There are tones of game recording software on the market, many of which claim to be the best game recorder, but which one is right for you best? When you choose the best free screen recorder for game capture, you need to consider the user-interface, output format, FPS speed supported, benchmark-setting, the sharpness of video screen, and the utmost price.
- Free Screen Video Recorder For Mac Download
- Screen Recorder Best For Mac
- Free Video Screen Capture Macbook Pro
To save your time, we cover the top 16 best game recording software for PC and Mac here, including free and paid. In order to help you understand each product faster, we have listed their important advantages and disadvantages, hoping to help you quickly judge and find the best game recording software that suits your needs most.
The Best Free Video Capture Software app downloads for Mac: OBS Studio Snap Camera Adobe Presenter Video Express Snapz Pro X LifeFlix MiniDV Importer. Apowersoft Mac Screen Recorder. During recording, you can use an external microphone to add narration to this video. It also has a built-in editor to zoom in and out the videos as well as add text. With one-click operation, you can start screen recording. Pros: A free online screen recorder without watermark and easy to use. Available to full screen and customized recording.
See also:How to Record Gameplay on PC Without Lag >>>
Top 11 Best Game Recorder for Windows 10/8/7
You can use the following best game recording software for Xbox, PS4, and other game recordings. If you don't want to invest any money, choose the free game recorders as you need.
1. EaseUS RecExperts
EaseUS RecExperts is a versatile free video recording software for both beginners and professionals. Using this software, you can easily capture any area of your screen (full screen, a selected region, or a specific window), record any audio coming from your computer, and record your webcam with high-quality. Apart from that, EaseUS RecExperts is an amazing game recorder for Windows 10 PC. You can record various high-quality and popular 2D/3D games in 4K resolution. Before recording gameplay, you can create a recording task to set the start time and stop time for the recording. When you are finishing the job, you can directly share the gameplay video to the social media platforms.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Record gameplay and your voice at the same time
- Record computer audio (system sound or microphone)
- Support to create the recording tasks automatically
- Allow you to edit the video by adding texts, lines, arrows, etc while recording
- Export the recording files in different formats
Cons:
- Only available for Windows
How to record gameplay on Windows 10 with EaseUS RecExperts? Just download it and follow the below steps.
Step 1. Start your favorite game and launch EaseUS RecExperts. Choose 'Record game' from the menu
Step 2. Select the frame rate you want to record, as well Variable or Constant frame rate.
Click the red button 'REC' and your recording will start. You will see a small bar, which shows the time of your record.
Step 3. You can choose as well the Task Scheduler, where you can define the recording area and the audio input. Also, you can define exactly the starting date and time and the duration of the record.
Step 4. Once done, you can edit the record footage with the built-in video editor. On the recorded video you can add Video Intro (in the demo case the title is 'Demo Epic Games').
Finally, you can export the ready to use video clip in the appropriate video format.
2. Windows 10 Xbox Game Bar/DVR Tool
Xbox Game Bar is a pre-installed game recording software on Windows 10 that allows you to capture game clips and screenshots. The game bar can be used to record apps, especially for gaming capture. It's able to record most PC games, enables you to instantly access to widgets for screen and sharing, finding teammates with LFG, chatting with friends across Xbox console, mobile, and PC without leaving your game.
Pros
- User-friendly, convenient to use
- Record video with audio
- No time limit for recording video, ad-free
- Completely free video recording software without watermark
- Edit the video after recording, such as trim the beginning and end of videos
Cons
- Record apps only, not available for recording full screen or a specific region
- No pause function when recording the video
- Limited video editing features
3. Open Broadcaster Software
OBS Studio is a popular open-source and flexible game recorder tool that works well for live streaming games on Twitch and recording other information as well. It is the preferred tool for a lot of gamers out there. You are not required to change any special settings, just select the source which you would like to record and start recording. OBS is capable of recording in MP4 and FLV formats at a 1:1 ratio.
After recording, the application streams with various platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Hitbox, Twitch, and more.
Pros
- Free and open source
- Multiple platforms supported: Windows, Mac, or Linux
- Various plugins to enhance the experience
- Support for most live streaming platforms
- Entirely free, with no limitations
Cons
- Not the most user-friendly UI
- The free version leaves a watermark on your video recording
- Lacks of built-in video editing functions
4. Bandicam
Bandicam screen recorder is one of the well-known software in terms of screen recording, a free game recording software as well. This best game recorder enables you to record at high bitrates and frames. You can record games at flexible frame rates and 4K Ultra HD resolution. What's more, it offers the compression feature that makes sure the recorded game video is in a small size without quality loss. The recordings can be used for gaming or other PC activities.
