11 Best Game Recording Software for Windows in 2024

Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista

Price: $29.95/Year
Unregistered version (with a 5-time recording limit)

Want to record the whole gameplay session with in-game audio and your voice? WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro makes it easy! This game recording software features a dedicated Game mode that enables you to capture HD gameplay videos at 60fps. You can also customize the recording area, format, and quality. On top of that, it allows you to further convert and edit the recorded videos to YouTube, Dailymotion, FC2, etc., for easier uploading.

Pros:

• Easy to use and functional
• No recording limit and no watermark
• Offer four recording modes
• Support recording screen with or without audio
• Able to record audio only
• Offer features to download, convert, edit, compress, etc.

Cons:

• All features in the unregistered version are available for free but with limits on times or length.

→ Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro → Download WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro

Compatibility: Windows 10/11

Price: Free

Xbox Game Bar is one of the best free video game recording software, especially if you want to quickly capture the best moments without leaving the game. This default Microsoft tool comes pre-installed on Windows 11 and 10 and supports keyboard shortcuts. In addition to making quick video captures, you can also use it to snap full-screen screenshots to showcase your gaming achievements.

Pros:

• Free and safe to use
• Built-in Windows 11/10
• Support shortcuts
• Record screen with mic audio
• Ability to record the last 30s
• Take screenshots

Cons:

• No editing features
• Unable to capture Desktop and File Explorer
• Can’t record audio only

Compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux

Price: Free

OBS (aka Open Broadcaster Software) always appears on the list every time we review the best free screen recording software. This open-source screen capture tool provides users with extensive recording settings and features so that they can keep a balance between recording quality and computer performance. You can, for example, preset your preferred recording bitrate, frame rate, encoder, resolution, etc.

Pros:

• No watermark and no recording limit
• 100% free to use
• Offer several recording modes
• Support hotkeys
• Customizable interface and settings
• Record game video, webcam, and audio

Cons:

• Limited editing features
• Don’t support audio-only recording

→ Download OBS

Compatibility: Windows

Price: $33.26/Year

Bandicam includes a game recording mode that allows you to capture high-quality gameplay videos up to 4K/480FPS. You can record the entire screen or specify the recording area. In addition, this lightweight game recording software has the capacity to record game sounds, music, your voice, and any sound from your computer at the same time. Once the recording ends, you can directly upload the video to YouTube without any conversion.

Pros:

• Record 2D/3D games
• Support real-time drawing during recording
• Allow recording audio only
• Support webcam recording
• Able to schedule a screen recording

Cons:

• Don’t offer editing tools

→ Download Bandicam

Compatibility: Windows 10/11

Price: $60/Year

XSplit Broadcaster is game recording software similar to OBS - it lets you stream and record screen activities. Although Xsplit offers fewer customization options, this makes it more beginner-friendly. It enables you to record your display with multiple audio tracks. You can also stream and record different scenes simultaneously. It supports multiple popular streaming services, including Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube.

Pros:

• Intuitive to use
• Support stream and record at the same time
• Support device with multiple displays
• Resize webcam source while recording
• Game Capture mode for DirectX 9-12, Vulkan, or OpenGL games
• Many hot streaming service outputs

Cons:

• Add watermarks to recording (above 720p) in free version.
• Features like source transitions, preview editor, etc., only available in Premium version

→ Download XSplit Broadcaster

Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista

Price: $19.77/Lifetime

Mirillis Action! is a superb HD video screen recorder for Windows. With its device recording mode enabled, you can capture high-quality game videos from a gaming console, other PC, TV broadcasts, etc. It also features a Greenscreen Mode, which makes it easy to cut out the background during webcam recording. Also, Action! can live stream your gameplay to YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming services!

Pros:

• Support record and stream
• Directly capture HD MP4 video with hardware acceleration support
• Record gameplay from external devices
• Display current and average FPS
• Built-in YouTube and Facebook upload options

Cons:

• Offer 30-day trial
• Trial leaves watermarks in all recordings

→ Download Action!

Compatibility: AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN) Architecture-based Desktop Graphics

Price: Free

AMD graphic card users are provided with a built-in solution for game recording called AMD Radeon Relive. It offers a free and convenient way to capture gameplay footage. This default gaming recording software suite also includes features that allow you to monitor PC performance and live stream gameplay to Twitch and YouTube. However, there are some hardware requirements to run Radeon Relive. You can check it by visiting its official support website( https://www.amd.com/en/resources/support-articles/faqs/DH-023.html).

Pros:

• Safe and free
• Simple to use
• No watermarks
• Record and stream gameplay
• Customizable settings for recording and streaming
• Stream to Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook, Weibo, etc.

Cons:

• AMD graphic-only
• Have very basic editing feature

Compatibility: Windows 10/11 (with Nvidia graphics cards)

Price: Free

Nvidia has added its own recording feature since 2013. That is ShadowPlay, which comes as part of Nvidia’s GeForce Experience software and is supported for any Nvidia GTX 600 series card or higher. ShadowPlay has many useful features that make game recording quick and easy. For example, Highlights mode. With it, you’ll never worry about missing the best moments like boss fights or killing sprees. If you have a GeForce card, this app is worth a shot!

Pros:

• Free and safe to use
• Record video up to 8K/30fps or 4K/60fps
• Hardware-accelerated
• Run in the background without impacting performance
• Quickly record and broadcast video

Cons:

• Only support recording video with variable frame rate
• Limited editing features

Compatibility: Windows

Price: $29.85/Lifetime

For anyone looking to start streaming as a gamer, D3DGear is another tool they should miss out. It is a fast game recording software and game video broadcasting software. With simple installation and hotkey support, it enables you to quickly produce high quality game videos without slowing down the game performance. You can record the whole game session with your voice-narration and webcam. It can also work with VR games.

Pros:

• Fast and easy to use
• Record and stream gameplay
• Record mic, Push-To-Talk, and face camera overlay
• Support resource-intensive games
• Capture Oculus Rift VR gameplay

Cons:

• Limited editing options
• The interface is not attractive.
• 15-day trial with watermark

→ Download D3DGear

Compatibility: Windows 7/8/10

Price: Free version
$25/Lifetime

FBX Game Recorder is also a handy tool for gamers who want to capture and save their best actions in game. With a simple hotkey, you can instantly create a short gameplay clip while playing the game. The recorder allows you to choose whether you want to record the entire screen or just a specific area. It also supports browser games in addition to desktop games. Furthermore, you can use FBX to take HD screenshots as well.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Support hardware acceleration
• Work with low-end PCs
• Enable to stream to Twitch or YouTube
• Offer some editing features

Cons:

• Free plans record video with watermark.

→ Download FBX Game Recorder

Compatibility: Windows10/11, MacOS 13.0 or later

Price: $179.88 /Year

The last great game recording software I’d like to recommend is Camtasia. It is not only easy to use for screen recording, but also comes with powerful editing tools. You can easily use it to capture an entire screen or a custom area, and then edit it freely with text overlays, animations, transitions, royalty-free music, and more. Although the full version of Camtasia is quite expensive, it is worth the investment if you plan to enter the field of game video creation.

Pros:

• Simple to use recorder
• Custom recording area
• Feature-rich editing tools
• Suitable for beginners

Cons:

• Lack audio-only recording
• Not affordable for many

→ Download Camtasia