How to record and share gameplay on Steam

Finally, Steam has a recording feature, allowing me to record my gameplay without third-party software like OBS. Here’s how to record and share your gameplay with Steam.

How to record gameplay on Steam

Before you can record gameplay with the new Steam Beta, you need to opt-in to the Steam Update Beta, which I’ll detail below. After doing that, there are two ways to record gameplay through Steam. After signing up, you can have Steam recording in the background, or actively record by pressing a key. I prefer the latter setting because it allows me to determine when and what to record. Here’s how to set your recording preferences: Note making any changes causes Steam to restart.

• Launch Steam.
• Click Settings.
• Go to Game Registration.
• Choose Record in Background or Record on Demand.

Should I use Record in Background or Record on Demand? – Steam Registration

I recommend Record on Demand. You can simply press command, Ctrl+F11, and start recording. You can change this input if you want, but in general this gives you more control. Using this method also creates individual files for each recording you make. You can trim and edit the clip, as well as export it or save it using this method. Here is an example of Record on Demand.

Record in Background is a good feature for those who might forget to start or stop their recording as it does so automatically. When a recording is saved, it is added to a single video recording, although there are gaps to show the different recording sessions. Like Record on Demand, you can edit, export and save these files. Here is an example of a Record in Background.

Both recording methods have different options for quality, location and management of the recording saving limitations. You can increase and decrease how many records you can have for either option. In general, there is not much difference in the two except the method of recording. Here is a recording sample with both methods.

How to join Steam Beta Update

Here’s how to join the Steam Beta Registration Update.

• Launch Steam.
• Click Settings.
• Go to Interface.
• Choose Beta Participation.
• Click on the “Steam Beta Update” option.

How to share gameplay on Steam

Sharing recorded gameplay from Steam is an easy process. You can do it from the Steam launcher of the game you registered from. You can share the clip, export it as a video file, and more. This is my preferred way to save and share a Steam gameplay recording.

For more information on Steam, check out Where to find Steam Deck save files in Pro Game Guides.