How To Record Gameplay Videos On Windows 10

It used to be that you'd need special software and/or hardware to record any video on your PC while playing games, but these days the options to grab some quick footage is easier than ever before. Thanks to free built-in options from Windows and Nvidia, recording your gameplay footage can be done instantly and effortlessly. Here's how you can keep a highlight reel of your PC sessions active at all times by screen capturing on Windows 10.

How to screen capture on Windows 10

The easiest method is to use Windows 10 and its Game Bar. It's worth noting that you will need to meet some moderate demands with your system and graphics card setup to proceed; otherwise, Windows will inform you that your hardware doesn't meet the recommended system requirements.

Before you begin, it's a good idea to first set the quality and duration of the footage that you wish to capture. Go to settings and then capture settings, and from here you can start toggling several options. Video frame-rate, length, audio, video quality, and duration can all be optimized from this page.

To start recording, the default command is the Windows Key + G. This will bring up the capture window, where you can click on the record button to start capturing gameplay footage, or press Windows key + Alt + R to initiate the process.

Once you start recording, the widgets will be replaced by a small floating bar in the upper-right corner of the screen that keeps a timer running of your session. This bar can be repositioned if it's in your way, and clicking on it will provide you with more options, such as ending your recording session.

You'll be able to view your video from the Game Bar afterward, or you can find the file in the default location of C:\Users\[username]\Videos\Captures.

If you'd prefer your captures to be saved elsewhere, you can move the folder by going to your Capture Settings menu and choosing a different folder.

How to background capture video on PC

Worried that you may lose a crucial moment from your gaming session because you weren't recording? There's a solution to that, as the Windows 10 Game Bar can record up to several minutes of footage in the background.

To enable this feature, navigate to Capture Settings and select the box for background recording. Once enabled, you'll be able to record 30-120 minutes of video while playing a game.

How To Capture Video With Nvidia Share

If your PC has an Nvidia graphics card, you can use the Share function on GeForce Experience to grab gameplay footage. To activate Nvidia Share, simply press Alt + Z to bring up the menu.

For keyboard shortcuts, the default command is Alt + F9 to start recording and Alt + F10 to stop. These can be changed, by going to the Nvidia Share settings and selecting keyboard shortcuts.

From this section, you'll have access to a wide range of options, which again include recording length, video quality, and several audio settings. Gameplay footage is automatically saved to a dedicated sub-folder in Videos.