How to record your gameplay using Nvidia ShadowPlay

If you own a Nvidia graphics card, you can use Nvidia ShadowPlay, one of the best gameplay recording solutions in the market. It is a software feature that comes built in with Nvidia GeForce Experience. This software can be downloaded along with your stock Nvidia drivers, making things extremely convenient.

Generally, gameplay recording is an extremely resource-heavy task. If you are playing and recording on budget-oriented hardware, the chances of facing considerable performance loss and FPS issues in the game are rather high. Fortunately, Nvidia ShadowPlay can make a difference here.

Nvidia's ShadowPlay makes efficient use of the built-in NVENC encoder inside their GPUs. This encoder is a separate hardware that takes the recording and streaming load off your GPU. The recordings from Nvidia ShadowPlay are excellent and can be used for your highlights and gameplay videos. Nvidia ShadowPlay also offers numerous features, including taking screenshots, recording gameplay, and even livestreaming.

This article discusses how you can record gameplay footage with ShadowPlay.

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The process of recording gameplay with Nvidia ShadowPlay

If you are a streamer or just want to record gameplay for purposes other than streaming, follow the steps listed below.

1) Download Nvidia GeForce Experience, if not installed already. The software can be downloaded simultaneously from your graphics drivers or separately from https://www.nvidia.com/en-in/geforce/geforce-experience/download/

2) Open Nvidia GeForce Experience on your operating system.

3) Click on Settings (gear icon) in the top right. In the General section, you will find the option for IN-GAME OVERLAY. Click on the Toggle button to turn on ShadowPlay.

Turn on in-game overlay (Image via Sportskeeda)

4) The default hotkey to open the Nvidia ShadowPlay Overlay is Alt+Z.

5) Once inside the overlay, you can choose to save your recordings in a specific location. Click on the settings icon in the bottom right of the pop-up and choose the desired file location.

Overlay menu (Image via Sportskeeda)

6) To record your gameplay, you have two options. These are Record and Instant Replay.

7) With the Record feature, you can choose to record as you please. Recording complete segments gives you freedom while editing and is better suited for highlights gameplay footage. Once you click on Start, it will keep recording until you hit Stop. You can choose to tune the recording quality as well. Click on Recording, then Settings, and now change the Quality with the basic option or select the desired bit rate.

8) The Instant Replay feature is great for saving certain clips, such as a great clutch. Before using this feature, it is recommended to configure its settings. Click on “Instant Replay” - “Settings” - Once inside the Video Capture settings, change the Instant Replay Length accordingly. Also, change the quality as per your specifications and available storage space.

9) Now, you just need to “Turn on” the Instant Replay. So, the next time you make a great play worth being in a montage, simply click on “Save” or hit the hotkey “Alt+F10”.

10) You are now all set to record your gameplay with Nvidia ShadowPlay.

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A convinient tool for gameplay recording

For the majority of gamers, investing in dedicated streaming/recording hardware is not feasible. The cost of building a PC alone has gone through the roof lately, with GPUs being sold at a premium along with basic inflation. Nevertheless, raw processing power has only increased with time. For instance, the newly released Core i3 12400F easily beats the Core i7s of the yesteryears.

A major chunk of the software recording revolution, be it OBS or ShadowPlay, lies with GPUs getting more efficient at managing multiple tasks simultaneously. In fact, Nvidia's R&D has allowed for lag-free gameplay recording and streaming even on budget GPUs like the GTX 1650 Super and above. Being a content creator has become easier than ever before.

Nvidia ShadowPlay is a free and extremely convenient recording tool. Interestingly, it also does not mug up on precious GPU and CPU resources. The software is so well-refined that even the best professional players and content creators use it. The software is fairly easy to get started with, as evident in this article and the overall simplicity is unmatched. Also, being a part of GeForce Experience, the bugs are ironed out frequently. So the next time you want to record your gameplay, be it Elden Ring or Apex Legends, give this software a try. You will certainly enjoy the lucid experience.