There is a lot of game recording software out there. But which one is the best among them? Which one provides the most efficient features that allow users to seamlessly record games without a drop in the framerate or affecting any aspect of the online/offline gameplay? If you are still in search of an answer to this question, this might be the article you are searching for. We will discuss some of the most popular game recorders here.
The software is built to help people easily complete certain tasks with ease. For the gameplay recording too, there are numerous software to help you out. Today, we are going to list some of the most efficient game recording programs which will help you to effortlessly save your gameplays without needing any advanced operations.
12 Best Game Recording Software to Record Games
We handpicked these game recorders from numerous resources and tested them based on various factors that lead us to such a list. So, you don’t have to do extra research to select one among these top 12 best game recording tools. Use these software programs to record gaming videos on your Windows PC. These are the 12 best game recording software.
1. Mirillis Action!
Action! is a screen recorder software developed by the Mirillis team. It is primarily made for the game recording needs. The special build makes it possible to use the GPU capabilities instead of overheating the CPU. We have seen many game recorders needlessly disturbing the CPU power during high-end gaming which is being recorded. The Mirillis Action!, avoids this problem by putting the load on the GPU. The Action! even let you record 4K videos which is a forbidden treasure in many other recorders.
We tested it on the big games such as FIFA 17 and The Legends of Zelda. The FPS was so satisfying that we get nearly the same gaming experience during the screencast playback. The rendering quality of the games fetched exactly the same as we seen on the games. It is normal to have a little extra load on the PC during the gameplay while recording. But from our findings, the Action! developers put maximum efforts to reduce this as much as possible.
Mirillis Action Features
- GPU usage instead of CPU
- Remote Access
- 4K Video recording
- Time-Shift mode
- AVI 2.0 or MP4 output
- Free trial version available
2. ShadowPlay (Nvidia Share)
ShadowPlay or Nvidia Share is an Nvidia Geforce creation that comes with the Nvidia graphic cards. It allows recording or streaming games with ease. But a small problem is that the function will only work if you have the Geforce GTX 600 or above installed on your PC. There are two different recording modes available on this tool namely the Shadow mode and the manual mode. The manual mode gives you unlimited recording time while the Shadow mode will automatically record the last 20-minutes of your gameplay. We recommend the manual mode for the long video clips.
Sweetening the features, it can even record 4K resolution videos at 130 Mbps. So, the capability of the GPU will be completely integrated with the screen capture technology to fetch each and every bit of gameplay on the computer screen. For those who use the Nvidia GPUs for gaming, we recommend using this integrated functionality.
ShadowPlay Features
- Instant reply and record
- Broadcast games with one click
- 4K recording
- GPU usage over CPU
- Integrated with the Nvidia Graphic card
3. Open Broadcaster Software
Open Broadcaster Software or also known as the OBS is yet another screen grabber software for recording games. The best thing is that the Open Broadcaster Software is completely free of cost and open source. The basic interface will not only provide user-friendliness, but also can help you easily reach the whole features of the software. To start recording games, all you have to do is clicking the “Start Recording” button. When you are done with the recording, just click the same button which turned into “Stop Recording.”
In addition, the OBS also lets you stream videos directly into the favorite services such as YouTube, Twitch, Hitbox, etc. It also comes with various features including an intuitive audio mixer, video filters, image masks, different themes, etc. If you don’t have money to pay for the Action! and an Nvidia card installed on your PC, the Open Broadcaster Software is the best game screen recorder for you.
Open Broadcaster Software Features
- Open source and Free
- Very lightweight
- Live streaming to popular websites
- Excellent performance
- Video filters
- Audio Mixer
4. Bandicam
If you are looking for a free game recording software, Bandicam may not be the option for you. It is a paid software which provides the quality and features for the price that we are paying. It can record 4K Ultra HD videos suitable for high-end gaming PCs and workstations. The built-in video compression reduces the size of the huge video files to the smallest as possible. We amazed with the compression ratio of the software when compared to many other 4K screen recorders. We remembered the Handbrake compression utility.
