Last updated: 2026-01-08

To record gameplay and webcam at the same time on PC with the least friction, use StreamYard’s browser studio with local recordings: share your game window, turn on your camera, hit record, and you get separate tracks for clean editing later. When you need maximum control over native game capture and encoding on a powerful PC, use OBS for the raw capture and optionally route it into StreamYard via OBS Virtual Camera.

Summary

• StreamYard lets you record your screen (gameplay) and webcam together in the browser, with local multi-track files for flexible editing later. (StreamYard Help Center)
• On paid plans, local recording in StreamYard is effectively unlimited, while the free plan offers 2 hours of local recording per month. (StreamYard Help Center)
• OBS gives you native game capture and advanced encoding on PC; Loom is better suited to short, shareable walkthroughs than long gameplay sessions. (OBS Studio, Loom)
• For most people in the US on a typical laptop, starting in StreamYard is faster, easier, and more reliable than tuning a complex OBS or Loom setup.

How does recording gameplay and webcam together actually work?

When you record gameplay and webcam simultaneously, you’re really doing three things at once:

1. Capturing the game window or your full display.
2. Capturing your webcam (and usually your mic).
3. Combining or syncing those captures into a single video — ideally with clean audio and a layout that looks intentional.

In StreamYard, you do this inside a browser studio: you share your screen, turn on your camera and mic, arrange them into a layout, and hit Record. The key advantage is that we capture separate local video and audio files for each participant, so your gameplay/screen and webcam can be edited independently afterward. (StreamYard Help Center)

On desktop apps like OBS, you add multiple sources (game, webcam, mic) into a scene and record a single mixed file by default. Loom uses a similar idea but focuses on a simple "screen + camera bubble" mode rather than full production layouts. (OBS Studio, Loom screen recorder)

Why use StreamYard to record gameplay and webcam on PC?

For most creators, the main goal isn’t "perfect encoder settings" — it’s "high-quality video that looks good and just works."

StreamYard is built around that outcome:

• Browser-based studio: You join from Chrome or Edge, no heavy install. This is ideal on work laptops, school devices, or any PC where you can’t install apps easily. (StreamYard Pricing)
• Screen + camera in one place: You share your game window, camera, and even a second screen or extra camera on eligible plans.
• Presenter-led layouts: You control how your webcam and gameplay appear — side-by-side, picture-in-picture, or full-screen gameplay with a small camera frame — and you can add branded overlays, logos, and banners live.
• Local multi-track recording: Each participant can be recorded locally with separate video and audio files, which is a big deal if you want to cleanly mix gameplay, facecam, and guest audio in editing. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Storage-based archive: Recordings live in your StreamYard account, with storage measured in hours by plan (5 hours on the free plan, 50 hours on most paid plans). (StreamYard storage guide)

Because the studio runs in the browser, you avoid fighting with complex PC encoding settings. And since paid plans focus on workspace-level pricing instead of per-user pricing, it’s often more cost-effective for a small team than tools that charge per seat. (Loom Pricing)

How do you record gameplay and webcam simultaneously in StreamYard?

Here’s a straightforward workflow you can follow on almost any Windows PC:

1. Open the StreamYard studio

   • Log into your account and create a new recording session.
   • Choose "record only" if you don’t plan to go live.

2. Set up your mic and webcam

   • Select your microphone and camera in the settings menu.
   • Check your levels and framing; add a logo or overlay if you want a channel-branded look.

3. Share your game window or display

   • Launch your game in windowed or borderless windowed mode for the smoothest capture.
   • In the studio, click Share → Window or Screen, and pick the game or monitor.

4. Arrange your layout

   • Use a layout with your game as the main view and your webcam smaller in a corner, or vice versa.
   • This is where presenter-led control matters: you can switch layouts mid-session for intros, gameplay, and outros.

