The short version
On Windows, start the game, then add a Game Capture source in OBS. If you play fullscreen on your main monitor, leave Mode on Capture any fullscreen application; for a game in a window, choose Capture specific window and pick it. OBS calls Game Capture the most efficient way to add a game and says to try it first.
Game Capture is Windows only. On a Mac, OBS points you to macOS Screen Capture (macOS 13 or later) or Display Capture; on Linux, to Window Capture.
Add the game step by step
- Start the game. In the Sources dock click +, choose Game Capture and name it after the game.
- Choose the Mode. Capture any fullscreen application finds any game running fullscreen on your primary monitor. Capture specific window captures the game window you pick. Capture foreground window with hotkey captures whichever game is in front when you press a key you set in Settings, Hotkeys: handy if you switch games during a stream.
- To bring the game’s sound with its picture, tick Capture Audio (BETA). OBS warns that with Desktop Audio also set up you will hear the game twice; capture one app’s sound in OBS explains how to keep one of them.
- Leave the other boxes as they are unless you need them. Capture third-party overlays (such as steam) is off by default: tick it if you want Steam’s overlay on stream. Limit capture framerate stops OBS capturing more frames than it is set to use.
- Play for a minute and watch the preview, or make a short test recording if you have one screen (see below).
Game Capture, Window Capture or Display Capture
Each source sees something different. When Game Capture stays black, the fix is often a different source rather than new settings.
| Source | What it captures | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Game Capture | A DirectX or OpenGL game, directly | Most PC games on Windows: the most efficient source |
| Window Capture | One window, even when other windows sit in front of it | Browsers, apps and games that block Game Capture, played windowed or borderless |
| Display Capture | The whole monitor, everything on it | A whole screen you want to show; only one per display, so reuse the same source in other scenes |
Games that need another way
OBS keeps a list of games that don’t work with plain Game Capture, and what to do instead:
- Run OBS as administrator (close it, right-click it, choose Run as administrator): Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero.
- Windowed or borderless fullscreen with Window Capture: Destiny 2, Counter-Strike 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Roblox needs Window Capture too.
- League of Legends: one scene with a Window Capture of the launcher and lobby, a second with a Game Capture of the match, and the Scene Switcher moving between them.
- Fortnite: if it crashes or stutters in DirectX 12 mode, switch the game to DirectX 11.
- Emulators and older games often can’t be hooked: use Window Capture.
OBS also names overlays and frame-rate tools as common conflicts, RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner above all: turn them off before OBS hooks the game. For a source that is already black, OBS Game Capture black screen goes through the checks in order.
With one screen, the preview goes black
A fullscreen game stops drawing when you switch away from it, so the OBS preview shows nothing while you look at OBS. That doesn’t mean the stream is black. Make a short recording while you play, then check the file, or move OBS to a second monitor if you have one.
Laptops with two graphics chips
Many laptops have a power-saving graphics chip and a high-performance one. OBS recommends leaving OBS on the high-performance one, and its Game Capture shows a warning when the preview may be blank because the game runs on the other. Minecraft: Java Edition and osu! start on the power-saving chip by default: OBS’s Minecraft guide moves them to the high-performance chip, after which you restart the game and OBS.
If the game sits in a corner of the canvas or the source looks stuck, right-click it, open Transform and choose Reset Transform (Ctrl+R), then Fit to Screen (Ctrl+F).
Questions
Can I capture a console game this way? No. Game Capture sees games running on the same computer as OBS. A PlayStation, Xbox or Switch reaches OBS through a capture card: see do you need a capture card.
Why is there no Game Capture on my Mac? OBS makes it for Windows only. Add a macOS Screen Capture source instead; it needs macOS 13 or later.
Game Capture or Display Capture? Game Capture shows only the game, and OBS calls it the most efficient way to add one. Display Capture shows everything on the monitor, including any window you open over the game.