Pros
- Support three recording modes - Screen Recording, Game Recording, and Device Recording
- Record game in full-screen, region, webcam, and microphone
- Support real-time drawing, add webcam overlay, schedule recording, mix voice, add mouse effect, etc.
- Built-in compression feature
Cons
- Not cheap
- Lack of built-in video editor
- The unregistered version record game video with watermark
5. Movavi Screen Recorder
Movavi is a nice and free game recording software that enables you to record screen and audio at the same time. It supports resolution up to 4K. In addition, you can sync webcam and microphone voice-over with an on-going screen recording. It provides a lot of video editing features so you can edit the recorded game video, for example, convert a video into GIF; trim, cut, and join videos; add animated titles and special effects, and much more.
Pros
- Modern user interface and easier navigation
- Set up the recording parameters
- Record video and audio simultaneously
- Comes with many editing tools
- Supports screen resolution up to 4K
- Convert screen recording to GIF instantly
Cons
- A bit expensive
- Limited features in the free trial version
6. Nvidia GeForce Experience
Nvidia Geforce Experience, another best free game recorder, enables you to capture and share videos, screenshots, and live streams with friends. Keep your drivers up to date and optimize your game settings. Apart from updating your Nvidia drivers, this software provides Nvidia's Shadowplay feature, allowing you to record games easily. The software can record at the same resolution as your display, so if you have a 4K panel, your recordings will also be in 4K.
Pros
- If you have an Nvidia GPU, the GeForce Experience is free to use
- Simple and straightforward
- Use GPU to handle encoding
- Share gameplay videos and live streams on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.
Cons
- Work only with Nvidia GPUs
- Not as versatile as other professional screen recording software
7. Fraps
Fraps is another great game recording software for Windows 10/8/7. There are too many and settings and configurations. Fraps can put out some massive files due to its benchmarking nature which provides you a wide range of resolutions. You can set the video capture frame rate manually and it can go from 30 to 120FPS. There is also an option to enter a custom FPS value where you can set the frame rate even below 30. You can use this game recorder to record both screen and audios through external input or system sound.
Pros
- User-friendly interface and simple to use
- Handles a wide variety of resolutions
- Benchmarking feature and statistics embedded
- Highlight cursor and capture audio from an external input device
Cons
- Recorded video size is high
- Lack of editing tools
- The free version has some limitations, including a watermark and limited recording time
8. ACTION
Action, another excellent game recorder on the market. You can use this software to record a real-time game in high definition. This gaming software is compatible with any version of Windows and supports more than one video format - AVI and MP4. It's able to output high-quality MP4 @ 60fps gaming clips by utilizing Intel QSV, Nvidia NVENC, or AMD APP hardware acceleration. It is a competent game recording and video editing software for YouTube. After recording, Action allows you to stream videos on different platforms such as YouTube, Livestream, Ustream, etc.
Pros
- Good stability while recording game
- Supports live streaming on different platforms
- User-friendly interface
- 4K support
Cons
- Frame rates cannot be customized
- struggle on older machines; require a decent spec machine
- In free mode, game recording time is limited to 10 minutes
9. LOILO Game Recorder
LoiLo game recorder is a lightweight free game recording software. It offers enables you to record ongoing video games and edit the recorded game video with various features. This best game recording software supports Motion-JPEG. With this file format, you are to reach the best balance between file size and image quality. And it shows the least performance loss compared to any competitor's non-free software.
Pros
- User-friendly interface, easy-to-use
- Minimal performance loss
- Record your games for free without any limitation
- Create outstanding Full HD video in reasonable file size
Cons
- Not compatible with Windows Vista, XP, and Windows 10
10. Xsplit Gamecaster
XSplit Gamecaster is one of the best game recorders out there. It is compatible with Twitch. It can record your game and chooses the appropriate settings according to your computer's properties without manual customization. What's more, it comes with variable video editing features, such as picture-in-picture mode, watermarks, video annotations, and social media integration. After game recording, you can share the videos with social media platforms easily.
