The Best Game Recording Software in 2026
We researched game recording software from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings reflect each product’s fit for local gameplay capture, clipping and replay, alongside value for money and verified features for players, creators and esports teams.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
OBS Studio#1 of 309.3/10A flexible free recorder and streaming tool for creators who want control.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
SteelSeries Moments#2 of 309.1/10A free Windows clip editor with automatic highlights, multi-track audio, and direct sharing.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
Outplayed#3 of 309.0/10A versatile Windows recorder for automatic highlights, full sessions, and clip sharing.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 30 tools, best first
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Best forFree, flexible recording and streaming setups
A flexible free recorder and streaming tool for creators who want control.
9.3/10★★★★★Visit OBS Studio -
Best forFree clipping, editing, and social sharing
A free Windows clip editor with automatic highlights, multi-track audio, and direct sharing.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
9.1/10★★★★★Visit SteelSeries -
Best forPlayers wanting automatic highlights and full sessions
A versatile Windows recorder for automatic highlights, full sessions, and clip sharing.
- Watermark-free video
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Outplayed -
Best forFree high-resolution NVIDIA GPU capture
A free Windows recorder with high-resolution capture for NVIDIA GPU users.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit NVIDIA -
Best forPaid 4K recording with editing utilities
A paid recorder with 4K capture, editing tools, AI features, and scheduled recording.
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Bandicam -
Best forCreators wanting a broad recording suite
A broad recording suite for creators who want capture, editing, and sharing in one app.
- Watermark-free video
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Medal -
Best forFree automatic highlight-reel creation
A free Streamlabs Desktop feature for automatically turning gameplay into edited highlight reels.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Streamlabs -
Best forPaid users needing recording and livestreaming
A paid Windows recorder with replay, high-resolution capture, streaming, and hardware support.
- Watermark-free video
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Action! -
Best forFree automatic clips for supported games
A free Windows capture tool with automatic highlights, instant replay, and cloud-synced clips.
- Instant replay
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Razer -
Best forFree automatic highlights and high-quality capture
A capable free recorder for automatic highlights, replay clips and high-quality Windows capture.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Segra -
Best forFree local Windows recording without uploads
A free, open-source Windows recorder with replay, multi-track audio, and recovery tools.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Captail -
Best forOpen-source users with supported game integrations
A capable free recorder for Windows users with supported game integrations.
- Instant replay
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit RePlays -
Best forSimple free Windows clipping and sharing
A focused free Windows recorder for quick gameplay clips, replay saves, and sharing.
- Watermark-free video
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit PlayShot -
Best forOpen-source cross-platform replay capture
A focused open-source recorder for replay capture, automatic clips, and manual recording.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Rewind -
Best forLinux users wanting a complete recorder
A complete, free Linux recorder with replay, editing, markers, and Discord sharing.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Vice -
Best forFree controller-friendly instant replay
A free, focused instant-replay tool for Windows players who prefer controller navigation.
- Instant replay
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit GameHQ -
Best forOpen-source Windows replay with audio control
A focused Windows replay recorder with strong audio controls and plugin support.
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Wisp -
Best forLocal-first automatic session recording
A local-first Windows recorder with unlimited free capture and paid montage tools.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit GamePlay -
Best forTeams needing match review and sharing
A focused Windows recorder for automatic match capture, review, clipping, and sharing.
- Instant replay
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Insights.gg -
Best forWeb-based clip review and collaboration
A freemium toolkit for capturing gameplay, reviewing VODs, and sharing clips online.
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Gazoom -
Best forAffordable replay clipping with cloud links
An affordable Windows replay tool for quick clips, trimming, and cloud links.
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Revidi -
Best forLow-cost Windows recording with editing
A low-cost Windows recorder with replay, editing, streaming, and a paid watermark-free tier.
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
- Instant replay
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit FBX -
Best forOne-time-purchase 4K recorder with streaming
A one-time-purchase Windows recorder with 4K capture, replay, and streaming.
- Watermark-free video
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit D3DGear -
Best forAI-assisted highlight creators
A strong free Windows recorder for creators who want AI-selected gaming highlights.
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Powder -
Best forPaid Windows recording with overlay controls
A paid Windows recorder with replay, streaming, encoding, and overlay controls.
- Watermark-free video
- Webcam overlay
- GPU encoding
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit PlayClaw -
Best forLegacy Windows capture and benchmarking
A focused $37 Windows recorder with loop capture, screenshots, and frame-rate benchmarking.
- Watermark-free video
- Instant replay
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Fraps -
Best forPrivate, local Windows session recording
A private local recorder for automatic Windows game capture, bookmarks, trimming, and MP4 export.
- GPU encoding
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Momento -
Best forBeginner-friendly basic capture
A simple free recorder for basic Windows gameplay capture, with limited ongoing support.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Learn About LoiLo -
Best forBasic free Windows gameplay clips
A free Windows recorder for capturing gameplay and saving notable clips.
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Glip -
Best forSteam users needing a game library
A free game library and community platform, not a dedicated game recorder.
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Steam
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Instant replay | Recording modes | GPU encoding | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OBS Studio | Yes | Free | 9.3 | |||
| 2 | SteelSeries Moments | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 9.1 |
| 3 | Outplayed | Yes | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 9.0 | |
| 4 | NVIDIA ShadowPlay | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 8.9 |
| 5 | Bandicam | Yes | 8.8 | ||||
| 6 | Medal | Yes | $7.99/user/mo | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 8.7 |
| 7 | Streamlabs Highlighter | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 8.5 |
| 8 | Action! | No | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 9 | Razer Game Clips | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | 8.1 | |
| 10 | Segra | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.9 |
| 11 | Captail | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.8 |
| 12 | RePlays | Yes | Free | Yes | 7.7 | ||
| 13 | PlayShot | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.6 |
| 14 | Rewind | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.5 | |
| 15 | Vice | Yes | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.4 |
| 16 | GameHQ | Yes | Free | Yes | Instant-replay | 7.3 | |
| 17 | Wisp | Free | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 18 | GamePlay | Yes | $9/mo | Multi-mode | 7.1 | ||
| 19 | Insights Capture | Yes | Yes | Multi-mode | 7.0 | ||
| 20 | Gazoom | Yes | Multi-mode | 6.9 | |||
| 21 | Revidi | Yes | $4.99/mo | Yes | Instant-replay | Yes | 6.8 |
| 22 | FBX | Yes | $19/yr | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 6.7 |
| 23 | D3DGear | No | $34.95/device one-time | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 6.6 |
| 24 | Powder | Yes | $9.99/mo | 6.5 | |||
| 25 | PlayClaw | No | $39 one-time | Yes | Multi-mode | Yes | 6.5 |
| 26 | Fraps | No | $37 one-time | Yes | Multi-mode | 6.3 | |
| 27 | Momento | Free | No | Yes | 6.2 | ||
| 28 | LoiLo Game Recorder | Yes | Free | Manual | 6.0 | ||
| 29 | Glip Screen Recorder | Yes | Free | 5.8 | |||
| 30 | Steam | Yes | Free | 5.5 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- OBS Studio vs SteelSeries Moments
- OBS Studio vs Outplayed
- OBS Studio vs NVIDIA ShadowPlay
- OBS Studio vs Bandicam
- OBS Studio vs Medal
- OBS Studio vs Streamlabs Highlighter
- OBS Studio vs Action!
- SteelSeries Moments vs Outplayed
- SteelSeries Moments vs NVIDIA ShadowPlay
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How we rank game recording software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update