Outplayed is Overwolf's free game recorder, and in supported games it detects events like kills, deaths and assists and cuts those moments into clips for you. That power comes with a long settings menu, and the first time you open it it is hard to tell which options matter.
This guide sticks to the menus described in Overwolf's official support articles (the quick set up guide, the how to use guide and the FAQ) as of November 12, 2026, and walks through them in the order most people need: capture preset, capture mode per game, events and clip length, media folder, storage, and finally how to turn off Outplayed recording for a game.
Menu names can shift a little between app versions, so the exact English labels from the docs are quoted throughout.
Bottom line: Medium preset, default media folder, relaunch after every change
Outplayed does not get better the more settings you touch.
Overwolf's quick set up guide recommends the Medium capture preset for most users and advises keeping the media folder at its default on the C drive (C:\Users\username\Videos\Overwolf\Outplayed), noting that non C drives may cause clips to fail processing or disconnect.
So on day one, choose a preset and a capture mode, and only set up Storage Auto-Manage once space becomes an issue. Whatever you change, close and relaunch both Outplayed and the game so the new settings apply.
If your settings look right but no clips appear at all, skip ahead to the Outplayed not recording checklist, which covers detection and permission problems this guide does not.
Set up Outplayed in this order
- 1Choose a capture presetOpen Settings > Capture and pick Low, Medium, High or Custom. Overwolf recommends Medium. Choose Custom only if you want to set resolution, bitrate and FPS yourself, and keep resolution on Source as the docs advise.
- 2Set the capture mode for each gameIn the Games tab, add your game and click it to pick a Capture mode. Highlights saves event moments, Full Match records each match start to finish, Full Session records from game launch until you close it, and Manual records only when you press the hotkey. In games with event support, Full Session splits recordings by match by default.
- 3Pick events and clip lengthIn Highlights mode, choose which events to keep, then open Advanced Options to set Before duration and After duration. Each can go up to 180 seconds, and longer windows mean bigger clips.
- 4Back up before changing the media folderIf you must move recordings to another drive, back them up first, then change the media folder. The FAQ warns that changing the folder or renaming and moving files can disconnect clips from Outplayed. For other recorders on the same PC, see how to change your recording save location.
- 5Turn on Storage Auto-ManageUnder Settings > Storage Auto-Manage, set how much space Outplayed may use. When it fills up, older or lower priority clips are deleted first. Mark anything you want to keep as a Favorite.
- 6Stop recording a specific gameClick the X next to the game under MY GAMES, or disable it in the Games tab, and Outplayed stops recording that game. You do not need to uninstall anything.
Where the key Outplayed settings live (official docs as of November 12, 2026)
| Setting | Where to change it | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Capture preset | Settings > Capture | Medium for most users; Custom lets you set resolution, bitrate and FPS |
| Capture mode | Games tab, click the game | Highlights, Full Match, Full Session or Manual; relaunch after changing |
| Events and clip length | Game settings > Highlights > Advanced Options | Before and after duration up to 180 seconds each; Apply globally to all games |
| Media folder | Storage settings | Keep the C drive default; back up before moving |
| Storage Auto-Manage | Settings > Storage Auto-Manage | Deletes older or lower priority clips past your limit; Favorites are kept |
| Recently Deleted | Storage settings | Manually deleted clips stay 3 calendar days by default |
| Watermark | Capture settings > Add watermark to captured media | Log in and untick it; applies to future recordings only |
If a setting does not seem to stick
- Confirm you relaunched both Outplayed and the game after the change.
- When changing hotkeys, set your keyboard to English and avoid number pad keys, as the docs recommend.
- If the drive holding your media folder drops below 200 MB free, Outplayed shows a Low disc space error and stops recording.
- Missing game sound? Check System sound captures only the game under Audio Advanced in Capture settings, then follow the Outplayed no audio diagnosis.
- The default RAM recording buffer is described as more stable, so if you switched to Disk in Advanced Capture settings, switch it back.
If the settings feel like a chore: DOR records on its own
If you would rather install a recorder and forget it than tune capture modes per game, DOR is another option. DOR is a free Windows game recorder: launch a supported game and it detects it and records the whole match, collecting everything in My Clips inside the app.
In League of Legends and VALORANT it also saves automatic highlight clips for moments like kills.
The free plan records at up to 1080p and 60fps, and storage only gets trimmed when full gameplay videos pass their share (5 GB by default), oldest first, while recent recordings and videos you liked are kept. For a side by side look, read the Outplayed alternatives comparison, or see how DOR auto recording works and the VALORANT hub.
