Valve has added a new game recording feature to Steam. The feature, which is currently in beta, does what it says on the tin; allowing players to capture and share game footage via the Steam Launcher without any external software.
The game recording function is described in detail on the website special landing pagewhere it explains that players can use it to capture individual highlights or even record “entire campaigns”, hinting that there is no limit to the length of recorded footage beyond what your PC’s storage allows.
The website then describes the four core pillars of the game recording function. First, Background Recording Mode captures gameplay during your session without exceeding storage limits or user-set duration. An ‘On Demand Recording’ mode is also available, allowing players to stop and start recording at the touch of a button. They can then review the footage and access the timeline to select key moments or make basic edits.
The second option is Replay, which appears to work similarly to the way PS5 and Xbox consoles record and save gameplay events that just happened. As Steam itself says, this will be a useful feature for figuring out how you just died or if you want to remember crucial dialogue spoken by an NPC.
Next is the Clip function. Pretty self-explanatory, this one. You can pretty much trim the footage down to a selected gameplay segment; undoubtedly useful for sharing specific clips with friends or even putting together YouTube Shorts.
Finally, and perhaps most obvious, is the Share function. Steam’s Game Recording feature allows players to efficiently convert clips to MP4 format for sharing online and on social media. You can even send clips between devices, for example from Steam Deck to PC or vice versa.
Valve also confirms that Game Recording is Steam Deck Verified, meaning you can also record footage on the go. It seems like a promising feature, and I’m sure many players will appreciate being able to do all this through Steam for its ease of use, rather than relying on third-party software.