Best Game Recording Software in 2026
Updated
In short: OBS Studio is ranked #1 of 31 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of SteelSeries Moments and Outplayed. The best-ranked option with a free plan is SteelSeries Moments. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Revidi at $4.99/mo.
Whether you want to save a complete gaming session, keep a quick replay, or include your webcam, recording tools offer different feature sets to compare. Capture resolution, recording modes, and GPU encoding help describe how video can be recorded; instant replay and webcam overlay are additional capabilities to check. Supported platforms can determine compatibility with your setup. Look also at free-plan availability, paid-from details, and whether video is watermark-free. OBS Studio, SteelSeries Moments, and Outplayed are among the names shown. Compare the published features with the kind of footage you want to capture and keep.
31 game recording software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
14 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OBS StudioWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 8.1 | |
| 2 | SteelSeries MomentsWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 3 | OutplayedWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 4 | NVIDIA ShadowPlayWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.8 | |
| 5 | MedalWindows · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $7.99/mo | 7.8 | |
| 6 | Streamlabs HighlighterWindows · Mac | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.5 | |
| 7 | SegraWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.4 | |
| 8 | PlayShotWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.2 | |
| 9 | BandicamWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 7.0 |
| 10 | GamePlayWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $9/mo | 6.7 | |
| 11 | RevidiWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $4.99/mo | 6.7 | |
| 12 | FBXWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $16.63/mo | 6.6 | |
| 13 | Razer Game ClipsWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 6.3 |
| 14 | SteamWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 15 | CaptailWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 6.2 |
| 16 | Action!Windows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 6.1 |
| 17 | RePlaysWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 6.1 |
| 18 | RewindWindows · Mac | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 6.0 |
| 19 | LoiLo Game RecorderWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.0 | |
| 20 | ViceLinux | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 5.9 | |
| 21 | GameHQWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 22 | WispWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 23 | Insights CaptureWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 24 | GazoomWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 25 | D3DGearWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $34.95/mo | 5.1 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Instant replay | Capture resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OBS Studio | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | SteelSeries Moments | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 3 | Outplayed | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 4 | NVIDIA ShadowPlay | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | 8k |
| 5 | Medal | 7.8 | Free plan | $7.99/mo | Yes | $7.99one-time | Yes | 4k |
| 6 | Streamlabs Highlighter | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 7 | Segra | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | 4k |
| 8 | PlayShot | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | 1080p |
| 9 | Bandicam | 7.0 | No | — | Yes | $2.77one-time | — | — |
| 10 | GamePlay | 6.7 | Free plan | $9/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Revidi | 6.7 | Free plan | $4.99/mo | Yes | — | Yes | 1440p |
| 12 | FBX | 6.6 | Free plan | $16.63/mo | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 13 | Razer Game Clips | 6.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 14 | Steam | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Captail | 6.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | 4k |
| 16 | Action! | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | 8k |
| 17 | RePlays | 6.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 18 | Rewind | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| 19 | LoiLo Game Recorder | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | 1080p |
| 20 | Vice | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 21 | GameHQ | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | 4k |
| 22 | Wisp | 5.8 | No | — | — | — | Yes | — |
| 23 | Insights Capture | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 24 | Gazoom | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 25 | D3DGear | 5.1 | No | $34.95/mo | No | $34.95one-time | Yes | 4k |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which game recording software is ranked first on Freedom251?
OBS Studio is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 8.1. SteelSeries Moments is second and Outplayed third.
How many of these have a free plan?
14 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Revidi has the lowest first paid tier we found: $4.99/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.