Steam Deck gets game recording functionality

Steam Deck is getting Valve's new game recording feature. This feature is part of the new beta update that is rolling out to all Steam Deck and Steam users.

Today we’ve launched Steam Game Recording into Beta. This is a new built-in system for creating and sharing your gameplay footage, that works on any game on Steam.

Learn more here: https://t.co/H5z6Reykmx pic.twitter.com/koDAjyUeAe

— Steam (@Steam) June 26, 2024

Steam Deck did not have a native game recorder function built-in till now. With the new feature, users can set a preset duration and storage limit and the device will automatically keep recording in the background. Or you can choose to manually start and stop recording using a configured hotkey. A replay feature lets you jump back in time and review a critical moment you may have missed.

The game recorder also has editing and sharing features. Users can trim recorded footage to the part that matters the most and the share feature lets you send the clip to your friend or yourself to your PC or mobile.

Valve will also enable developers to further customize the clips to get the most out of them. Games can notify Steam when important events happen so they are specified on the recorded video timeline. Games can also change the appearance of the timeline to show if you were in the menu, lobby, or gameplay to make it easier to parse. Users will be able to jump through events within the recordings that are highlighted by the game.

The recording feature is designed to work with the built0in video encoder on the GPU so you shouldn't see any reduction in performance while playing.

The feature is also available to desktop users running the Steam client. Whether you are on the Steam Deck or on desktop, you will need to go to your Steam settings and enable Beta Update in the Beta Participation setting.