How to record gameplay on PS4

what to know

  • Double-click the share button on your controller. By default, your PS4 will record for 15 minutes - double-click Share to stop.
  • If something cool happens while you're playing a game that you haven't recorded yet, tap the Share button and select Save Video Clip .
  • Go to Capture Gallery on the console to edit and share clips.

This article explains how to record, edit and share gameplay on the PS4 console.

If you're planning to try something cool, or want to illustrate something specific, you can start recording at any time.

  1. Start playing the PS4 game of your choice.

  2. When you want to start recording, press the Share button on your controller (the oval button to the left of the touchpad) twice in quick succession.

  3. Look for the small notification that appears on the left side of the screen, which contains a movie icon next to the red recording icon. This means you have successfully recorded your gameplay.

  4. Continue playing and your PS4 will record for 15 minutes, unless you set a different default recording time.

  5. If you want to stop recording early, double-click the share button on your controller again.

  6. Look for the small notification with the movie icon and recording icon to appear again. This means you are no longer recording.

  7. When you see the message Video clip saved , it means your PS4 has successfully saved your clip and it is ready to be shared or edited.

There's no way of knowing when something cool or weird is going to happen while you're playing, so there's a good chance you won't be recording. When this happens, you can take advantage of the PS4's retrospective recording feature.

  1. If something cool just happened and you haven't recorded it yet, quickly tap the Share button on your PS4 controller.

  2. Select Save Video Clip .

  3. When you see the Video clip saved message , your clip has been saved successfully.

  4. You can return to the game now and watch the clip later, or go to the Clip Gallery now to trim and share your gameplay.

After recording a clip on PS4, you may want to share it. Sony gives you the option to upload your clips to several different social media sites, and you can also trim your clips before uploading if you wish.

  1. From the PS4 home screen, select Capture Gallery .

  2. Select a specific game to view recorded clips, or select All to view all clips.

  3. Highlight the clip you want to edit or share and press the Options button (the oval button to the right of the touchpad).

    If you want to share the unedited clip, press the Share button here and skip to step 11.

  4. From the options menu, select Trim to edit the clip.

  5. By default, your clip will be cut into 10-second intervals. If you want a longer or shorter interval, highlight and select the 10 second interval .

  6. Select the desired interval.

    Gap length affects your choice of where to start and end the clip. When set to 10 seconds, you can start and stop the clip at 10-second intervals. This means your clip can start at 0:10, 0:20, etc., and end at 0:20, 0:30, etc. A longer length makes it easier to navigate long clips, while a shorter length lets you fine-tune your stop and start points.

  7. Highlight the frame where you want the clip to begin and select Start there .

  8. Highlight the frame where you want the clip to end and select End Here .

  9. Select OK .

  10. Select "Save as new video clip" to preserve the original footage for later use.

  11. Select the newly generated clip and press the "Share" button if you want to share it online.

  12. Select OK .

  13. Choose YouTube or X (formerly Twitter) to upload your video.

  14. Your video will be uploaded.

    If you haven't linked your X or YouTube account yet, you will be prompted to do so.

By default, PS4 captures 15-minute video clips. If your PS4 drive is low on space, you can set the default clipping time to a shorter interval, as minimum as five minutes. Or, if you want a lot of clipping and don't want to miss anything, you can set the default time to a maximum of 60 minutes. This requires a lot of hard drive space, but it's an option if you need it.

  1. From the PS4 main menu, navigate to Settings .

  2. Select Share & Broadcast .

  3. Select video clip settings .

  4. Choose the length of your video clip .

  5. Choose the desired length, from 30 seconds to 60 minutes .

  6. The newly recorded clip will now have the length you selected.

Traditionally, recording gameplay requires a capture card in your computer or specialized video capture hardware. It's an expensive and complicated proposition that you don't have to worry about if you own a PS4.

Your PS4 has everything you need to record, edit, and share your gameplay built-in, and there are even a few different recording options. If you're interested in recording PS4 gameplay, you have two basic options:

Periodic recording : You actively start recording and capture a predetermined amount of video, then stop. You can also choose to stop recording at any time. This mode is useful if you want to capture something specific.

Retroactive Recording : Your PS4 will continuously record your gameplay as long as you are in the game. You can choose to save the last 15 minutes of the game at any time. This mode is useful if something cool or weird happens and you haven't recorded yet. Otherwise, PS4 will automatically overwrite each clip when a new clip starts to save storage space.