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Last active January 13, 2018 21:33
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How to stream PC games on Twitch
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stream.md

How to stream PC games on Twitch

Prerequisites

Required

Optional

  • Go to https://speedtest.net, do a test and make note of your upload speed. Multiply by 1024 to convert from Mbps to Kbps.

Set up OBS

  1. Go to Twitch, click on your name on the top right and go to the dashboard. From there, click on Settings on the left then click on the stream key link. Click Show Key then copy your key. Don't tell anyone your key!

  2. Open OBS (either 32bit 64bit should be fine) then click the Settings button. On the left, click Stream. Choose Twitch as your service and paste in your stream key. You may also choose a server close to you if you wish! (auto should be fine though)

  3. Click Output on the left and enter a bitrate. The bitrate is measured in Kbps (kilobits per second). 3000 is a good number to start with and Twitch will allow up to 6000.

    Keep in mind that your viewers will need a download speed this fast to be able to watch your stream, until you're lucky enough that multiple quality settings become available for your stream!

    If you've done the speed test, you know what bitrate you shouldn't go higher than. I don't recommend using a number higher than 75% of that if you want to be able to use the internet while playing! Again, don't forget that Twitch allows a maximum of 6000!

  4. Click Video on the left. Leave Base Resolution as your desktop resolution and set the Output Resolution to 1280x720. Set the FPS to 30.

    You may try higher values for these as it really depends on how powerful your computer is and how resource hungry the game you're playing is. If OBS says "encoder overloaded" or something like that, you'll have to drop these settings down as your computer can't stream fast enough at those settings.

  5. Click Audio on the left. Normally, leaving Desktop Audio Device as default works fine but if nobody can hear your desktop sound, you'll have to change this! Also, make sure your Mic/Auxiliary Audio Device is set to the correct microphone. If you don't want to use a mic, you can mute it after you close the settings window in the Mixer.

At this point (after you close the settings window), you'll be able to start a stream, but your viewers won't be able to see anything.

Set up your scenes

This part is pretty simple and you can customise all you want. You can add images, text and even show a webpage! Here's a simple setup:

  1. Add a scene (click the + button below Scenes) and call it "Game". Make sure you select this scene.

  2. Add a source (click the + button below Sources) and choose Game Capture. This source gets the video directly from the game you're playing. If you don't see the video, double click Game Capture (the source you created). Set the Mode to Capture specific window then set the Window to the game you're playing.

  3. (optional webcam) Add another source and choose Video Capture device. Choose the correct Device so we can all see your lovely beautiful face. You may move and resize this and put it wherever you want! Preferably not covering any important game elements!

  4. (optional desktop) Follow the instructions above to make but use Display Capture when you add a source instead! You'll be able to switch scenes while streaming.

Before you stream

  1. Go to your Twitch dashboard and choose a cool title and set the video game you're playing. Don't forget to click Update Information! If you have a second monitor, throw it up on there. Make sure the stream preview is muted (and if you want your video game to be super smooth, pause it).
  2. Check your webcam to ensure you look good :)
  3. Click Start Streaming in OBS! You're now live!
  4. Check Twitch chat!

FAQ

My viewers are complaining that the stream is lagging and OBS is telling me about dropped frames!

You're having internet problems! If you're consistently getting dropped frames, you may have set yor bitrate too high. Additionally, if you're using wifi, try lan.

OBS is saying "encoder overloaded" or something like that!

Your computer is having trouble keeping up. You'll have to lower your output resolution and/or FPS in the settings.

My game doesn't feel smooth.

There's a Windows bug that makes your game feel janky if you have any video showing on your second monitor. Try disabling the preview in OBS (right click it) and pausing the stream preview in Twitch. If it's still not smooth, it's time to lower your graphics settings in game or upgrade your computer!

Nobody watches my streams!

pls tell me if you find out a way to fix this :)

I can't get desktop audio and I'm on a Mac!

Check this out!

Extra

Hardware encoding

If your CPU isn't so strong and your stream isn't performing as you'd like it to, you may want to give hardware encoding a try. This will use your GPU to encode your stream instead of your CPU!

Just open the settings, click output and change your Encoder. The encoder you want to pick (it's probably going to be the only other one) depends on your GPU.

You may get worse image quality (I know I do on AMD) but it'll probably be easier on your computer!

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