Best Capture Card In 2022 For Consoles And PC

The Good

• Records at 1080p or 4K
• Great 4K passthrough
• Simple setup
• Compact design

The Bad

• N/A

Elgato's HD60 X offers the best combination of performance and price, which gives it the edge on this list. The HD60 X is essentially a follow-up to the HD60 S+, a capture card that was on this list until we tested the HD60 X. The HD60 X is a sleek and compact external capture card that can capture video in 4K resolution at 30fps. If you want a faster frame rate in your recordings, you can also choose to record in 1080p at 60fps.

One of the best features on the HD60 X is that it has stellar passthrough specs, so you don't have to compromise your personal gaming experience on PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC while streaming or recording. It supports passthrough at the following settings: 4K at 60fps, 1440p at 120fps, and 1080p at 240fps.

You can use Elgato's proprietary game capture software or any third-party program such as OBS, Steamlabs, or Vmix to record and manage your clips. Setting it up is as simple as plugging it in to your PC or Mac via the included USB-C cable and connecting HDMI cords to your display and console/PC.

The Good:

• Great value
• Plug-and-play design
• Supports 4K passthrough
• Certified for OBS

The Bad:

• Requires a PC

The EVGA XR1 Lite offers solid streaming and recording quality for the price. It's capable of recording at 1080p at 60fps and has 4K passthrough, so you can still play your games in 4K while streaming at the lower resolution. The XR1 Lite is certified for OBS and connects via USB 3.0 Type-C. It's compatible with all modern game consoles as well as PC.

If you're willing to spend around 100 bucks, you can grab the EVGA XR1 Pro, which is capable of streaming at 1440p at 60fps or 4K at 30fps. The XR1 Pro also has an audio mixer, so you can tinker with your sound on the fly. And if you're someone who likes RGB lighting, the EVGA XR1 has customizable lighting effects.

The Good:

• Capture up to 4K and 60 FPS gameplay
• 4K HDR and 60 FPS passthrough
• High-end encoder makes recording beautiful footage a breeze
• Record footage to a PC or straight to an SD card, including flashback recording
• Connects to PC via USB-C
• Single-button device makes recording easy

The Bad:

• Does not support 1080p240 and 1440p144 passthrough
• High price tag

Elgato's new 4K60 S+ is the most exciting capture card on this list, thanks to its onboard video encoder and the ability to capture footage directly to an SD card. All you have to do is plug in your console via HDMI, press the capacitive touch button, and you're recording--no PC needed. And considering its portable form factor, the Elgato 4K60 S+ makes for a great option when going to events like PAX, where you might be able to capture game footage of games before they release. It features 4K HDR and 60 frames per second passthrough (with the right HDMI cable), as well as no noticeable lag, making it something you can leave plugged in at all times. Unfortunately, unlike Elgato's internal 4K60 Pro card, it does not support passthrough for 1080p and 240Hz or 1440p and 144Hz.

The price can also be a deterrent for casual content creators. There's no doubt that the portability, SD card recording, and video-encoding capabilities are attractive features for game capture, but they come at a price--one that's actually quite high. If you don't absolutely need everything the 4K60 S+ has to offer, then you may not want to shell out the extra cash required to pick this high-end external capture card up.

The Good:

• Captures up to 1080p and 60 FPS gameplay
• Supports 4K and 60 FPS passthrough
• 3.5mm ports are perfect for gaming headset

The Bad:

• Doesn't support HDR passthrough
• Requires a PC

Razer, known for its excellent gaming keyboards and mice, also makes a great game capture card. Slick and discrete, the Ripsaw HD easy to place anywhere on your desk and keep a low profile, while capturing up to 1080p and 60 FPS with passthrough for 4K and 60 FPS. It unfortunately does not support HDR passthrough. This capture device's unique feature allows you to plug in a 3.5mm microphone and headphones to record your voice and monitor your audio respectively--this is perfect if you plan on streaming with a gaming headset. For the budget-minded gamer, this, along with decent streaming software, is all you need to start streaming your game footage and build your Twitch channel.

The Good:

• Perfect for nearly every platform out there
• Captures up to 4K and 60 FPS as well as HDR
• Supports up to 1080p240Hz and 1440p144Hz passthrough
• Internal PCIe card lets you set it and forget it

The Bad:

• Requires a PC

The Elgato 4K60 Pro is the best internal PCIe capture card out there. It's capable of capturing gameplay up to 4K and 60 frames per second directly from your gaming PC, and it's easy to set up, too: All you have to do is plug it into your motherboard and download the drivers to get it working--no USB cable required. It can capture HDR and passthrough up to 1080p at 240Hz and 1440p at 144Hz. These passthrough capabilities are particularly useful if you're going to use this card to capture your own PC's gameplay, as you won't have to sacrifice your own experience while recording or streaming. It also works seamlessly with the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. With some third-party accessories, I was even able to capture retro platforms like the Nintendo GameCube and Wii without the need for an external capture box.

The Good:

• Captures up to 1080p and 60 FPS
• Supports 1080p and 60 FPS passthrough
• Internal PCIe card lets you set it and forget it

The Bad:

• Isn't suitable for consoles
• Requires a PC

The HD60 Pro is a version of Elgato's internal PCIe capture card that supports capture and passthrough up to 1080p and 60 frames per second. It has fewer features and capabilities than the 4K60 Pro, but it also comes at a much cheaper price. If capturing in 4K HDR isn't something that interests you, then the HD60 Pro video capture card is more than enough to handle your streaming and recording needs, especially if you're an aspiring streamer or YouTuber.