New OBS Update Game Capture Not Appearing: Fix Guide and What You Must Know
Fixing OBS Game Capture Issues in 2025 has been one of the go-to tools for streamers and content creators worldwide for some time. It features intensive software, free, open-source, live stream, media encodes multi-channel, HD, 4K, and VR—cool! But, as with all software, sometimes OBS updates have bugs or alterations that interfere with functionality. Not showing up in the game capture is a frequent problem for users after an upgrade, aggravating streamers and artists who want to display their gameplay.
If you are facing the “game capture not showing” issue after a new OBS update, you are not alone. This article will help you understand what might cause this issue, fix it, and what steps you can take going forward to ensure better streaming. If you’re an experienced OBS user or a new one, there’s something for you in terms of advice and troubleshooting to get you back online as fast as possible.
Why Doesn’t Game Capture Work in OBS?
Understanding WHY the Game Capture option within OBS could stop working after an update is crucial before going through the troubleshooting steps. This could be caused by a few different things, and the approach to fixing it will vary accordingly. Common culprits include:
OBS Update Bugs
If this still does not work, this could be because of certain bugs or glitches after the update that the game captures. OBS has lots of performance improvements through regular updates, but sometimes updates can have the unintended side effects of breaking certain functions. This is especially true when the update indeed contains changes for compatibility with certain games, operating systems, or drivers.
Game Mode or Full-Screen Mode
Most modern games run in exclusive full-screen or borderless windowed mode. Incompatible game graphics settings can conflict with OBS’s capture methods, disrupting the program’s ability to capture the game screen.
Software or Hardware Settings That Are In Conflict
Conflicts with other software running on your computer, such as game overlays (Discord, Steam, NVIDIA GeForce Experience) or antivirus programs, can interfere with OBS. Many use hooks that capture the screen, which could conflict with OBS’s game capture. More!
Graphics Driver Issues
OBS may not be able to capture your game properly if your graphics card drivers are either not up-to-date or if they are having issues. This applies especially if you’re using hardware encoding, such as NVIDIA’s NVENC or AMD’s VCE, which may need fresh drivers to work with OBS.
Incorrect Settings in OBS
Opens Otries and tries to find the problem; sometimes, OBS itself is the issue. If the game doesn’t show up in OBS, it could be due to one of the following reasons: incorrect game capture settings, a wrong scene setup, or a missing game capture source.
Administrative Privileges
OBS might need admin access to capture some apps and games. When it doesn’t have the necessary permission, game capture might not work like a charm.
Welcome to this tutorial on how to fix the issue of “Game Capture not showing” in OBS.
Now that you know why game capture may not be working, let’s discuss the specific steps to fix it. Here are some fixes to try so you can return to streaming:
Run OBS as Administrator
Launch OBS as an adminMany users reported that launching OBS with admin rights fixed their game capture problem. The elevated permission allows OBS to overcome some limitations that your OS or some other software may have set up, hindering OBS from capturing your game.
Steps:
Close OBS if it’s running.
Select the OBS shortcut or executable file and right-click on it.
Choose the option for “Run as administrator.”
Added a Game Capture source; does it work?
Verify Game Capture Source Settings
Game Capture Source:sso[Pgme23mVXcdg0mLsPM808fbllUeLNDvbEnvOdrg_PERMISSIONіхgYXo9oG5uDgd)] In some cases, OBS might not automatically detect the game you want to record, especially if you are running it in full-screen mode or in a mode that OBS doesn’t recognize.
Now start OBS and go to the Sources box.
To do so, right-click on the bottom half of your screen and choose Add > Game Capture.
In the Game Capture settings, choose “Capture particular window” from the drop-down selection.
Select your game window from the dropdown list and check that “Capture any fullscreen application” if you are in full-screen mode.
Hit “OK” and see if the game is now showing in your OBS preview.
If that doesn’t work, try toggling between the different capture modes (capture specific window vs. capture any fullscreen application) to see what works best with the game you’re trying to capture.
