Look out, Shadowplay: Steam now has a built-in 'Game Recording' feature that will automatically record gameplay videos you can clip, share, and export

Recording gameplay clips on PC isn't difficult: Software like OBS Studio or Nvidia Shadowplay actually makes it quite simple. But remembering to use it, and remembering to stop using it when you're done, makes the whole process a pain in the ass. Whomst among us, I ask, hasn't dropped an f-bomb 20 minutes into a 30-minute presentation because you forgot to record it, or discovered that your mysteriously missing drive space is the result of a 200-hour recording of your desktop?

Steam's new Game Recording feature promises to reduce at least some of those headaches by building the whole thing into the client, and—this is big for people like me—automatically recording your gaming sessions in the background. Videos can be viewed directly through the Steam client or overlay, and clips can be easily taken and shared.

Today we’ve launched Steam Game Recording into Beta. This is a new built-in system for creating and sharing your gameplay footage, that works on any game on Steam. Learn more here: https://t.co/H5z6Reykmx pic.twitter.com/koDAjyUeAeJune 26, 2024

I tried the new system with a spot of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and it worked quite well. After updating to the latest Steam client beta, I hopped into the settings menu and enabled automatic recording, then fired up the game and started blasting. 

There was no noticeable impact on performance, and the clips that came out at the end were smooth and sharp. Clips can be saved in Steam or exported to MP4 format, and there are also options to share through Steam chat, to mobile devices, or to send them to other devices.

Importantly, Steam Game Recording only records gameplay, not your desktop, so you don't have to worry about accidentally revealing your freaky desktop wallpaper in Steam chat. Even the Steam overlay doesn't show up in recordings: I tried it, and got a nice, quiet few minutes of my rugged super-soldier standing on the side of a hill while my cursor bounced around, seemingly pointing at nothing.

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