Like with anything else we do, Gaming can be a lot more fun if we can share it with others. Like YouTube for videos or Instagram for photos, Gamers have Twitch to stream their glorious gameplays to an eager audience.
In this article, we’ll be looking at how you can start streaming your gameplay on Twitch. We will be looking at how you can do this in three different platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents:
- Before you begin
- Streaming on Twitch on PC
- How to stream on Twitch on PS4
- Streaming on Twitch on Xbox One
- Getting the most out of Twitch
- Conclusion
Twitch is without doubt, the most popular game streaming service out there. If you want to get social with your gaming, or if you believe that your gameplay is good enough to appeal to an audience, Twitch is a great platform for you.
In this article, we will guide you through streaming on Twitch via multiple platforms (PC, PS4 and Xbox One). But before we talk about platforms, there are two things you need to do.
Before you begin
These are the first two steps you need to take before you can start streaming on Twitch:
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Sign Up
It is no surprise, like with any social media service, you will first need to create an account on Twitch. It is free to sign up. Go to the official Twitch sign up page and choose a username and password. You will also have the option to sign up using your Facebook account. If you choose this option, the process is quicker as you won’t have to verify your account. Otherwise, you can expect an email from Twitch with a confirmation link. Click on it to verify your account.
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Get your Stream Key
Each Twitch account comes with a unique stream key. You can find yours too at the dashboard of your Twitch account. Start by logging into your account. You will find your username on the upper right side of the account page. Click on it, and then in the drop-down menu click on Dashboard.
Once you’re in the Dashboard of your twitch account, go to Settings. You will find a link to your Stream key there. You will be prompted with a warning message when you click on Show Key. Click on ‘I understand’ and then copy your stream key.
You can either come back again to this dashboard for your Stream key in the future, or you can save it to a note app or a local file for future references.
Now that you’ve made a Twitch account and received your Stream Key, you are ready to start streaming.
Streaming on Twitch on PC
Here are the steps to streaming on Twitch on your PC:
Step 1: Getting OBS Studio
Now that you’ve got your Twitch account setup and your favorite video game installed, you’re almost there. Before you can start streaming your gameplay on Twitch, you will need to download and install OBS Studio on your computer. OBS Studio is free to download software and is available for PC and Mac. Once the download is complete, open the setup file and follow the on-screen instructions on the installation wizard. If you plan on streaming the real-time feed of yourself playing the game via a Real-sense camera, you may want to select the appropriate options during the installation.
Step 2: Entering your Stream key
You have now installed OBS studio. You will be prompted with the option of auto-configuration. Click on ‘No’. Click ‘OK’ on the dialogue that follows. On the lower-right side of the OBS Studio window, you will find the Settings button. Click on it and then click on the Stream icon on the left.
Select ‘Streaming services’ on the Stream Type menu on the right. On the service menu, select ‘Twitch’.There should be an empty field for your Stream Key below it. Copy the stream key that you previously saved and paste it into this field. Now click on ‘OK’. You are now ready to start streaming.
Step 3: Setting up Game Capture Mode
Now you are ready to start streaming. First, launch the game you intend to play. Once the launch is complete and you’re in the main menu, return to OBS Studio. On OBS Studio, you will find the Source panel at the bottom. Click on ‘+’ and a menu will pop up. Select ‘Game capture’.
Select the ‘Create new’ option. Give the stream an appropriate name (it can be the name of the game you are streaming). Once you’ve done this, click ‘OK’. Now click on the Mode menu and click on ‘Capture specific window’. Now select the game that you have running. Then click ‘OK’. And you’re set!
Step 4: Setting up the Audio
You’re almost ready now. There is just one more thing that you have to configure in order to ensure that your stream ends up perfect. Audio!
Audio is a big part of any video game experience. So you may want the audio in your stream to be as clear as it can be. OBS Studio has options to ensure this too. In the Mixer setting on OBS Studio, note the various audio sources that are listed. Unless you specifically want other audio sources in your stream too, you may want to disable everything else but ‘Desktop audio’. To mute the other audio sources, click on the speaker icon next to them. Even if you intend to leave multiple audio sources on for whatever reason, you may want to adjust the corresponding volumes so that the final mixed audio is clear.