Pros
- Enough features are embedded in the free version
- Offer many video editing options
- Record locally or stream to all popular platforms with one click
Cons
- Advanced features only come with a monthly subscription
- It's a little expensive
11. Dxtory
Dxtory is another best game recorder software in this list that offers tons of features for game recording. In fact, it is one of the lightest software, yet quite comprehensive. The interface is extremely user-friendly, which makes it very simple to understand all settings and adjust them. This program record a lossless video of the highest possible quality, thus you need to prepare a lot of space for the captures. You can record screen with game sound or microphone's sound at the same time. In the video settings, you can customize video codecs, frames per second from 10-120, sources, size, and format.
Pros
- Extremely flexible
- Intuitive and clear user interface
- Plenty of customization options for a video codec, sizes, and formats
Cons
- Require a lot of free space on your hard drive without compression
- Annoying trial notification
- Not suitable for ordinary users
Top 5 Best Game Recording Software for Mac
If you want to record a game or whatever happening on your Mac screen, try out with the top five best free game recording software on Mac listed below.
1. Quick Time Player
QuickTime Player is the default Mac video player, but it's more than a video player. You can use QuickTime Player to do video recording for free, including game recording. It also has some basic video editing options, such as cut, copies, and pastes, adds a new soundtrack, adds annotations, rotates your video, and more. QuickTime game recording software uses onscreen controls, which are similar to a CD or DVD player.
Pros
- Small and intuitive interface
- Record audio with video simultaneously
- Record Skype videos in full screen
- Ability to save videos from the web
- Provide video editing features to create beautiful video and share it via email
Cons
- Limited recording and editing functionality
- System audio recording is not possible
2. Camtasia
Camtasia is an advanced video recording and editing tool. It's also a competent game recording software. You are free to change the recording settings and adjust the recording window size. It also supports you to record with a camera, microphone. As a comprehensive video editing software, Camtasia offers some advanced video editing features to assist users in adding effects, text, transitions, etc., fantastic features to the target video.
Pros
- Record full screen, window, region, webcam, and microphone
- Feature a video editor to edit recorded game video as imported videos
- Supports green screen effect to make it seem as if you are a part of the action
- Easy to incorporate animated items, like callouts and scrolling text
Cons
- Only free for 30 days with watermark
- Cost is high for ordinary users
3. Monosnap
Monosnap is a free best game recorder for Mac. You can use this program to record your screen and take quick screenshots in case you need to use it as a powerful screen recording software. This software can be used to capture a selected window or just a small part of the screen. After video recording, you can connect the cloud drives such as Dropbox, CloudApp, Yandex. Disk, Box.com, Google Drive, or FTPs to upload recorded videos to share with other PCs and smartphones.
Pros
- Totally free without feature limitation
- Record video as well as system sound
- Record in 60fps to ensure an ultra-smooth playback
- Highlight important details with pen, text, arrow, and shape
- Export to monosnap.com, Youtube, and other cloud platforms
Cons
- Video editing is not possible
- Mobile devices cannot be recorded
4. VLC
VLC is a free and open-source video recording software, as well as a free game recorder, available for cross-platform, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It's great music and video player of any format, including WMA, AAC, AIF, MP3, and much more on your computer. You can use it as a free screen video capture software with the built-in screen recording features.
Pros
- Simple and clean user interface
- Completely free and open source
- A simple and efficient way to create screen recordings
- Offer various alluring customized skins
Cons
- No audio recording options
- No video editing options
- Only record the entire screen
5. ScreenFlick
Screenflick is a macOS app focused on the core essentials of screen recording and game recording: providing the highest quality screen and audio capture, and delivering the key tools needed to communicate your screen experience to your viewers. This program enables you to create time-lapse screen recordings of long projects, and export to multiple sizes, frame rates, and formats whenever needed.
Pros
- User-friendly and well-streamlined interface
- Record screen in the whole screen, a section, or a specific window
- One-click type audio recording facility
- Strives to be as efficient as possible
- Record audio, including system audio, your Mac's microphone, or external mic
Cons
- Don't support Livestream, timeline editing, adding annotations
- Require OS X 10.10 or Later
To Sum Up
That's it. These are the top 16 best game recording software for Windows and Mac, both free and paid. They have their disadvantages and advantages, some with video editing function, some have no or limited ones. If you are a beginner, you can choose some free and simple-to-use game recording software. For advanced game recording, you can select the high-level tools.
