Choosing between game capture and display capture in OBS
OBS offers both Game Capture and Display Capture as source types for recording gameplay, and the choice between them affects performance, compatibility, and what actually ends up in your recording — they’re not equivalent options for the same result.
Game Capture: better performance, more compatible with fullscreen games
Game Capture hooks directly into the game’s rendering pipeline, capturing frames at source without going through an additional screen-capture layer — meaning lower CPU overhead and more reliable capture at the game’s actual frame rate. For most fullscreen Windows games, this is the right starting point, as covered in our broader OBS setup guide.
Display Capture: more reliable for everything else
Display Capture records your entire display output — whatever is visible on screen, including the game, overlays, your taskbar, and anything else — which makes it more flexible but slightly less efficient than game capture. It works reliably for windowed games, games that Game Capture won’t hook into correctly, and any situation where you need to show content from multiple windows simultaneously.
When Game Capture fails: the common reasons
Anti-cheat software in some games actively blocks Game Capture’s hooking method — Display Capture sidesteps this since it captures the screen output rather than hooking the game process. Vulkan-based games and some older DirectX titles also occasionally have compatibility issues with Game Capture’s hook that Display Capture doesn’t share.
The black screen problem specific to Game Capture
If Game Capture produces a black screen while the game runs normally, the most common cause is a permissions or hook compatibility issue — running OBS as administrator often resolves this, and switching to Display Capture temporarily confirms whether the game is the issue or OBS’s hook specifically.
For Bandicam and other dedicated game recorders: this distinction is built-in
Dedicated game recorders like Bandicam apply a similar hardware-level capture approach automatically rather than requiring you to choose between modes — one reason some experienced users prefer a dedicated game recorder over OBS for pure gameplay capture, even though OBS is more flexible overall.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Game Capture or Display Capture for recording games in OBS?
Game Capture is generally better for fullscreen Windows games — lower CPU overhead, more efficient capture. Display Capture is more reliable for windowed games, Vulkan titles, and games with anti-cheat that blocks hook-based capture.
Why does Game Capture show a black screen for some games?
Most commonly a permissions or hook-compatibility issue — try running OBS as administrator, and check if the game uses anti-cheat software that blocks the Game Capture hook.
Related reading: OBS scene setup — the mistakes that ruin a first stream · Bandicam review · Why your screen recording drops frames