Step 5: Finally, Streaming!
Congratulations, you are now ready to start streaming. On OBS Studio, click on the ‘Start Streaming’ button on the right. And you’re ready. Go play your game. If you wish to stop streaming at any point, all you have to do is return to OBS Studio and click on the ‘Stop streaming’ button.
OBS Studio will keep you updated on the various factors influencing your stream such as the frame-rate, bandwidth usage, CPU usage, etc. You can find these on the status bar at the bottom of the OBS Studio window.
You may also want to make sure your internet bandwidth can handle the quality of video that you’re streaming. This will depend on how powerful your computer is and how high your gameplay settings are set at. If your internet connection can’t handle this, your stream may experience lags and other problems. To fix this, go to settings on OBS studio, and then go to the Video section. Now lower the quality of the stream.
Step 7: Managing your audience on Twitch
If you’ve followed every single step up to this point, you are now streaming on Twitch to an audience. On your Twitch profile, you will have the option to see and monitor who is tuning into your streams. You will also have the options to either make your streams public and open to everyone or just available to people who follow you. You also have the option to communicate with your viewers. Furthermore, you can modify your future streams with things like multiple windows, pre-recorded videos etc. Experiment a little on OBS studio.
How to Stream on Twitch on a PS4
In this section, we will be looking into how you can stream on Twitch on your Sony PlayStation 4. One of the unnoticed perks of having a PS4 is that it comes with a built-in ability to stream on Twitch. This makes streaming on PS4 a lot easier than streaming on a PC.
Initially, it was just the PS4 that had this ability and not it is rival the Xbox One. But Microsoft eventually fixed this via a patch. But since Twitch was integrated pre-launch on the PS4, it is a lot easier to use in this console.
Here are the steps to streaming on Twitch on your PS4:
Step 1: Setting up the stream
Open Twitch on your PlayStation 4. You will have to enter your login details. Once you are logged into your Twitch account, you can technically start streaming right away. But you may want to configure something to make the stream even better.
Firstly, you may want to change the quality of your broadcast depending on how fast your internet connection is. Furthermore, you may want to switch from a wireless connection to a wired connection for more reliable connections. This is an easy way to guarantee a more seamless stream. You have to configure your PlayStation for this. Go to the network settings in the menu. The connection will be set to wireless by default. Change it to LAN.
Another important thing to consider is the audio. PS4 offers a range of options to ensure that your stream gets the best sound. If you want to broadcast your own voice/commentary along with the game stream, you may want to get a microphone that goes along with it. Most gaming headsets come with a decent microphone, so that would do.
Finally, if you want to broadcast your gaming face along with the gameplay stream, you may also want to get a PlayStation Camera. With a PlayStation Camera, PS4 automatically arranges for your face to appear on the side of the stream.
And you’re set.
Step 2: Streaming on Twitch
You have now configured the stream and you are now playing the game. All that is left is to start broadcasting your gameplay. our PS4 Dualshock controller touchpad has a share button on the left. If you click this button, you will be prompted with the option to broadcast your gaming session. You will have the option to stream either on Twitch or Ustream. Select Twitch.
You will also have the option to give your stream a name, and get a link for it so that you can share it on social media platforms such as Facebook. Once you start streaming, the gameplay window will be resized a bit and you will see your Twitch chat window on the side.
Streaming on Twitch on an Xbox One
In this section we will be looking into how you can stream on Twitch on an Xbox One. As we already mentioned in the section before this, the Xbox One wasn’t launched with build-in support for streaming via Twitch. They did, however, add this feature later via a patch. So streaming on Twitch on an Xbox One is a bit more complicated than it is on a PlayStation 4. But if you follow these steps, it’ll seem like a piece of cake.
