10 PC Gaming Streaming Tips to Take Your Channel to the Next Level.
Do you have a passion for gaming and dreaming of becoming the next big streamer on Twitch, YouTube, or Mixer? Or perhaps you just want to engage with other gamers and show them your skills? Whatever your motivation, PC gaming streaming is an incredible opportunity to reach a wide audience and become part of an international community.
But streaming isn’t as simple as flipping a switch and booting up your favorite game. You need a combination of the right hardware, sound settings, streaming software, and game settings to build a reputable channel. And once you reach those initial thresholds, you can begin optimizing your stream and tweaking settings to improve your viewer engagement and overall stream quality.
If you’re just starting out in PC gaming streaming, here are ten tips to help you get your channel up-and-running as quickly as possible.
1. Invest in Quality PC Hardware
The quality of your PC hardware is paramount when it comes to PC gaming streaming. Performance is essential, as any drops in frame rates can have a major effect on the quality of your stream. A good starting point for most gamers is a gaming laptop or custom-built desktop that contains a 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor or higher, 16GB or more of system memory (RAM), and a dedicated GPU such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580. While you can use an integrated GPU to get by for a short time, it’s ultimately worth investing in a dedicated graphics card if your finances allow it.
2. Check Your Connectivity and Performance
Once you’ve got your hardware sorted, it’s important to check that your upload speed meets the requirements to stream. As a rough rule of thumb, you’ll need at least 3.2Mbps (megabits per second) upload and download speeds. However, the exact upload speed you need depends on the quality of stream you’re trying to produce. To ensure the best performance and reliability, you should use a wired connection, rather than connecting to a wireless router.
3. Use the Right Software
The right streaming software can make or break your channel. Platforms like Open Broadcasting Software (OBS), XSplit and Streamlabs OBS are incredibly popular, and are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Each software offers different options, including video and audio mixing, webcam, and mic inputs, and other stream settings.
If you get stuck, you’ll find plenty of user guides and tutorials online, as well as help from the streamer community. Twitch also offers helpful documentation for getting started with the most popular streaming software.
4. Tweak Your Game Settings
Game settings are another factor that can affect streaming performance. Increasing the resolution, graphics settings, and frame rate will put extra strain on even the most powerful hardware. As such, it’s preferable to reduce these settings to free up resources for your streaming software. That way, you’ll have more processing power left to ensure a smooth, stutter-free stream.
5. Adjust Your Sound Settings
If your microphone or audio input isn’t sounding quite right, you can use the streaming platforms’ sound settings to adjust the sound. Tweaking gains, muting, and compressing the audio can make a big impact your stream’s overall sound quality. This can go a long way in making you sound more polished and professional.
6. Choose the Right Platform
Your platform of choice largely depends on the type of content you’re creating and the audience you’re trying attract. Platforms all have different tools for streamers, including built-in chat widgets and account customizations. Sites like Twitch and YouTube Gaming tend to be packed with content, whereas Mixer has a somewhat smaller but highly engaged audience.
7. Promote and Grow Your Audience
Growing your streaming audience is all about creating content for the right people and promoting the stream in the right places. You want to make sure you’re engaging with the right communities and attending the right events. Game-specific subreddits and podcasts can help you form lasting relationships with content creators in your space.
8. Utilize Overlays and Alerts
Overlays and alerts can make a huge difference to the quality of your stream. They can draw attention to important parts of your stream and add a touch of personality. Use different image formats and take advantage of built-in alert systems that sound and pop-up when someone follows your stream or subscribes.
9. Utilize Merchandise
Offering merchandise to your viewers is another great way to reward them while also drumming up a bit of extra money. With services like Streamlabs Merch, you can create and sell t-shirts, hoodies, and other clothing with almost no cost. You can also offer giveaways to help bring in new viewers and reward your loyal followers.
10. Work on Your Personality
Creating a well-rounded stream requires more than just diving into a game. Things like developing your own personality and building an entertaining presentation style can go a long way in setting yourself apart from the rest. If you need inspiration, take note of other streams that have similar content and observe how they present.
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PC gaming streaming can open a whole new world of possibilities, whether you’re looking to show the world your gaming skills or just want to engage with other gamers. But streaming isn’t as simple as just jumping into a game — you’ll need to invest in the right hardware, optimize your settings, and grow your audience; all of which can seem challenging for someone just starting out.
By following the tips outlined in this blog, you can set yourself up for streaming success and take your channel to the next level. Whether you want to become the next Twitch sensation or just chat with other gamers, PC gaming streaming offers endless entertainment possibilities. So why not get started and build a channel today!
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