How to record gameplay on Steam Deck

Recording gameplay on the Steam Deck just got easier, so we’ve outlined all you need to use the handheld’s new Game Recording feature.

Capturing gameplay footage on the Steam Deck is possible. However, unlike other handhelds like the Nintendo Switch, the device lacks a dedicated share button and an easy way of filming game clips to share on social media. Software like Shadow Play and OBS can run on the device, but the setup is difficult if you aren’t a Steam Deck mastermind.

Now, Steam has launched a brand new game recording feature that makes capturing and sharing Steam Deck game clips much easier. We’ve outlined all you need to enable the new feature, so you can get to recording Steam Deck clips in no time.

How to enable game recording on Steam Deck

• Press ‘Steam’ button
• Navigate to ‘Settings’
• Scroll down to System
• Find ‘Beta Participation’ option
• Switch to ‘Beta’
• Restart Steam Deck

The new game recording feature won’t automatically be available on your Steam Deck. Instead, you have to navigate to your handheld system settings and ensure you have opted into the Beta Channel. To get this sorted, first select the ‘Steam’ button on the left-hand side of your device.

After a small menu appears in the sidebar, navigate down to the ‘Settings’ option and select it. From the new page, scroll down one option to get access to your Steam Deck’s system settings.

From the system settings, we can now get access to the ‘Beta Participation’ option, which when set correctly, will allow you to start recording gameplay clips.

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Select the small white drop-down menu found underneath the ‘Beta Participation’ option. Then, scroll to the ‘Beta’ option and select it from the list.

Once selected your Steam Deck may automatically restart. If it fails to do so, restart your handheld by selecting the ‘Steam’ button, scrolling down to ‘Power’, and selecting restart from the list.

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Upon restarting your Steam Deck, you will likely have to download the new Beta system update from your system settings. You can do this by following the same steps above and selecting the white ‘restart’ text box available next to the system settings option.

If you’re having any trouble finding it, it’s just above the Beta Participation option from before.

How to record games on Steam Deck

• Press ‘Steam’ button
• Navigate to ‘Settings’
• Scroll down to ‘Game Recording’
• Select preferred option
• Run a game of your choice
• Press ‘Steam’ + ‘Y’ button to start recording

With the Beta Chanel installed on your Steam Deck, you can now start recording gameplay. However, before you get started, you will need to toggle on the new ‘Game Recording’ feature in your device’s settings.

To access the game recording settings, select the ‘Steam’ button and scroll down to the bottom of the settings options. Once you see ‘Game Recording’ on the list, hover over it and you’ll be presented with the new game recording options on Steam Deck.

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In the game recording settings, you can toggle off game recording entirely, or select your handheld to be continuously recording in the background. You’ll know this is running as a small red recording indicator will be present at the top of your handheld display when playing a game.

To record gameplay manually press ‘Steam + Y’ together at the same time. This button combination will be set as the default, however, you can change the combination within the game recording settings to whatever you prefer.

Within these settings, you can also allocate space for all temporary game recordings. At default, this will be set to 120 minutes at high quality. However, if you don’t have a high-capacity SD card for Steam Deck, you change the quality setting so it uses up less space.

How to edit and share gameplay on Steam Deck

• Press ‘Steam’ button
• Navigate to ‘Media’
• Select preferred video
• Select scissor icon
• Move start and end markers
• Select the yellow share button
• Select ‘Send to’ Other Device

Just like your Steam Deck screenshots, your recorded footage is accessible in the media tab. To access your recorded gameplay, press the ‘Steam’ button and navigate to ‘Media’ where every screenshot, and new video, will be stored.

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Any recorded clip, or continuous background recording, will be at the forefront of this media tab. Selecting either type of video will bring up the new ‘Steam Timeline’ feature where you can playback, or edit your footage.

Within the timeline, selecting the scissor icon on the right-hand side of the screen will allow you to edit your clip. The start and end markers can be moved via the touchscreen display, or by selecting their respective marker icons.

Once you have the clip you want to share, select the yellow icon in the right-hand corner of the screen to populate the list of sharing options.

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From here, you can send the Steam Deck clip to another device, like your local PC, by selecting ‘Send to Other Device.’ You can also send the clip to your smartphone, or create a QR link which will expire after two days. For the time being, it can take a while to populate your video on other devices.

For now, this new game recording feature only allows clips less than 60 seconds in length to be shared to other devices. However, you can always pop the SD card of your Steam deck into your PC, or laptop, to get access to extra-long game footage.

If you want to set aside more space on your handheld for gameplay clips, you can always upgrade the SSD, especially if you don’t own the 1TB Steam Deck. Upgrading your Steam Deck will give you more space to try out the best Steam Deck games, or even run Xbox Game Pass on your favorite Valve handheld.