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How to record gameplay on a PS5

The PS5 is here, and assuming you were able to get your hands on one, you’ve likely been tinkering with its features and settings to give it a personal touch. One of the features that has carried over from the PS4 is the ability to record gameplay on PS5. It works in a similar fashion, but there are some slight differences you should be aware of. There are a couple of ways to record your gameplay on PS5, and in this handy guide, we’ll walk you through how to use them — while providing tips and tricks to make sure you know all the ins and outs of capturing video on your new machine.

Here’s how to record gameplay on PS5.

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Adjust your settings first

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Before you actually start recording gameplay, we advise you to go into the system settings to adjust the shortcut for the DualSense’s Create button. This will make capturing gameplay as easy as possible. From the main screen, head to Settings in the top right, then Captures and Broadcasts all the way at the bottom. From here, select Shortcuts for Create Button and change it to Easy Video Clips. This allows you to simply double-tap the Create button on your DualSense to begin recording gameplay.  You can also adjust the length of the recent gameplay video clip you’ve captured here.

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Back out to the Captures and Broadcasts menu and head down to Video Clip Format. Although it might be tempting to utilize 3840 x 2160, this will make the file type WebM, which isn’t natively compatible with various sites like Twitter or other places you might want to upload your video. Plus the files are larger, so instead, we recommend using MP4, which will scale the resolution down to 1920 x 1080. MP4 works with most video editing software and social media sites. We also recommend adjusting the settings for your mic’s audio and your party’s audio here.

Capturing gameplay on Ps5

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The easiest way to capture gameplay is to use your DualSense’s Create button shortcut. If you adjusted the settings to only require a double-tap, then all you’ll need to do is quickly press the Create button twice in rapid succession. If done correctly, you’ll see a red record icon and a timer appear at the top of the screen, indicating that your gameplay is being recorded. This will also pause your game (assuming the game you’re playing is pause-able).

The PS5 will record up to an hour of gameplay. To stop it, hold down the Create button on your DualSense. If done correctly, a black bar will appear at the bottom with a few options. From left to right, you’ll see Save Recent Gameplay, Take Screenshot, and Start New Recording. You’ll also see Broadcast and Capture Options on the far right. You don’t actually need to press Save Recent Gameplay to save the footage you just captured. If you just back out of this menu by pressing Circle, the gameplay you just captured will still save to your Media Gallery.

Save recent gameplay

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The previous method of recording gameplay is only useful if you actually hit record beforehand. But what if you forgot to press record before doing something noteworthy in your game? Luckily, the PS5 has you covered with the ability to save your recent gameplay — of up to an hour of footage. To use this feature, press and hold down on the Create button on your DualSense. This will bring up the black bar mentioned in the previous step.

Here, you’ll find the option to Save Recent Gameplay on the left. Select this, and you’ll either be able to Save Short Clip or Save Full Video (up to an hour). If you just want to save a short clip, press that option and you’ll see various increments of time depending on the length of the overall clip. Select whichever one you’d like and it’ll save. Keep in mind, the PS5 will only begin recording gameplay after the previous clip you’ve recorded.

Media Gallery

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Once you’ve captured the gameplay you want to share, head into the Media Gallery from the PS5’s main screen. Here, you’ll see all the screenshots and videos you’ve recorded. There are many options you can play around with, like sharing the captures to social media, editing them, or uploading them to a USB drive. You can also select multiple items by pressing the Options button on your DualSense. By doing this, you can share, delete, or copy to a USB drive in bulk. Make sure you manage your media wisely, as the PS5’s onboard memory of 825GB isn’t much to work with, even at launch.

Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
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