Steam, the popular gaming platform, offers exciting gameplay moments. Whether you want to capture your achievements, share epic wins, or create gaming content, recording on Steam becomes essential. You will need a high-quality recorder to complete this task perfectly. That’s why we have selected two simple and easy ways to do it. Meanwhile, you will also see the detailed steps on how to record Steam gameplay, including using built-in options and the third-party tool.
Part 1. Does Steam have a built-in recorder?
Steam indeed offers a basic recording feature known as the Steam Overlay. To access this, simply press “Shift + Tab” while in-game. Once the overlay appears, you’ll notice a camera icon. But you can only use it to take screenshots.
Since the built-in capturing feature has limitations, you cannot record any games or merge video clips after recording. Therefore, you will need other alternative options to capture your best Steam moments. In the next part, we’ll explore a more versatile solution for a superior recording experience on Steam.
Part 2. How to Record on Steam Flexibly
For a more robust recording experience on Steam, we recommend using the ArkThinker Screen Recorder. This third-party tool goes beyond Steam Overlay’s capabilities, providing a user-friendly interface and additional features. Since it is compatible with both Windows and Mac, you can effortlessly use it to take a screenshot on a Chromebook, MacBook, or any other computer. Meanwhile, the biggest benefit of this recorder is the schedule recording feature. It allows you to start recording the screen automatically at the exact time you’ve set up.
Besides, when recording on Steam, you might not want to record the whole gameplay, for it might slow down your computer. This recorder lets you record a GIF. Simply set up the output file format as GIF, and then you will capture the exciting moment in a compact GIF file. Let’s take a look at how to make this record work.
How to record on Steam with ArkThinker Screen Recorder
Step 1. Launch the recorder and Steam
You can download this recorder from ArkThinker’s official site. Then, install and launch it on your computer. Choose the Video Recorder. Then, launch Steam.
Step 2. Set a recording area
For full-screen recording, click the Full button. To capture only part of the screen, choose Custom and adjust the size of the square that appeared. You can also choose to record the microphone, speaker, or both.
Step 3. Record Steam gameplay
Now, you’re all set. Click the REC button to start recording. Once the recording ends, you can click Recording History to play the recorder video and find out which folder it is in.
Tip:
Before the recording starts, you can go to the Preference window and change the output format, codec, recording bitrates, and other settings to ensure the best recording quality. For example, for the format, you can choose any one from WMV, MP4, MOV, F4V, MPEG-TS, WebM, and GIF. Additionally, if you are playing Steam on Mac and do not know how to record on Mac and capture the game sound on Steam, this recorder will fix that for you and include both your system and microphone sound in the video.
Part 3. How to Record on Steam with Xbox Game Bar
For Windows users, the Xbox Game Bar provides a built-in recording feature that seamlessly integrates with Steam. Before you dive into the guide below, there is some information you should know. The Xbox Game Bar has a recording limit. You can record two hours per session. Meanwhile, its recording quality is actually not bad, supporting up to 1080p at 60 fps. But if you are a content creator who aims higher, you may pass this method now. Furthermore, this recording tool can maintain the audio-video sync well normally. But occasional delays might still occur. If you are aware of this, here are the steps.
More Features:
Xbox Game Bar allows background recording.
Access the Game Bar quickly with a simple keyboard shortcut.
Capture screenshots or record the last 30 seconds of gameplay instantly.
Pros:
It is a built-in tool that requires no installation.
Capture unexpected moments with background recording.
Cons:
Lacks editing features.
Exclusive to Windows users only.
How to record Steam gameplay with Xbox Game Bar
Step 1. Firstly, you need to enable Xbox Game Bar on your Windows computer. To do so, press the Windows and G keys.
Step 2. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm that you’re playing a game.
Step 3. Go to settings and turn on the “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game Bar” option.
Step 4. Launch Steam and the game you wish to record. When you are ready, press the Windows and G keys again. Then, click Record or press Windows, Alt, and R.
Step 5. To stop recording, open the Xbox Game Bar again and click the “Stop” button.
Conclusion
In summary, whether you choose a third-party tool like ArkThinker Screen Recorder or the integrated Xbox Game Bar, the key is to find the solution that best suits your needs. Xbox Game Bar offers a seamless recording experience with some limitations in editing features and exclusivity to Windows users. On the contrary, Arkthinker Screen Recorder is more comprehensive, offering customizable recording and editing features. Freely choose any of them to start recording your Steam gameplay.