Bandicam will not only let you record games but also has a collection of tools for effortlessly recording your computer screen. It can even record from external devices such as webcam, Xbox/PlayStation, smartphone, IPTV, etc. It is a well-crafted professional software suitable for serious gameplay recording purposes. If you are into it, the Bandicam might be a good choice.
Bandicam Features
- Free trial available
- 4K screen recording
- Real-time drawing
- Audio Mixer
- Mouse effects
- Impressive video compression
- Can record from external devices
5. D3DGear
D3DGear is for those who love the performance of the games even while it is being recorded. The specially crafted technology will only consume little resources that the performance will not get altered considerably. The highly efficient game engine will fetch each and every frame on the screen without any problems. In addition, as we saw in the Bandicam, the D3DGear also compresses the recorded gameplay to the extreme. But in this software, the video compression is real-time.
The software allows users to record the microphone sound alongside the in-game sounds. If you wish, you will also be able to save the microphone audio into a separate track. Last but not least, the D3DGear also prefers the GPU over the CPU thus increasing the gaming performance while recording.
D3DGear Features
- Free trial available
- Lightweight software
- Real-time video compression
- Less CPU usage
- Records both microphone and game audio
- Supports hardware GPU encoder
6. Dxtory
Another addition to the simplest game recording programs, the Dxtory comes with a very simple user interface. With a lossless game capturing function, the videos will look exactly like the source. But a little disappointment with this nice software is the high output size of the recorded videos. Especially while recording long FPS gaming sessions, the video size may hurt you a little. But nothing to worry about, there are numerous video compression utilities available on the market.
You could tweak the configurations such as video codec, frames per second, and video size from the settings screen of the Dxtory. Another eye-catching feature is that the Dxtory can record from multiple audio recording devices. It is a unique feature in this list. You will also be able to take screenshots using the software. When you reach an iconic open world, don’t forget to take a screenshot.
Dxtory Features
- Free version available
- Lightweight application
- Extremely customizable
- Lossless gameplay record
- Can record from multiple audio sources
- DirectShow output
7. XSplit Gamecaster
XSplit Gamecaster is well known for its compatibility for streaming gameplay online. If you are a full-time addicted gamer who frequently wants to share the skills with the outer world, this game recorder might be a good choice. It supports all capture cards and has no compatibility issues with any one of them. You could also edit the recordings right from the software before uploading them. There is also an eye-catching feature that most of the gamers need which is the webcam display on the recording screen. So you don’t have to record an additional video and pin it to the gameplay.
The monitor recording quality is also quite nice, and the size of the outputted file is acceptable. There is a free version of the software available with limited features enabled. We recommend giving it a try before spending your money on it.
XSplit Gamecaster Features
- Dedicated features for the live streams
- Very easy to setup
- User-friendly interface
- Free version is there
- Good recording quality
8. Windows 10 Game Bar
Windows 10 Game Bar is not actually a software, but a tool that comes with the Windows 10 OS which can record games. In other words, it is a Windows 10 game recording tool that could be activated just using the shortcut keys Win+G. To know more about the usage, read our article on how to record games. The recording quality can be changed from the configuration screen of the tool. Basically, it puts an overlayed window on the games placed at the bottom-right corner. You can use the buttons to complete certain actions using the tool.
This game recorder tool is the perfect option if you are running the Windows 10 OS and doesn’t require any extra features into the game recording. If you are into some serious gaming and wanted to upload professionally crafter videos, we recommend going for some other tools in this list.
Windows 10 Game Bar Features
- Integrated function coming with the Windows 10
- Extremely lightweight
- Can control recording quality
- Easy shortcuts to start or stop recording
- No software installation needed
9. Fraps
Fraps is also one of the best recording software for games. It utilizes the DirectX or OpenGL graphic technology to capture the game screen without any loss of video clarity. It has an inbuilt benchmarking technology that tells how many frames are being captured in each second. You could also perform custom benchmarking using the tool. As per the company, it can record videos with a resolution of up to 7680×4800 pixels and frame rates from 1 to 120. You could start recording with a click of a single button.
