OBS settings

These values assume a 1080p or 720p stream at 60 FPS to Twitch or a similar RTMP platform. The rule behind all of them: in fast games, spend your resources on motion, not on static detail.

Output

Open Settings, Output and set Output Mode to Advanced.

• EncoderHardware (NVENC, AMF or QuickSync). Use x264 only without a supported GPU.
• Rate controlCBR
• Bitrate6000 to 8000 Kbps at 1080p60, 4500 to 6000 Kbps at 720p60
• Keyframe interval2 s
• Preset (x264)veryfast or faster

With limited upload speed, lower the resolution before the bitrate: a clean 720p60 reads better than an artifacted 1080p60.

Video

Open Settings, Video.

• Output resolution1920×1080, or 1280×720 below 6000 Kbps
• FPS60
• Downscale filterLanczos

Advanced

Open Settings, Advanced.

• Process priorityAbove Normal
• Color formatNV12
• Color rangePartial, unless your capture card requires Full

What do Twitch and YouTube recommend?

YouTube accepts far more bitrate than Twitch. If you stream to YouTube only and your upload allows it, raising the bitrate is the single most visible quality gain in fast games. If you stream to Twitch, stay near its guideline: viewers without transcoding options may otherwise buffer.

Which settings fit my upload speed?

Measure your upload speed first, then keep your bitrate under about 75% of it so the stream survives small drops.

Do some games need different settings?

• Very fast games such as Rocket League, Warzone and Apex Legends: 60 FPS is a must. Below 6000 Kbps, prefer 720p60 to a blurry 1080p60.
• Fighting games such as Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 run their logic at 60 frames per second: stream at 60 FPS so every frame of a combo reaches viewers.
• Slower games, story games and menus-heavy content tolerate 1080p30 when your upload is limited.

How do I know my settings hold up?

• In OBS, open Docks, Stats. Dropped frames point to the network, skipped frames to the encoder, missed frames to rendering.
• On Twitch, Twitch Inspector shows the bitrate your stream actually delivered and whether it stayed stable.
• Watch a minute of your own stream on a phone, during the busiest moment of your game.

Which NVENC options should I pick?

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card, NVENC encodes on a dedicated chip and leaves both the CPU and most of the GPU to your game. In recent OBS versions, a solid starting point for fast games is:

On AMD cards, use the AMF encoder with the Quality preset; on Intel graphics, QuickSync with the Quality target. The logic is the same: pick the highest quality preset that does not trigger the encoding overload warning.

Game Capture or Display Capture?

Use Game Capture whenever the game allows it. It hooks directly into the game and costs less than capturing the whole screen. Display Capture is the fallback for games that Game Capture cannot see, and Window Capture suits apps such as PS Remote Play or a cloud gaming window. On laptops with two graphics chips, set OBS to the high-performance GPU in Windows Settings, Display, Graphics, or captures may come out black.

Controller overlay

A controller overlay is a Browser Source, so it runs at your canvas frame rate. Once the canvas holds a steady 60 FPS, the overlay follows your inputs at the same pace. If only the overlay lags, see Fix overlay delay.

FAQ