For beginners working on Windows, we highly recommend EaseUS RecExperts. This game recording software is easy to use yet powerful. You can not only record gameplay but capture your screen, audio, and webcam with it. And after recording, you can simply edit it by adding images or watermarks, changing its speed, or compressing the recording file, then you can upload it to the social media platforms.
FAQs About Best Game Recording Software
1. What is the best video game recording software?
There is a lot of video game recording software available on the market. If you are a novice, EaseUS RecExperts is the best option for you. It allows you to record gameplay with a few simple clicks. Apart from that, you also can use it to capture screen, audio, even your webcam according to your needs.
2. What recording software do Youtubers use?
The most common screen recording software used by YouTubers are EaseUS RecExperts, OBS Studio, ShareX, Xsplit...
3. How do I record my gameplay?
To record your gameplay, you need a useful game recording software. Here you can try EaseUS RecExperts.
Video resolution is always making improvement. From 240p SD, to 720p HD, 1080p HD, even to the UHD 4K, people's special desire of visual feast is burning.
If you are left the option to watch the movie in 4K resolution, you are not willing to watch it in 1080p HD, if the network is smooth.
Whether you want to make a 4K video tutorial for sharing on YouTube, or wish to save a UHD streaming movie from Vimeo, you will rely on the 4K screen recorder.
What is the best 4K screen recorder for the computer?
Here is the top-10 list for Windows and Mac computer, including free and paid.
Read the review and download the 4K screen recording software to decide the best one.
Top-10 List of 4K Screen Recorders for Windows and Mac:
AnyMP4 Screen Recorder (Windows, Mac | $11.97)
AnyMP4 Video Recorder is the best combination of 4K screen recorder and editor.
It records 4K videos from streaming sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Vevo, Netflix, etc., with audio. Moreover, it also captures your 4K screen from the desktop, window and even webcam with the 4K display or camera. Whether you want to record 4K gameplay or UHD movies playback on your computer, it also can do it.
Pros
- 1. Record any 4K videos from online conferences, gameplay, etc.
- 2. Record the specific window and webcam screen.
- 3. Edit video while recording the computer screen.
- 4. Customize the various settings lie output, schedule task, mouse cursor, etc.
Cons
- 1. Free version records the video unlimitedly but only saves the maximum 5 minutes.
Bandicam (Windows | $39)
Bandicam is the 4K game recording software using the DirectX/OpenGL/Vulkan graphics technologies for Windows users.
It records anything on your computer screen, even the 3D games, and captures external video devices from a webcam, Xbox/PlayStation, smartphone, IPTV, etc. With customizable settings, you are able to create a video tutorial with editing it at the same time.
Pros
- 1. Real-time drawing.
- 2. Set a schedule task for recording without sitting in front of the computer.
- 3. Select any area for screen capturing.
Cons
- 1. Difficult to remember the audio and video recording settings.
- 2. Constant skipping problem from the final recording file from users.
Download Bandicam here.
Snagit (Windows, Mac | $49.95)
Snagit is the 4K video recording software working with various apps like Microsoft Office, Google Drive, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, etc.
It is easy to capture images and record videos from your full-screen desktop, region, window, and scrolling screen. Built-in image editing features can create your screenshots with arrows, text, highlights and more.
Pros
- 1. Capture 4K screen via region, window, and scrolling screen.
- 2. Edit and annotate screenshots with few clicks.
- 3. Share the screen recording easily with Google Drive, YouTube, etc.
Cons
- 1. It is very expensive.
- 2. There a couple of instances where users record a video but result to a black screen.
Download Snagit here.
ShareX (Windows | Free)
ShareX is the free 4K screen recorder for Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 without ads.
The easy screen capture software has been for over 11 years. Similar to Snagit, but it offers you more capture modes, like full-screen, active window, region, scrolling capture, auto capture, etc. Another feature of this screen capture software is capturing text, images, and edit the image files with various effects.
Pros
- 1. Customize workflows.
- 2. Various capture modes.
- 3. Edit images and share easily.
Cons
- 1. The shareable links to the images uploaded by you, have the expiration time.
- 2. It is not suitable for game recording.
Download ShareX here.
Action! (Windows | $19.77)
Action! is the professional 4K and 8K gameplaying recording software on Windows 7, 8., 8.1 and 10.
