Search for how to record Elden Ring gameplay and you quickly hit the same wall everyone does: there is no record button anywhere in the menus. FromSoftware did not add a video recorder or an official photo mode, so the boss kills, invasions and cheese strategies you see online were all captured with a separate app running next to the game. That is good news, because it means any normal PC recorder works, and you probably already have one installed. This guide covers the four practical options (Windows Game Bar, the NVIDIA app, AMD Software and OBS), the fix for the classic obs can't hook elden ring problem, how players get clean cinematic footage without a photo mode, and what is widely reported about Easy Anti Cheat and recording. If you are new to capturing games in general, the basics in how to record PC games apply here too. For builds, bosses and more clips, visit the Elden Ring hub. At the end you will find a way to have every attempt saved without pressing anything first.
Short answer: use a screen recorder, since Elden Ring has none built in
Pick the recorder that matches your setup. With an NVIDIA graphics card, the NVIDIA app is the least effort: press Alt+F9 to start and stop a recording, or turn on Instant Replay so the last few minutes are always kept and you only save them after something good happens. With an AMD card, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition can record too; check its recording shortcut in the Hotkeys settings. On any Windows PC, Game Bar starts and stops with Win+Alt+R. If you want scenes, a webcam, a separate mic track or a stream, use OBS. The one problem that comes up again and again is OBS Game Capture showing a black preview because it can't hook Elden Ring, while ShadowPlay on the same PC records fine. Community guides list two fixes that work for most people: add a Window Capture source pointed at the ELDEN RING window instead, or close OBS and start it again with Run as administrator so it can hook the game. The difference between the two capture modes is explained in OBS Game Capture vs Window Capture. Whatever you choose, record at 60 fps. Elden Ring runs at a maximum of 60 fps on PC, so recording at a higher frame rate only makes files bigger without adding smoothness. As for the recording mod searches: players do use mods for photo tools, but those are for offline play only, and nothing in this guide needs one.
Recording Elden Ring on PC, step by step
- 1Choose a recorder you already haveCheck what is on your PC before downloading anything. Windows Game Bar comes with Windows and records with Win+Alt+R; see Xbox Game Bar recording for where the files land and how to turn on audio. NVIDIA users can open the NVIDIA app overlay and press Alt+F9. AMD users can record with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, using the shortcut listed in its Hotkeys settings. All three use the graphics card's hardware encoder, which matters in a game where a dropped frame can cost you a dodge.
- 2Keep Instant Replay running during boss attemptsNobody knows which attempt will be the one, and pressing record before every try is tiring. Turn on Instant Replay in the NVIDIA app (or the equivalent replay buffer in AMD Software) so the last few minutes are always held in memory, then use the save shortcut shown in the overlay right after the boss goes down. If it refuses to save, the usual causes are covered in NVIDIA Instant Replay not working, and the general approach is explained in recording the last 30 seconds on PC.
- 3Make OBS hook the gameIn OBS, add a Game Capture source and launch Elden Ring. If the preview stays black, you have two options that community guides agree on. Close OBS, right click it and choose Run as administrator, then try Game Capture again. If that does not help, remove the source and add Window Capture, selecting the ELDEN RING window. Window Capture works reliably in borderless or windowed mode, so switch the game's screen mode if fullscreen gives you trouble.
- 4Set 60 fps and hardware encodingElden Ring is capped at 60 fps, so set your recorder to 60 fps as well. In OBS, choose the hardware encoder for your card (NVENC on NVIDIA, AMF on AMD) rather than the CPU encoder, because the game already leans on the processor during busy fights. Some players report stutter while recording, and the common remedy is exactly this: hardware encoding plus closing extra overlays such as chat apps, FPS counters and a second recorder running in the background.
- 5Hide the HUD for clean shotsThere is no photo mode, so players improvise. The HUD can be switched off in the Display settings, which removes health bars and the compass for cinematic footage of a boss arena or a sunset over Limgrave. For framed shots, community guides recommend the Telescope item: it lets you look around and zoom from a fixed spot. A community photo mode tool exists, but it is meant for offline play only, so do not use it on a character you take online.
- 6Stay on the safe side of Easy Anti CheatRecording software captures what is on the screen and doesn't touch game files, and there are no reports of bans for recording with OBS or NVIDIA ShadowPlay. The ban risk players talk about comes from disabling Easy Anti Cheat or modifying game files and then going online. Keep EAC on, keep your game files untouched, and record however you like, including co op and invasions.
Ways to record Elden Ring on PC compared
| Recorder | How to start | Good to know for Elden Ring |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Game Bar | Win+Alt+R starts and stops recording | Built into Windows, nothing to install. Fine for quick clips of a single fight. |
| NVIDIA app (ShadowPlay) | Alt+F9 to record, or turn on Instant Replay | Widely reported to work even when OBS cannot hook the game. Instant Replay keeps the last moments so you save after the kill. |
| AMD Software | Record from AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition (check the shortcut in its Hotkeys settings) | Uses the GPU encoder, so the impact on frame rate is usually small. |
| OBS Game Capture | Add a Game Capture source for the game | Sometimes fails to hook Elden Ring and shows black. Try Run as administrator first. |
| OBS Window Capture | Add a Window Capture source and pick the ELDEN RING window | The fix most community guides recommend when Game Capture stays black. |
| In game tools | HUD switch in Display settings, Telescope item | No recorder and no official photo mode, but hiding the HUD gives clean footage for any recorder. |
Before your next Elden Ring recording
- You know which recorder you are using and its start shortcut: Win+Alt+R for Game Bar, Alt+F9 for NVIDIA, or the one in AMD's Hotkeys settings.
- Instant Replay or a replay buffer is on for boss attempts.
- In OBS, you have tried Run as administrator and have Window Capture ready as a fallback.
- The recording is set to 60 fps with a hardware encoder.
- Extra overlays and second recorders are closed; if frames still drop, see game recording FPS drop fix.
- The HUD is off in Display settings when you want cinematic footage.
- Easy Anti Cheat is on and no mods are installed on the character you play online.
- Your recording drive has enough free space for a long session.
Just launch Elden Ring: DOR records every attempt for you
Just launch the game and DOR's AI records it automatically. DOR is a free Windows app that detects Elden Ring when it starts and records the whole session in the background as mp4 until you quit, with game audio and your microphone captured together. You never have to remember to start recording before a boss, so the first clean kill after forty attempts is already on disk, and so are all the deaths you want to study. Trim the moments you care about in the library and export them in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1. Check the clips you saved and press AI Highlight to join them into one boss montage. When you play co op with friends, AI Voice Notes turns what you and your party said into text on the recording timeline, so you can jump straight to the moment someone yelled that the boss was at one hit. For a vertical short, open DOR Studio in your browser with nothing to install, set it to 9:16, add text, background music and effect templates such as shake zoom and punch zoom, and download an mp4; see vertical shorts from games and the DOR browser editor. Then share it with a single dor.gg link that opens in any browser, as shown in sharing Elden Ring gameplay video.