Here are the steps to streaming on Twitch on your Xbox One:
Step 1: Setting up
The major difference between streaming on Twitch on an Xbox One vs on a PlayStation 4 is that the PlayStation 4 has a built-in share button in its controller. While the Xbox One is lacking in this, it makes up for it by offering Kinect functionality for Twitch. What this means is, you could technically start a broadcast by saying “Xbox, broadcast!”
To setup Twitch on your Xbox One, you will first have to visit the Xbox Store and download the Twitch app. Unlike the PS4, the app isn’t included. And once you’ve downloaded the app, setting it up is also a bit more complicated than with the PS4.
First, open the app and enter your username and password to log in. Once you’re logged in, a code will be displayed on your Xbox screen. Visit twitch.tv/activate and enter this code. Now your Xbox One will be linked to your Twitch account.
Step 2: Happy Twitching
You can start and stop a stream from the Twitch app on your Xbox One. But if you have Kinect 2.0 or higher, you can technically start and stop a stream by saying “Xbox, broadcast!” and “Xbox, stop broadcast!” respectively.
Kinect also doubles as a camera and a microphone to record your commentary and picture and broadcast it along with your face. Unlike with the PS4, you will not require two different hardware for this.
Once you start streaming on Twitch, the gameplay window will be resized a bit and you will see your Twitch chat window on the side. You can, however, minimize the Twitch chat window by using Xbox Snap. One major advantage of streaming on Twitch on an Xbox One is that the Xbox One allows your viewers to join in on your game. So if you’re broadcasting to some viewers, they can send you a party request to join whatever game (multi-player, two-player, raid, etc.) you’re playing and streaming.
Xbox One’s Twitch app also allows you to find other gaming streams (by game title or channel name) and watch it on your television screen. One disadvantage of streaming on Twitch on an Xbox One is that the app does not have the option of sharing a link to your stream via Social Media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
Getting the most out of Twitch
So far we have discussed the steps on how to start streaming on Twitch on various gaming platforms (PC, PS4 and Xbox One). But there are still a few things you need to know about streaming on Twitch so that you can get the most out of it.
Firstly, you should know that Twitch offers two plans, the free Basic account and the paid Turbo account (which you can get for $9). With the basic account, all of your broadcasts are archived by default for two weeks. Twitch Turbo on the other hand archives your broadcasts for a whopping 60 days. Furthermore, the Turbo account comes with several other perks such as ad-free streaming, chat with custom colors and emoticons and more importantly, a badge letting others know that the stream they are watching is from a Turbo member. This can be a big deal as many viewers will associate a Turbo badge to a more professional gamer.
Another fun thing you can do on Twitch is you can export your archived broadcasts to YouTube for permanent storage. To enable this, log into your Twitch account, and under ‘Connections’ link your YouTube account to your Twitch account.
Building an Audience
You have done everything to begin streaming on Twitch. But who exactly are you broadcasting to? Ideally, you would be streaming to a fan base. The Gameplay becomes a performance art and you have people watching you perform.
Selecting the right game is one of the key elements. Another key element is how you present your streams. Do you share your commentary and face along with the stream? If you do that with a character, you will automatically appeal to a lot of gamers.
People who will stream your games on Twitch will be looking for two specific elements. The first and most important is your personality. This can include the expressions of your face while you’re playing the game and the commentary you give. It can also include fun idiosyncratic in-game choices that your fans will soon start associating with you. But suppose you present none of these, and all you do is broadcast the gameplay. In this scenario, it won’t matter if you’re the greatest gamer on the planet. People will get bored. But having said that, the second element to succeeding on Twitch is indeed having great Gaming skills. The magic lies in combining these two elements.
You can look at several successful Twitch channels for inspiration. Look at how they do what they do and try to copy them. But don’t just copy it, make it your own.
Conclusion
This concludes our tutorial on how to start streaming your gameplay on Twitch. We looked at everything from setting up your Twitch account, to streaming from various platforms (PC, PS4, Xbox One). We then discussed a bit about how you can make the most out of your Twitch account. Hope you found this article helpful.
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