What Screen Recorder Do Gamers Use

If you’re an online gamer, you know how important screen recording is. It’s become a fixture of the gaming community. With a great screen recorder, you can easily capture, edit and share your gaming. 

You need a screen recorder you can count on to do this well. Fortunately, there are a ton that caters to gamers. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just getting into it - there’s a screen recorder out there for you. 

You can find screen recorders for Macs, PCs, and consoles, offering a range of features. You can also find ones that work across devices, allowing you to record and edit, no matter your platform. 

Since there are so many screen recorders out there, it can be hard to choose the best one to use. Fortunately, we’ve done the homework for you and put together a list of the three most popular screen recorders for gamers worldwide. They’re popular for a reason, so you might want to check them out. 

Top 3 Screen Recorders for Gamers

We first looked at the biggest gaming markets worldwide to hammer down the top three. It turns out that the US, China, Japan and South Korea are the leading gaming markets as of 2022. Data for China’s market isn’t easy to track down, so we didn’t get a chance to take a look at it. 

In any case, the US, Japan and South Korea have a massive gaming community, so understanding their needs is important. To get a well-rounded picture, it’s also essential to look at how each screen recorder performs worldwide and how they compare to one another. 

Leading gaming markets worldwide in 2022 by gaming revenue

So, we analyzed the average monthly search volume over the past 12 months. This helped us identify the most popular screen recorders among gamers in these major gaming markets and on the global level. 

Taking a look at Google Trends helped us understand users' level of interest in them over time, which is a good sign of each screen recorder's ongoing popularity and relevance in the gaming community. We also looked at other helpful details, like reviews, forums, and blog mentions. 

So, let’s get into it. 

1. OBS Studio

It’s clear why gamers flock to OBS. With its wide range of features, custom settings options, and support for different platforms, it's the top choice. It can capture high-quality video and audio, and you can edit scenes in real-time. 

Whether you're new to the gaming community or a competitive gamer, OBS is a great tool for all your recording needs. It gets glowing reviews with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 on platforms like Software Advice, PCWorld, and Capterra.

It's mentioned on top tech websites like TechRadar Pro, EaseUS, and SoftwareTesting Help, as one of the best screen recorders for gamers. 

You'll also find it popping up in gaming discussions on Reddit. In fact, it’s mentioned a ton. 

OBS emerges as the clear leader with a huge search volume, totalling 1.0 million searches worldwide, 135.0K in the United States, 22.2K in Japan, and 9.9K in South Korea. Remember that these numbers reflect the average monthly search volume over the past 12 months.

Let's put things into perspective and see how popular OBS really is by comparing it to another well-known screen recorder, Nvidia ShadowPlay. 

While ShadowPlay garners 22.0K searches worldwide, with 5.4K in the United States, 320 in Japan, and only 10 in South Korea, it clearly lags behind OBS in terms of search volume. This just goes to show how much more attention OBS is receiving from users all around the world.

Looking at Google Trends, it's clear that OBS has also produced more interest from gamers over time. This shows that gamers are consistently drawn to it, making OBS a reliable and popular choice for screen recording compared to ShadowPlay. However, if you try it out and it doesn't do it for you - consider trying out Streamlabs. OBS and Streamlabs have some features in common and are both solid options.

2.  Nvidia GeForce Experience

Nvidia GeForce is a top choice among gamers. It's known for its reliability and user-friendly interface, earning positive reviews from sources like PC Magazine, Tech Advisor, and PC World. 

Users trust it to deliver seamless screen recording. While it may not receive as much attention on Reddit as OBS, it still receives shout-outs.

GeForce has an impressive search volume of 176.4K worldwide, including 33.1K searches in the United States, 1.9K in Japan, and 1.0K in South Korea. Let’s take a look at another screen recorder to highlight how popular it is. 

For example, although well-known, Fraps has a much lower search volume. It receives 74.2K searches worldwide, with 6.6K in the United States, 480 in Japan, and 720 in South Korea.

Comparing GeForce’s Google Trends with Fraps, we can see that GeForce has more consistent interest over time. While both experience spikes in searches, GeForce maintains a higher level of interest even during slower periods, indicating its sustained popularity among gamers.

3. Xbox Game Bar

Xbox Game Bar is another top screen recorder, featured in The Verge, TechNewsToday, and TechRadar, where it’s earned praise for its reliability and user-friendly interface. 

Gamers trust Xbox Game Bar for smooth screen recording, making it a top choice among users.  

Xbox Game Bar is becoming a top choice among gamers, attracting significant attention with 36.5K searches worldwide, including 6.6K in the US, 5.4K in Japan, and 590 in South Korea. 

Let's take a look at another screen recorder, Bandicam, to show how popular Xbox Game Bar is. So, Despite Bandicam having a higher search volume worldwide with 327.7K searches compared to Xbox Game Bar's 36.5K, the Google Trends data reveals a different story about their popularity. 

Xbox Game Bar shows more consistent interest and user attention over time, while Bandicam sees larger spikes in search volume.

The spikes in Xbox Game Bar searches show its popularity surges, and even during quieter periods, it maintains interest. This suggests that while Bandicam may have more searches, Xbox Game Bar maintains steadier popularity, making it a top choice for screen recording.

Google Trends Showdown

Now, let's compare all the mentioned screen recorders to see how they stack up.

As you can see below, OBS is the clear winner. Though GeForce and Xbox Game Bar are well-liked, nothing comes close to OBS. 

It’s also valuable to take a look at how these top screen recorders compare to the other ones mentioned in this article. 

While Bandicam, Shadowplay and Fraps produced a solid amount of searches and are mentioned on forums and blogs - Google Trends reveals the true picture of their popularity over time. As you can see below, they’re all over the place. 

When we see those ups and downs in the Google Trends data, it could be a bit worrisome for their long-term popularity in the gaming community. We want to see a more stable increasing trend, which usually suggests that people find them relevant and interesting over time.

Wrapping up

You've got three great screen recorders to choose from: OBS, Nvidia GeForce Experience, and Xbox Game Bar. 

Each offers features that cater to different gamer needs and wants. If you love custom settings, go for OBS. For a high-performing option, GeForce is a great choice. And if you want seamless integration with Windows and Xbox, Xbox Game Bar is the way to go.

There are also plenty of other great screen recorders to explore. So, take a moment to think about what you want in a screen recorder, and you'll find the ideal one for your gaming.

If you need a screen recorder for gaming, YouTube, or any other purpose, make sure to think about factors such as how easy it is to use, if it works with your setup, what features are available, and any special needs you might have. With the right screen recorder, you can easily capture your gaming moments, create cool content, and share your experiences hassle-free.