Turn Off Full-Screen Optimization for Games
For example, Games get better performance when playing in full screen, which is beneficial for enabling a gaming mode on Windows 10 due to a full-screen optimization feature This feature can, however, sometimes conflict with game capture in OBS. You can check if it fixes the problem by disabling full-screen optimization.
Find the game executable file (.exe) on your computer.
So, just right-tap on the file and choose Properties.
Select the “Compatibility” tab.
Tick the option “Disable fullscreen optimizations.”
Click “Apply” and then “OK.”
Close both OBS and the game and see if this fixes the issue.
1. Check for conflicting software (like Discord or overlays)
Third-party applications like Discord or GeForce Experience might interrupt OBS’s game capture. Such programs may utilize similar hooks to capture your screen and cause conflicts. Disabling these applications or their overlays temporarily will probably fix the issue.
Make sure to exit all additional applications running in the background.
If you use Discord, go to User Settings > Overlay, and turn off the overlay for the game you’re trying to capture.
Turn off the “In-Game Overlay” if you use GeForce Experience.
Close OBS and the game and open them again to see if it fixed the issue.
Update Your Graphics Drivers
Older graphics drivers may interfere with OBS’s functionality of capturing game footage. A safe step to follow to solve the game capture is to make sure that you are using up-to-date drivers for your graphics card.
Launch your GPU software (NVIDIA GeForce Experience / AMD Radeon Software)
But make sure to check for the latest updates and install the latest updates from the drivers tab.
Restart your computer to see changes.
Open up OBS and see if your updated drivers have fixed game capture.
Update OBS to the Latest Version
Sometimes the problem is a bug introduced in a particular version of obs. Ensure the use of the latest release: Keeping up to date with OBS’s latest stable versions is important because many new releases contain bug fixes and performance improvements.
Open OBS.
Navigate to the top menu and select “Help.”
Select “Check for Updates.”
Download and install an update if available.
If game capture is not working, restart OBS and see if it works.
Change OBS Capture Method
OBS gives you the option to change how it captures your game. Another workaround would be to use different capture methods. In the “Game Capture” properties, you can try different methods.
OBS (right-click on the “Game Capture” source).
Select “Properties.”
(You can try switching the capture method from Automatic to Windows 10 Game Capture or back.)
Confirm the issue is fixed with the new capture method.
Reinstall OBS
RE-Installing OBS if none of these Work Doing this is the ideal method for fixing any corrupted files or settings that are responsible for the failure of this game capture feature.
Remove OBS from your computer.
(Download the latest version of OBS from the official website (https://obsproject.com/)
Download and Install OBS or Restart Your Computer
Open the OBS program and check if the game capture is functional.
Frequently Asked Questions
OBS not capturing my game but works for other apps?
This can occur when OBS cannot properly hook into the game due to perhaps the graphics settings of the game, the systems settings of your computer, or even a conflict with third-party software. Switch to windowed mode or disable full-screen optimizations.
How to fix game capture lag in OBS?
Game capture lag can have multiple sources, such as system performance problems, graphics settings, or encoding settings in OBS. Ensure that you aren’t running any other heavy applications in the background, and see if tweaking your encoding settings helps balance performance with quality.
How can we record games in full-screen without these problems?
Yes, under OBS Game Capture settings, there is an “Capture Any Fullscreen Application” option which allows you to capture games in full-screen. Make sure to disable full full-screenmization for your game as well.
How do I check if my graphics drivers are up to date?
You can also check for updates through the software provided by your GPU manufacturer, such as NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software These programs will alert you when new drivers become available.
Can I Use OBS to Record a Game on a Different Display?
Yes OBS does work with multi-monitor setups. You can choose which screen or application to capture with Game Capture or Display Capture. Wrap-Upp: Fixing OBS Game Capture Not Working
conclusion
The “game capture not showing” problem may be annoying when it happens when you are updating OBS, but you hope the solutions above will solve it for good. From running OBS as administrator, to changing your game settings and checking your graphics drivers, these troubleshooting solutions will help you get back up and streaming and recording with minimal fuss.
With these tips in hand, you will fix the problem, allowing you to keep using OBS, arguably one of the best and most versatile broadcasting solutions out there.