The short version
You need a Twitch account with two-factor authentication turned on, an app that sends the stream (OBS, Twitch Studio, the Twitch mobile app or a console), and an upload that carries your bitrate. In OBS that is Settings, Stream, Service Twitch, Connect Account, then Start Streaming. Run the private bandwidth test below before your first public stream.
1. Turn on two-factor authentication
Twitch’s Safety Center says two-factor authentication is not needed to watch but is required to start streaming. Set it up on the web: open Security settings, choose Set Up Two-Factor Authentication, enter a mobile number and type the seven-digit code Twitch texts you. A verified email address comes first, and landline and VoIP numbers are not accepted. Turning it on signs you out everywhere except the device you used.
2. Choose where the stream comes from
A console can stream to Twitch on its own, with no computer: on a PS5, link your Twitch account and choose Broadcast from the Create button. A computer with OBS lets you add your own scenes, webcam, microphone and overlays; a console then goes through a capture card into OBS. The Twitch mobile app streams from the phone.
- PS5 streaming setup: console Broadcast or a capture card.
- Single-PC setup: game and stream on one computer.
- Console setup: capture card, display and party chat.
3. Connect OBS to your channel
In OBS open Settings, Stream, choose the service Twitch and press Connect Account, then sign in. That links OBS without copying anything by hand.
The other way is the stream key: in Twitch’s Creator Dashboard open Settings, Stream, and copy the key under Stream Key & Preferences into OBS. Treat it like a password: anyone with it can stream to your channel, so never show it on stream or share it. If it leaks, reset it on the same page; changing your Twitch password resets it too.
4. Set the bitrate and keyframes
Twitch publishes one bitrate per output and asks for constant bitrate (CBR) with a keyframe every two seconds. The Twitch settings page lists each figure with the date we checked it, and the bitrate calculator gives the number to type into OBS for your output and upload. OBS’s Auto-Configuration Wizard (Tools menu) can test your connection as a starting point.
5. Rehearse privately with the bandwidth test
Twitch lets you stream without going live: add ?bandwidthtest=true to the end of your stream key in OBS. Your channel does not show as live and no follower is notified, and Twitch Inspector shows how steadily the stream arrives. Remove the addition before the real stream.
Before that, check your picture and sound locally: the webcam and mic test, a short OBS recording played back, and the pre-stream checklist.
6. Go live, and end the stream
Set the stream title and category in the Creator Dashboard (Stream Manager), then press Start Streaming in OBS. Watch OBS’s status bar: dropped frames there mean the network, not your computer, is struggling. To end, press Stop Streaming in OBS; the channel goes offline a moment later.
Questions
Do I need followers to stream on Twitch? No. Followers matter for joining the Affiliate programme, not for going live.
Can I stream to Twitch from a PS5 without a computer? Yes, with the console’s own Broadcast. You lose your own overlays and any camera except Sony’s; a capture card and OBS bring them back.
My stream is black or silent on Twitch but fine in OBS’s recording. Compare the two, then check OBS’s network counters; a black capture source in OBS itself is covered in capture card black screen.
Can I stream a video I recorded earlier? Yes, from OBS, labelled as a Rerun the way Twitch asks: see stream a pre-recorded video.