How To Livestream PS5 with OBS Studio

PS5 can stream to Twitch or YouTube on its own. Press the Create button, pick Broadcast, and you're live. It's a good way to start, but you don't get much control. There are only a few quality options, you can't add overlays, and your stream looks pretty much the same as everyone else's.

When you're ready for more, a capture card and a computer running streaming software open up a lot. You can choose your quality settings, build scenes, and make the stream look like yours. This guide covers the full setup, from plugging in your PS5 to going live on Twitch with OBS Studio. We'll use Game Capture 4K X as the example, but the steps work for any PS5 game, whether you're streaming your current favorite or getting ready for GTA 6.

• PS5 console
• A capture card, such as Game Capture 4K X
• A PC or Mac to run your streaming software

OBS Studio

A stable upload speed that can sustain your stream bitrate. For 1080p60 on Twitch, that's around 6 Mbps of bitrate, so an upload speed of 10 Mbps or more gives you comfortable headroom. Our guide on how fast your internet should be to livestream breaks down what to check before going live.

A Twitch account and your stream key, found in your account’s creator or stream settings (on Twitch: Creator Dashboard > Settings > Stream).

1. Disable HDCP. Disable HDCP in your PS5 settings by going to Settings > System > HDMI > Enable HDCP, then set the toggle to off.
2. Connect the PS5 to your capture card. Run an HDMI cable from the PS5’s HDMI port to your capture card’s HDMI IN port.
3. Connect your capture card to your computer. Use the included USB cable to connect the capture card to your PC or Mac. I
4. Connect your capture card to your monitor. Connect the HDMI OUT to your monitor or TV by running a second HDMI cable. This way, your gameplay still displays normally while the card sends the same feed to your computer for capture.
5. Add your capture card as a source in OBS Studio. Open OBS, add a Video Capture Device source, and select your capture card from the list. Your PS5 gameplay should appear in the preview window.
6. Connect your streaming platform. In OBS, go to Settings > Stream. Select Twitch from the Service dropdown, then either click Connect Account to sign in directly, or paste your stream key from Twitch’s Creator Dashboard if you prefer the manual method. If you’re streaming to a platform not listed by default, choose Custom and enter the RTMP URL and stream key from that platform’s settings instead.
7. Check your scene, then go live. Confirm your gameplay is showing correctly in the preview, then click Start Streaming.

Set your OBS output to what your connection can reliably upload. For most Twitch streams, that's 1080p60, even if you capture in 4K. On the capture side, Game Capture 4K X supports everything PS5 can output, up to 4K120, so you can play at your TV's full resolution and refresh rate while you stream. That includes big releases like GTA 6.

Once your setup is working reliably, Elgato Marketplace has tools worth exploring. The OBS Studio plugin for Stream Deck lets you switch scenes, start recordings, and control your broadcast right from your keys. Marketplace Connect for OBS goes a step further: it installs a complete pre-built broadcast setup, cameras, overlays, and a matching Stream Deck profile, into OBS in a few clicks. Neither is required to get your first stream live, but they’re a natural next step.

Still deciding on a capture card? Our guide on which Elgato capture card is right for you walks through the lineup.