How to Stream on Twitch Using a PC

With over 2.2 million unique monthly streamers and an excess of 292 billion minutes of content watched, Twitch is most definitely the place to be if you plan on broadcasting your gameplay. The live-streaming platform, which was acquired by Amazon.com in 2014, has been growing at an exponential pace and has amassed over 100 million unique monthly users as of November 2017.

If you’ve been thinking of starting your own Twitch channel using a PC, but aren’t sure how to go about it, then you’ve come to the right place. Follow the instructions provided below to start streaming on Twitch right away!

Minimum Requirements to Stream on Twitch

System

First and foremost, in order to start broadcasting on Twitch, you’ll need a decent PC. According to Twitch’s Broadcast Requirements the minimum hardware specifications include:

• Intel Core i5-4670 processor (or AMD equivalent)
• 8GB RAM
• Windows 7 or newer

In addition to that, you’ll need a dedicated graphics card which is capable enough to run whatever you intend to play and run the broadcasting software at the same time.

Broadcasting Software

One of the most essential parts of any streamer’s toolkit is the broadcasting software. The Open Broadcasting Software (Free) is the most commonly used broadcasting software for amateur streamers. It brings all the essential features you need to start streaming on Twitch, with the best part being that it’s open-sourced and completely free to use. For this tutorial we’ll be using OBS to broadcast your stream on Twitch.

Setting up Your Twitch page

Now that you’ve got the basic requirements out of the way, you’ll have to set up your Twitch page. Follow these steps to get started with your Twitch page:

• Head on to Twitch.tv and Sign Up for a new account or Log In in case you already have an account.
• Select Dashboard from the drop-down menu at the top right corner of the screen.
  
• In the Live tab, fill out a Title for your stream, choose the game which you want to broadcast and select the Communities you want your stream to be associated with.
• Once you’re done setting up your Twitch page, it’s time to set up the broadcasting software.

Using OBS

Stream Configuration

• After you’ve downloaded and installed OBS, right click on the icon and select Run as Administrator.
• Select Settings from the File menu and click on the Stream tab.
  
• Select Twitch from the list of stream services and leave the Server option on Auto.
• Open your Twitch dashboard, head on to the Settings tab and click on Stream Key.
  
• Click on Show Key and copy the Stream Key displayed in the pop-up.
• Paste the Stream Key in the Stream tab on OBS.
  
  

Going Live

• On the OBS interface, click on the ‘+’ icon under the Sources tab and select Display Capture.
• Create a new Display Capture and rename it according to your preference.
• Once a new Display Capture is created, a Properties window will pop-up where you can select the resolution of the Display Capture.
  
• In case you wish to broadcast video from your webcam, you can add additional feeds from the source menu.
• Now you can select the Start Streaming option from the main OBS interface and jump right into the action.
  

Broadcasting Software Alternatives

While OBS is good enough for a live-streaming newbie, there are a number of other broadcasting software in the market which offer much more control of the stream and even let users pull in video from other sources. XSplit ($199) is one such paid software which allows users to stream to multiple channels at once, directly source video from Skype, and output to a projector. The software is available for free as well, but the free version has limited functionality and in order to access all features you’ll have to shell out quite a bit of money on monthly subscriptions or a lifetime license.

SEE ALSO: How to Stream Games Using Microsoft Mixer on Windows 10

Get Started with Your Stream on Twitch

I personally followed the aforementioned steps to stream my very first PUBG game on Twitch without any issues. Since I used a laptop, I noticed some FPS drops here and there, but your mileage may vary depending on your system configuration. In my opinion, getting started on Twitch is quite an easy process. If you happen to have an idea, I’d suggest you get right into it and it’ll hardly take you an hour to go live for the first time.

However, don’t expect your Twitch stream to match those of professional streamers if you’re using this guide. There are many more nuances to streaming and achieving high-quality professional streams, most of which involve expensive hardware and software. Would you be interested in learning how to stream like a pro? Let us know in the comments section below.

Games You Can Stream on Twitch from PC