5. Turn on local recordings

   • Make sure local recording is enabled so you get high-quality files for your webcam (and guests) alongside the cloud recording. (StreamYard Help Center)

6. Hit Record and play

   • Click Record and play your game as usual.
   • You can keep presenter notes visible only to you as you talk through key moments or callouts.

7. Download and edit

   • When you’re done, stop the recording and head to your dashboard.
   • Download the mixed video and, if needed, the separate local files for gameplay/screen and camera to edit in your NLE.

On the free plan, you’ll have up to 2 hours of local recording per month and 5 hours of storage, which is enough to test your workflow and capture shorter sessions before you decide whether you want the flexibility of a paid plan. (StreamYard Help Center)

How does this compare to OBS for PC gameplay recording?

OBS is a powerful desktop app for recording and streaming. It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is completely free to use. (OBS Studio)

Where OBS is strong for gameplay:

• Native game capture: On Windows, the Game Capture source hooks directly into DirectX/OpenGL games for efficient performance — often better than generic display capture. (OBS Game Capture docs)
• Deep encoder control: You can fine-tune bitrate, encoder (x264, hardware encoders, etc.), and formats.
• Scene complexity: Multi-layer overlays, multiple capture cards, and custom transitions are commonplace.

Where StreamYard is more practical for most people:

• You don’t have to manage encoding or system requirements beyond running a browser.
• Local multi-track recording is built-in and cloud-backed, so you’re not juggling giant files on your C: drive.
• You can integrate OBS as an input by sending your OBS composite to StreamYard via OBS Virtual Camera — that way you get OBS’s game capture control plus StreamYard’s layouts, guests, and recordings in one place. (StreamYard + OBS guide)

If you like tweaking every setting and you’re comfortable managing your own storage, OBS is a strong local capture option. If you care more about getting consistent gameplay + webcam recordings with minimal setup, StreamYard is usually the smoother path.

Where does Loom fit for gameplay + webcam?

Loom is designed primarily for quick, shareable screen recordings rather than long gameplay sessions. You install the desktop app or browser extension, choose Screen and Camera, and record with a small camera bubble on top of your screen. (Loom screen recorder)

On the free Starter plan, recordings are limited to 5 minutes and up to 25 videos per person, and the free version records up to 720p. (Loom Pricing) That’s generally too restrictive for full gameplay videos but can be handy for short game reviews, bug reports, or clips.

Paid Loom plans remove recording time limits and raise quality caps, but the focus is still async sharing via links rather than multi-participant production, flexible layouts, or advanced local files for editing.

For most PC gamers, Loom is more of a "side tool" for quick explainers than a main gameplay recorder.

How do you get 60fps gameplay + webcam on a typical PC?

If you specifically care about 60fps, think about three pieces: your PC, your capture method, and motion in your game.

A simple approach:

• Use StreamYard when your priority is ease, multi-track files, and live-ready layouts. Run your game in borderless windowed mode, share that window, and keep other apps closed to give your browser more headroom.
• Use OBS when you’re playing fast-paced games where native Game Capture and detailed encoder controls can squeeze out more fluid motion, especially on a gaming PC with a dedicated GPU. (OBS Game Capture docs)
• Combine them when needed: Build the game layout in OBS, run OBS Virtual Camera into StreamYard, and let StreamYard handle your guests, overlays, and recordings.

In practice, most creators care more about clean audio, clear commentary, and a stable recording than about the difference between 50fps and 60fps. That’s why starting with a simpler StreamYard studio is often the fastest way to publish better videos.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard local recordings if you want a reliable, easy way to capture gameplay + webcam, plus separate tracks for editing.
• Move to OBS (optionally feeding StreamYard via Virtual Camera) if you need native game capture and granular control on a strong PC.
• Keep Loom in your toolkit for quick 5-minute-style game explainers and bug reports, not full sessions.
• Prioritize a workflow that you’ll actually stick with each week — for most people, that means a browser-based StreamYard studio over a complex local setup.