It records streaming and real-time gameplay on Windows desktop in superb UHD quality. Various recording modes allow you to record from a gaming console, TV broadcasts, camcorders, etc., with USB/HDMI devices. Moreover, it also records music, capture screenshots, microphone narration, etc.
Pros
- 1. Various recording modes.
- 2. Record gameplay in HD, UHD benchmark games performances.
- 3. Live stream game recording to Twitch.tv, YouTube, Smashcast (hitbox), Ustream, Livestream, Facebook, Aliez, and more.
Cons
- 1. The loading time is very slow.
- 2. The setup is tedious sometimes.
Free Screen Video Recorder For Mac Download
Download Action! here.
Movavi Screen Capture Studio (Windows, Mac | $64.95)
Movavi Screen Capture Studio is another one 2-in-1 4K video recorder and editor like a pro.
This software is simple to use and can meet almost all your demands to record a screen on computer like streaming audio, Skype video calls, webinars, YouTube movies, TV series, etc. Editing effects like slow motion, picture-in-picture, trim, color filter, and more are great to help your vlog.
Pros
Screen Recorder Best For Mac
- 1. Capture screen in various modes.
- 2. Fantastic video editing effects.
- 3. Output video recording formats as MP4, MOV, AVI, and more for easy playback.
Cons
- 1. Recording task slows down your computer process.
- 2. Cannot upload the video recording directly to YouTube, etc.
- 3. The price is expensive.
Download Movavi Screen Capture Studio here.
OBS (Windows, Mac, Linux | Free)
OBS, Open Broadcaster Software, is the free 4K video recording software and live streaming tool.
It creates real-time video/audio recording mixing, and creates scenes that are made up of various sources like windows capture, browse windows, webcam, images, text, etc. You could switch among the scenes seamlessly via transition effects. It also allows you to record the game screen among the multiple-screen and optimize your setup for recording.
Pros
- 1. Broadcast your game streams to Twitch, YouTube, etc.
- 2. Offer amazing flexibility for advanced users.
- 3. Modular 'Dock' UI allows you to rearrange the layout exactly as you like.
Cons
- 1. Do not support an in-game overlay recording.
- 2. Settings are a little finicky.
Download OBS here.
Free Video Screen Capture Macbook Pro
Camtasia (Windows, Mac | $249.00)
Camtasia is the professional 4K video recording software and editor for professional users.
Like other screen recorders, it records your computer screen from the browser, video calls, desktop, and more. Powerfully, it provides you with various pre-made animation effects to polish your video recording. It also gives you the library of royalty-free music and sound effects to add background music for your video recording.
Pros
- 1. Great animation effects, like text, transitions, annotations, etc.
- 2. Its library provides you with a list of music and sound effects.
- 3. Create quizzes to interact with your audiences.
Cons
- 1. The price puts the users off.
- 2. It is a little difficult for beginners to use.
Download Camtasia here.
QuickTime (Windows, Mac | Free)
QuickTime is the built-in 4K screen recorder for Mac users with simple recording features.
Actually, it works mostly as the media player on Mac. However, you could use its simple recording features to capture screen and movie windows on Mac. No more features mentioned here, it is just the easy and simple screen recorder for beginners.
Pros
- 1. Very simple to record any screen on Mac.
- 2. Share the video recording to YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Vimeo, etc.
Cons
- 1. Lack of customizable settings.
- 2. The exported formats are limited to MOV.
XSplit Gamecaster (Windows | $59.95/Year)
XSplit Gamecaster is the professional 4K gameplay recording software and streaming utility.
It can detect game automatically on your computer and record the in-game overlay. After the recording, it lets you edit the video recording with its editor efficiently. Integrating with Twitch, it lets you directly chat, and receive the follower and subscriber notifications.
Pros
- 1. Support various capture cards like Logitech, Elgato, AVerMedia, Razer and more.
- 2. Support image and game recording overlay.
- 3. Stream live to Twitch and chat directly via Twitch.
Cons
- 1. Fixed Frame rates.
- 2. Incompatibility with other add-ons.
- 3. Slow down your computer while running it.
- 4. Very expensive.
Download XSplit Gamecaster here.
Conclusion
The above is the top-10 list of 4K screen recorders for Windows and Mac computer. Among the tools, they are free and paid. If you are seeking a simple 4K screen recorder without more features, one of them can be added in your list. If you are looking for the screen recorder with editing features, the paid ones should be your considerations.
Which one is your number one video recorder?
Let me know by leaving your comments below.