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Have you ever wanted to record your gameplay for Steam games but don’t want to deal with a third-party app? Steam’s Game Recording beta lets you record from right within the Steam client.
Steam Launches Game Recording Beta
Steam announced the launch of itsGame Recording betain July 2024. The tool is built into Steam’s overlay, which you can access by pressing Shift + Tab while playing a Steam game.
While the tool is still in beta, it’s still packed with various features including the ability to share clips and find highlights. Like other tools that let you record gameplay, Steam includes timeline highlights to help you find moments that matter.
Here’s all you need to know about getting access to the feature and how to use it.
How to Access Steam’s Game Recording Feature
To try out the feature, you will need to enable the beta in Steam’s client. To do this, open Steam, go to the top header bar, and click onSteam > Settings.
Once you’ve opened your settings, head to the Interface tab. Under the heading that saysClient Beta Participation, click on the dropdown menu and selectSteam Beta Update.
You will also see theSteam Families betahere, but it looks like you can only opt into one beta at a time. You will also need to restart Steam after selecting a beta so that the relevant tools can be made available.
How to Use Game Recording on Steam
Once you’ve restarted Steam with the beta selected, you will be able to access the Game Recording tool. After opening a game, pressShift + Tabto open the Steam Overlay. You will see a popup with the new Game Recording tool and can click onGet startedto start using the tool.
This will open a popup introducing the Game Recording beta and its features. Click onGot itto start adjusting your settings.
By default, game recording is set toOff/Don’t Record. To enable the feature, selectRecord in backgroundorRecord on demand. You can also set the length of your recordings and where Steam should store clips.
When you’ve recorded clips in games, you can access them by going to the game listing in your Library and scrolling down toRecordings and Screenshots. The updated window is where your Screenshots would usually be located on your profile.
Click onManage my recordings and screenshotsto access a folder with your recent media from the game. you may then edit the recording by selection portions you would like to clip and share.
Is Steam’s Game Recording Feature Any Good?
Since it’s in beta, the game recording tool is still in its early stages. For those who want to record long sessions or capture clips using Steam’s overlay, this is a simple tool that doesn’t require third-party software.
However, if you’re likely to forget you’re recording, you’d want agameplay recording app like Outplayedthat triggers when you hit certain milestones or events in games.
With Steam’s recording tool, game-added markers that signify highlights are only available for “timeline-enhanced games”. When I used the tool with Baldur’s Gate 3, no specific fights or events were highlighted on the recording’s timeline.
However, when I got an achievement in Apex Legends, a marker appeared on the recording timeline. Unfortunately, it did not highlight kills during the game.
Hopefully Valve continues to update the tool and we see more games with timeline enhancements that help flesh out the feature more. Right now it’s a useful tool, but is easily outmatched by other feature-rich game recording apps.
