Elgato Gaming hardware is optimized to capture from many different consoles.

A lot of customers are also using Elgato Gaming hardware to capture their PC gameplay.

This article will help you setup for capturing PC gameplay.

Elgato Gaming hardware that can capture PC gameplay includes:

Elgato Game Capture HD
Elgato Game Capture HD60
Elgato Game Capture HD60 S
Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro
Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro
Elgato Cam Link

Keep in mind that certain hardware devices may be more suitable for your particular setup.  For example, the Elgato Game Capture 4K60 Pro can record up to 4K resolutions, while the other products cannot.

 

General Information

Please understand that with all the different PC setups, we are not able to match to every single possible setup, and there might also be setups that will not work.

Some PCs have built in HDMI Output, and thus will not need any adapter to connect to the HDMI Input of Elgato Gaming hardware.

Other PCs have other types of video output, and they will need an adapter before they can connect to Elgato Gaming hardware.

 

Performance Information

If you play and record from the same PC, it is likely you will run into some performance related issues.

Your computer does not only have to deal with the game that you currently playing, but also take care of the recording and processing of that video at the same time. The result might be that your processor will run into a high work load, which might cause issues with the recordings.

These issues could be screen tearing, audio distortion, or other graphical errors that might end up in the recording.

Please see this article for more information, troubleshooting, and remedies:

PC Game Recording and Performance Issues

 

Recording from one PC to another PC

Elgato Gaming hardware will accept the video input from a PC that's attached to it.

Then, that signal can be sent to another PC.

1) Output the signal from your gaming PC, and run it into the HDMI Input of the Elgato Gaming hardware.

2) Attach the Elgato Gaming hardware to your second, recording PC.

3) Go to the Display Settings on your gaming PC, by right-clicking on the Desktop and selecting Screen Resolution.

4) Under Multiple Displays, select Duplicate These Displays.

Your PC should automatically output in 720p or 1080p to the Elgato Gaming hardware, but it if doesn't, make sure that it's outputting one of the following resolutions:

720p (1280 by 720)
1080p (1920 by 1080)

To adjust the resolution, select a monitor and choose a resolution from the drop-down list.

5) Select OK.

The first PC's display will appear in the Elgato Game Capture HD software on the second PC.

There will be a delay of a few seconds between movements on the source PC, and what appears on the PC that's recording.

 

Recording from one PC to the same PC

Elgato Game Capture HD software can accept the video input from the same PC that Elgato Gaming hardware is attached to.

1) Output the signal from your PC, and run it into the HDMI Input of the Elgato Gaming hardware.

2) Attach the Elgato Gaming hardware to your PC.

3) Go to the Display Settings on your PC, by right-clicking on the Desktop and selecting Screen Resolution.

4) Under Multiple Displays, select Duplicate These Displays.

Your PC should automatically output in 720p or 1080p to the Elgato Gaming hardware, but it if doesn't, make sure that it's outputting one of the following resolutions:

720p (1280 by 720)
1080p (1920 by 1080)

To adjust the resolution, select a monitor and choose a resolution from the drop-down list.

5) Select OK.

The video signal will exit the PC, be processed by the Elgato Gaming hardware, and then enter the same PC again.

There will be a few second delay between movements on the PC, and what appears in the Elgato Game Capture HD software window.

That PC's display will appear in the Elgato Game Capture HD software, as an infinite series of smaller and smaller screens.

If you want to record something, hide the Elgato Game Capture HD software after you start recording (perhaps by minimizing it), so all you will see is your PC's normal screen.

 

Recording audio from a PC via HDMI

If you do not hear audio from your PC via the HDMI connection, please try the steps in this article:

How do I send audio to Elgato Game Capture HD from my Windows PC via HDMI?


 

Recording audio from a PC using Elgato Sound Capture

If you are using a Windows PC, you have access to Elgato Sound Capture.

Elgato Sound Capture is the easiest way and most likely preferred way to capture audio. In this setup, you simply open Elgato Sound Capture and chose the "PC Gaming" feature, which lets you chose not only how the audio gets submitted, as well as where you want to hear your audio. In this case, you could send the audio via HDMI to your Elgato Gaming hardware and simultaneously hear the sound on your headset on the Gaming computer. 

Here is a screenshot of how the settings could look for you, this might be different depending what Audio devices you are using.

 

Once everything is setup correctly you should be able to see the Game Audio widget within Elgato Game Capture HD software moving, once a game is played, or any sound that is played coming over the HDMI Out of your graphics card.

This should complete the setup. Please keep in mind that with this setup your Elgato Game Capture HD software will be running in the background and you have to use ALT + Tab to switch around between the actual game and Elgato Game Capture HD software. This means starting and stopping a recording will require ALT + Tab so you can switch between the two.


 

Setup: Recording from a PC that has HDMI output

Some PCs have a built in HDMI Output port.

In that case, no adapter is needed - just connect your PC to the HDMI Input of Elgato Gaming hardware using a standard HDMI cable.

Your PC should automatically output in 720p or 1080p, but it if doesn't, make sure that it's outputting one of the following resolutions:

720p (1280 by 720)
1080p (1920 by 1080)

 

Setup: Recording from a PC that has Mini DisplayPort output

Some recent PC models output video using the Mini DisplayPort standard.

You will need a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter.

You will connect the adapter to the HDMI Input of Elgato Gaming hardware using a standard HDMI cable

Here is one adapter that can work with some PCs:

Griffin Mini DisplayPort to HDMI with Audio + DVI
 

Other similar adapters exist from various manufacturers.

You will need to make sure that the adapter you choose can support sound output.

Your PC should automatically output in 720p or 1080p, but it if doesn't, make sure that it's outputting one of the following resolutions:

720p (1280 by 720)
1080p (1920 by 1080)

 

Setup: Recording from a PC that has DVI output

Many older PC models output video using the DVI standard.

You will need a DVI to HDMI adapter.

You will connect the adapter to the HDMI Input of Elgato Gaming hardware using a standard HDMI cable

DVI doesn’t output sound, so sound will have to be recorded separately, using a 3.5mm mini jack to stereo audio (red and white RCA) adapter.

Here is an example of a male to male RCA cable.  This could be a good choice if you're going to keep Elgato Gaming hardware very close to your PC:
 

1) Connect the 3.5 mm jack to the headphone output of your PC.

2) Connect the red and white stereo audio outputs to Elgato Game Capture HD using the Component Adapter cable that came Elgato Game Capture HD.

 

You may need additional male-to-male RCA cables to complete the connection, depending on what kind of adapter cable you purchased.

3) Make sure you select HDMI Input from the Capture Settings section of the software.

4) Select "with Analog Audio" so the sound from the adapter cable will be included in your recording.

Your PC should automatically output in 720p or 1080p, but it if doesn't, make sure that it's outputting one of the following resolutions:

720p (1280 by 720)
1080p (1920 by 1080)