NVIDIA ShadowPlay review

If your only reason for running OBS is recording games and you own an NVIDIA graphics card, ShadowPlay inside the NVIDIA app may be all you need. NVIDIA says it records videos and screenshots with DVR-style Instant Replay that saves the last 30 seconds of gameplay, and manual recording reaches 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps with minimal impact on performance. RTX 40 series owners can record in AV1, which NVIDIA says needs less disk space, and NVIDIA Highlights saves key plays automatically in supported games. Everything sits behind the Alt+Z in-game overlay, so there are no scenes or encoders to configure. The limits are hard ones: the NVIDIA app runs on Windows 10 and 11 with a supported GeForce GPU, and ShadowPlay is a game recorder, not a tutorial tool. NVIDIA's page lists no price and the app is offered as a download, so we have marked pricing as pending rather than quoting a figure.

Who it is for

GeForce owners who only record games

Price

No price listed by NVIDIA; part of the NVIDIA app download for GeForce GPUs (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Instant Replay saves the last 30 seconds of gameplay
• Manual recording up to 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps
• AV1 recording on GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs
• NVIDIA Highlights captures key moments automatically
• In-game overlay opened with Alt+Z

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Records inside the game through an overlay, with no scenes to set up
• Strength: Instant Replay keeps a rolling buffer so you can save a moment after it happens
• Strength: Login is optional
• Weakness: Needs an NVIDIA GeForce GPU and Windows 10 or 11
• Weakness: Built for games, with no webcam editing or desktop tutorial tools
• Weakness: No Mac or Linux version

Key facts

• Max recording: 8K HDR at 30 fps or 4K HDR at 120 fps
• Instant Replay: Last 30 seconds
• OS: Windows 10, Windows 11
• GPU: GeForce RTX 20 to 40, GTX 800 to 1600 series and more

Where it ranks

NVIDIA ShadowPlay is No. 4 in our Best OBS Alternatives verdict.