Fraps is available for free with limited features which could be upgraded later if you like its features. It is compatible with almost all operating systems (Like any other software listed above) including Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
Fraps Features
- Free trial is there
- Simple application
- High-resolution gameplay record
- Benchmarking tool
10. WM Capture
In this list of the popular software for recording games, the WM Capture is also a good choice. In reality, the WM Capture is not a dedicated game recorder for windows. It is just a screen recording software which can be also used for the record game purposes. It can capture almost anything on the screen including movies, games, cams, video chats, etc. It outputs the video files in formats like WMV, MPEG, AVI, etc. Like any other screen capture tools, the WM Capture also has different recording modes like fullscreen, windowed, selected area, etc.
A free trial of the WM Capture is available which could be later upgraded to the pro version. In addition, it also allows recording audio tracks from mic or speakers or from both. As a last resort, you could go for the WM Capture as a game screen recorder.
WM Capture Features
- Free trial version available
- Automatically detects the video window.
- Background mode
- Record audio from mic and game
- Nice frame rate capture
11. ScreenFlow
ScreenFlow is an advanced game recording software for Mac. If you are a Mac gamer (which is very rare), you could use ScreenFlow to record the game that you are playing. No matter how experienced you are with such software for recording games, ScreenFlow will provide the easiest way to do so. It is not just a game recorder but also comes with a built-in editor that allows all basic video operations. You don’t have to depend on extra editing software to get your videos edited.
One of the most attractive things about ScreenFlow is that it even allows tracking the mouse movements and the keystrokes. This way, you will be able to make some awesome gameplay videos for uploading to online streaming websites such as YouTube.
ScreenFlow Features
- Easy to use
- Mac game recording software
- Monitor mouse and keyboard actions
- User-friendly interface
- Supported in any Mac games
12. Radeon ReLive
Radeon live is the AMD version of the game recording tools. It seamlessly works with AMD graphics cards making use of the high-end specs of it instead of the CPU. The encoding mostly relies on the GPU making it much faster compare to the tools that utilize GPU to record gameplays. Even while recording, the framerates stays stable without any significant drop. So, if you are using an AMD graphics card to game, Radeon ReLive would be the perfect choice for you.
The software also lets you record games in 4K quality without any noticeable changes in the actual frame rate. But, when playing games with high resource demands, you should expect a slight performance degrade. Radeon ReLive will be useful for YouTubers to produce high-quality gaming content in 4K resolution. The AMD graphics card users should give a try to this excellent tool.
Radeon ReLive Features
- 4K game recording
- Supports upscaling
- Works seamlessly with AMD graphics cards
- Steaming is supported
- Overlay to easily access the tool
13. Movavi Game Capture
Movavi Game Capture is another great tool to record games. The software comes with a lot of useful features especially for the gamers who stream. Those who frequently upload gaming videos will also find Movavi helpful. Movavi also has an overlay feature and shortcuts to let you start recording gameplays as easily as possible. No need to minimize the games to start recording them. Whenever you come across a cool scene, just press the record shortcut.
It is compatible with almost any known titles including Battlefield 1,Company of Heroes 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Counter-Strike: GO, Devil May Cry 4, etc. The sky is the limit. You can also pre-configure the settings to match your taste. Recording quality, the frame rate, sound quality, everything can be adjusted prior to recording. This will help you craft custom gameplays for your audience with less editing required.
Movavi Game Capture Features
- Compatible with most titles
- Optimized for the web
- Very easy to use
- Minimal to no effect on games
- Shortcuts to start recording
Which is the Best Game Recorder Program?
We have listed the top 12 best recorder software for games in this article. Do you agree with our list? Or do you have any other good games screen recorder software which we missed in this list? Let us know through your comments. We will be always happy to reply to you.