How to record gameplay on Xbox One
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By Jacob Woodward
- Last Updated Sep 4, 2020
- 4 Min Read
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Table of Contents
If you want to save some of your best gaming moments to either show them off to your friends or edit them all together and get a montage up on YouTube, you’re going to need to know how to record them. More specifically, in this article, we’re talking about how to record gameplay on your Xbox One, capturing those cross-map sticky grenades in Halo or showcasing a twenty kill streak in Call of Duty.
There are a few different ways you can record gameplay on an Xbox One whether that’s for shorter clips or longer, let’s play style footage. We’re going to cover the steps you’ll need to take to record gameplay on your Xbox One no matter what route you need to go down as well as any external hardware you’ll need to get it done successfully.
How to record gameplay on Xbox One
So, we’ve stated that there are multiple ways to record gameplay on Xbox One. Two of these are with the Xbox One built-in recording capabilities allowing you to record short clips and up to 10 minutes of footage. The other is to record using an external capture card which will give you unlimited recording opportunities (storage permitted) and no limitations that the built-in methods have.
How to record short gameplay clips on Xbox One
Press Xbox button on controller
After you’ve just gone on a twenty kill streak or equivalent achievement, press the Xbox button in the center of your controller
Press the 'X' button
Your left hand side menu should open. Simply press the X button on your controller
Save your clip
This will save the last thirty seconds of gameplay onto your system for you to view or share
This method of recording gameplay on your Xbox One is extremely simple and is perfect for getting a snapshot of that great gaming moment that’s just occurred. However, you are limited to thirty seconds so while it might be easy, it does lack longevity that some of you out there are looking for. Luckily, there is another internal gameplay recording tool that’ll give you ten minutes of time which we’ll get onto next.
How to record up to ten minutes of gameplay on Xbox One
Load up your chosen game
Load up your game and prepare yourself for recording
Press the Xbox button on controller
Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the left-hand menu
Press the 'View' button
Press the View button on your controller (the one that looks like two overlapping screens, next to the Menu button)
Select the option to 'Record from now'
A menu should pop up with the option to “Record from now”, press the A button and once your return to your game, your ten minutes of recording time should start
To stop recording press the Xbox button then the X button
If you want to stop the gameplay recording before the ten minutes has lapsed, press the Xbox button then the X button
If even ten minutes is not enough time for you and you’re wanting to record the gameplay of your whole session for example, you’re going to have to purchase an external capture card and follow the next step by step process.
How to record gameplay on Xbox One with an external capture card
We’ve gone through the methods of gameplay recording using the Xbox One’s internal capabilities but nothing beats the freedom of an external capture card. Yes, it requires a little more money but what you do get is unlimited recording time and some great software to boot. We’d probably recommend picking up an Elgato 4k60 S+ as you’ll be able to capture 1080p, 1440p, and 4k footage, meaning you’re covered when the Xbox Series X comes out.
Hook up your external capture card to your console
Hook up your external capture card to your Xbox One by inserting the HDMI cable into both devices and then to your monitor
Hook up your external capture card to your PC/laptop
Insert the supplied USB cable to both your capture card and to your PC/laptop
Download any required software
Download the software required to record your gameplay, this is usually found on your capture card’s manufacturer website
Ensure all settings are correct and hit record
Ensure all resolution settings etc. are looking correct on your screen and hit record
Stop recording
To stop recording, hit that same button again
Final Word
And there we have it, three separate ways of recording gameplay on your Xbox One. It’s certainly handy that the Xbox One has the built-in feature to record gameplay, even if it is limited to a maximum of ten minutes. You could try using this method to test the waters and then if you require longer clips, pick up an external capture card to do so!
We hope this answers all your questions around being able to record Xbox One gameplay and if you have any other queries, we could have the guide for you. Here’s some examples: