Recording your games directly from Steam is now possible! This new functionality also allows you to highlight the most notable moments with markers on a timeline, to edit videos and to share and export them easily.
Valve has just announced the introduction of a game recording function in Steam. This one “allows users to record, rewind, trim, save and share videos of their gaming experiences”, explains the editor. Until now, it was necessary to go through a third-party program to benefit from this type of possibility.
The background recording mode continuously records your gameplay to the storage device of your choice, without any player intervention. In this case, you can set hard drive space limits so as not to saturate your storage. You choose a duration and quality, and that’s it. When the quota you have allocated is filled, the oldest game time is replaced by the most recent. A manual recording mode is also provided if you do not need to record your entire game session.
Tools to edit and share your recordings from Steam
Recording your games gives you the ability to review your performance to improve, or relive an important cutscene or dialogue with an NPC. You can watch it from the Steam overlay for all games. To make it easier to find your way around, Steam offers a timeline on the recording, with time markers. These are automatically generated by the system when you take a screenshot or get an achievement. Manual cues can be added by the player directly, and also by the game itself, with Valve providing developers with an API to do this.
Players can save video clips that interest them or edit, share and export the recorded content as an MP4 file. Several file transfer options are offered, via the Steam mobile application, a QR code or a temporary Steam link for example.
This feature is available both on the Steam client for PC and on Steam Deck. It’s still in beta, so you need to sign up to take advantage of it now. To do this, simply go to Settings > Interface > Client Beta Participation then select a beta version. To enable the option, go to Settings > Game Recording, then choose between background or manual recording.
