBS Studio is an open-source recording software developed for desktop users to freely capture the screen without any restriction. It is compatible with both streaming and recording tasks with high resolutions, and it won't set limitations on the length of the recordings you are going to have.
Although OBS Studio would perform weaker at taking a screenshot, its screen recording functionality can be highly guaranteed. As the software is able to directly record from the graphics card, it works to record gaming in full-screen mode with hotkeys in a flexible way. Additionally, OBS Studio will not take one single CPU, but make full use of multiple of them to ensure the smooth recording performance during the gaming process, and also record the gameplay at 60fps, or even higher.
👍 Pros
- Open source software without payment requirement;
- Multiple platforms supported;
- High resolution and FPS supported to record gaming;
- Fast and smooth recording performance.
👎 Cons
- The functionality may be too complicated for some new users to get started with.
4. Bandicam
🔎 Best for Windows users requiring professional screen recording software to capture games in Ultra HD resolution
💻 Supported OS: Windows
Bandicam is specially developed for Windows users to capture the computer screens with the best resolution but the simplest operation process. It is regarded as one of the best gaming recorders to capture gameplay for its high bitrates and frames to output the gaming recordings. Users are able to adjust the frame rates to their own requirements and select to output the gaming recordings at the best 4K Ultra HD resolution.
To help save the storage space for video game players with high gaming recording demands, Bandicam also applies a built-in compression feature, enabling users to save the high-resolution recordings without sacrificing the storage space at all. It will smartly balance the quality and file size to bring you the perfect outcomes for saving your gaming recordings for convenient upload, sharing, preserving, and storing.
👍 Pros
- Two different recording modes available;
- Built-in compression feature to keep high-quality recordings at the smallest size;
- Output recordings to mainstream formats for ensuring high compatibility;
- Recording webcam simultaneously supported;
- Available for customizing the recording area based on personal requirements.
👎 Cons
- The upgraded version would be more pricy;
- Only Windows users are able to install this software;
- Lag issue may happen during recording the high-demanding video games.
5. Action!
🔎 Best for players requiring excellent performance in both smooth gaming recording and live streaming functionality
💻 Supported OS: Windows
Developed by a leading brand Mirillis, Action! is also an out-performing screen recorder for gaming, which supports recording gaming with a webcam overlay to the recording gaming. It enables users to flexibly switch back and forth from the full-screen gameplay while processing the recording without any interruption. Additionally, it even allows users to control the recording through the Action! mobile app!
For its recording performance, Action! has been empowered by VIDIA, AMD, or Intel hardware acceleration to ensure the no-lagging performance while processing the gaming recording. In addition, its output quality is able to reach up to 4K, with a high frame rate to greatly ensure the original quality of the gameplay videos.
An amazing functionality for gaming live streamers is that Action! supports streaming the recordings through popular platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, Livestream, etc., enabling users to instantly share the moments with players from all over the world.
👍 Pros
- Various helpful features to ensure high-quality gaming recording;
- Intuitive interface with easy-to-grasp functionality;
- Powerful performance acceleration tech applied;
- Convenient options for recording sharing.
👎 Cons
- No compression feature applied to control the file size, which would easily take up much storage;
- Expensive cost for purchasing the full license;
- Unavailable to adjust frame rates by ourselves.
6. Nvidia ShadowPlay
🔎 Best for desktops with NVIDIA graphics card to record gaming without lagging and high video resolution
💻 Supported OS: Windows
If your computer is equipped with an NVIDIA graphics card, the ShadowPlay screen record developed by NVIDIA is an ideal pick to help handle the gaming recording with excellent performance. Despite its basic features, for example, it is cost-free and offers an intuitive UI, ShadowPlay is also popular for its high recording resolutions supported for video game players to trust. The best resolutions supported by ShadowPlay is able to reach the highest 8K at 30FPS, or 4K at 60FPS to ensure the quality-guaranteed outputs.
Additionally, ShadowPlay also ensures the no-lagging performance so that the recording is able to be processed without affecting your gaming process, thus, the output recordings can be maintained at the best visual quality for sharing or uploading.
Also, here are 3 more highlights that ShadowPlay is able to bring to its users with gaming recording demands. Firstly, it is able to help broadcast the gaming moments and live stream them to social live streaming platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, or Twitch. Secondly, the instant reply functionality is able to help save the last 30 seconds of the gaming recording all the time. Last but not least, ShadowPlay also enables users to generate GIFs with up to 15 seconds from the captured gaming moments to the best 8K for preserving locally.
👍 Pros
- Absolutely a freeware to use;
- Straightforward user interface designed to process the gaming recording without hassle;
- Accelerate the recording performance taking only a very low CPU.
👎 Cons
- Only workable for the devices using NVIDIA GPU;
- The functionality of the screen recorder may be less than some of its professional competitors.
7. Fraps
🔎 Best for users who desire a reliable screen recorder for gaming launch through years with continuous enhancement focusing on gaming recording
💻 Supported OS: Windows
Firstly launched in 1999, Fraps has been one of the gaming recorders with a long history and a large number of users basic. For decades, Fraps has provided its out-performing functionality to record gaming on Windows devices. It focuses on taking screenshots and video recording, hence, the software is developed at a lightweight condition, which will not take a higher CPU while processing the gaming recording when it is running.
Don't worry about the output quality, as Fraps has been always keeping up with users' demands in the modern world for meeting most needs. Fraps enable users to set up the frame rate accordingly, which is ranging from 30 to 120FPS. Therefore, for the high-quality video game recording, Fraps is absolutely able to fit the needs.
👍 Pros
- Lightweight software with easy-to-grasp functionality;
- Freely customize the FPS based on personal requirements;
- Smooth performance guaranteed to process the quick recording experience while gaming.
👎 Cons
- The output video size is high as no compression feature is built inside to process the size-and-quality balance;
- Watermarks are added under the free trial period;
- No gaming live streaming feature provided.
8. Gecata
🔎 Best for users with gaming recording demands to capture gameplay at 4K and even higher FPS
💻 Supported OS: Windows
Movavi also developed a special video recorder to record games on Windows desktops with high resolution. For the gaming recordings, the video resolution is able to reach 4K at max, and also up to 120FPS. Despite the high-quality gaming recording functionality, Gecata also enables users to broadcast and stream the window while processing the recording.
Gecata provides an intuitive interface, enabling the software quite easy to grasp even if you are a starter trying to record gaming for the first time. In addition, with the helpful hotkeys provided, controlling the gaming recording would be even more convenient, without interrupting the gaming at all.
Amazingly, Gecata allows users to save and edit different audio streams separately without combining them together. In this way, you don't need to worry about interrupting the game audio while processing the gaming recording.
👍 Pros
- Easy setup and user-friendly interface for every user to get started;
- Fully compatible with all Windows systems;
- Available to take quick screenshots while processing the gaming recording for sharing;
- Lightweight development enabling to record high demanding games such as Minecraft, League of Legends, and so on.
👎 Cons
- Registration is required for accessing the full-licensed version;
- Only available for Windows users.
After reading this in-depth review of the 8 best screen recorders for gaming on desktops, have you grasped the most ideal pick for yourself now? Concluded from all aspects, these screen recorders are the best options for recording gameplay without lagging but in high resolutions. You can select any of them and try!
