How to stream on Kick for the first time

The short version

You need a Kick account, an app that sends the stream (OBS, Streamlabs Desktop, XSplit or MELD on a computer, or a phone app) and an upload that carries your bitrate. In Kick’s Creator Dashboard open Channel, Stream URL and Key, and paste both into OBS under Settings, Stream, with the service set to Custom. Kick takes H.264 at a constant bitrate (CBR) of up to 8,000 kbps, 1920 × 1080 and 60 fps. Set your stream title and category before you press Start Streaming.

1. Protect your account

Kick recommends two-factor authentication for every account, though it only requires it to change your username. Turn it on anyway before your first stream: whoever gets into your account can also read your stream key. Open kick.com/settings/security, choose Enable 2FA, scan the QR code with an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator and enter the six-digit code.

2. Choose where the stream comes from

A computer with OBS lets you add your own scenes, webcam, microphone and a console through a capture card. Streamlabs Desktop has a built-in Kick connection instead of a pasted key (Settings, Stream, Connect next to KICK), but Kick says you then set the stream title on Kick by hand after going live. From a phone, the official KICK app streams the front or back camera or your screen.

• Single-PC setup: game and stream on one computer.
• Console setup: capture card, display and party chat.
• Talking-head setup: camera, microphone and light for Just Chatting.

3. Connect OBS to your channel

In Kick’s Creator Dashboard click Channel, then Stream URL and Key. In OBS open Settings, Stream, set the service to Custom…, paste the Server URL and the Stream Key, and press Apply.

Treat the key like a password: anyone who has it can broadcast to your channel. Reset it from the same dashboard page if it leaks. Kick doesn’t keep the old key, so paste the new one into OBS before your next stream.

4. Set the encoder and bitrate

Kick accepts x264 or another H.264 encoder (NVIDIA NVENC H.264 and AMD HW H.264 in OBS) at constant bitrate only: no H.265 and no variable bitrate. Kick’s range is 1,000 to 8,000 kbps, with a keyframe every two seconds, up to 1920 × 1080 and 60 fps, and stereo sound at no more than 48 kHz. On a Mac, Kick says to choose x264 so the CBR option appears. Turn on Rescale Output only when your canvas is larger than 1920 × 1080.

Keep the bitrate well under your measured upload. The Kick settings page lists Kick’s figures and the encoder presets it suggests, and the bitrate calculator gives a number inside Kick’s range for your output and upload. If the stream stutters, Kick suggests lowering the bitrate 1,000 kbps at a time, or a faster preset (superfast for x264, P3: Fast for NVENC and AMD).

5. Rehearse before you go public

Kick’s help names no private test mode, so rehearse locally: record a few minutes in OBS with the same settings, then play the file back and listen to your microphone against the game. Check your camera and voice with the webcam and mic test and run the pre-stream checklist. A short first stream at a quiet hour is the only full test of the connection.

6. Go live, and end the stream

In your Creator Dashboard click Edit Stream Info, set the title and category and click Save. Kick warns that a stream without them may not start correctly. Then press Start Streaming in OBS. To end, press Stop Streaming: viewers see the offline banner and the stream is saved as a VOD on your channel page.

Questions

OBS won’t connect to Kick. Check the stream key first, then that the encoder is H.264 at CBR within Kick’s limits, then update OBS. Antivirus or a firewall can block the connection, and school or office networks may block streaming entirely. Dropped frames and encoder overload covers a stream that connects but stutters.

Can I stream 1440p or H.265 to Kick? No. Kick takes up to 1920 × 1080 at 60 fps in H.264.

Can I stream to Kick from my phone? Yes, with the official KICK app, or with Streamlabs Mobile and similar apps using your stream URL and key.

How does Kick pay streamers? In two ways, by Kick’s own pages. After 5 hours of streaming in total you can turn on subscriptions in your dashboard, and you keep 95% of each one. The KICK Partner Program also pays per stream, by how many viewers show up. To apply you need a verified channel, an About section with your social links and, in the past 30 days, an average of 75 concurrent viewers, 30 hours streamed, 25 active subscriptions, 250 unique chatters and 3 VODs, plus at least 250 followers. Meeting them lets you apply; it doesn’t guarantee a place. Streamers with an audience elsewhere can apply through Fast Track instead. Streaming to other platforms at the same time pays 50% of the usual Partner revenue, and Kick’s pages give no rate per viewer or per hour.