Maybe you want an easy way to stream Steam computer games to your fans and friends, but don’t feel like installing new software. You’re in luck – Steam has its own live streaming feature.
Steam Broadcast is a robust built-in video encoding software that not only allows you to broadcast footage to your friends, but also anyone with a link.
Before you can broadcast to an audience, however, you need to change some privacy settings.
Here’s how to do it.
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Steam Gift Card (from $ 20 at Best Buy)
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How to stream on Steam
1. Open the Steam app. At the top left, click “Steam,” then select “Settings” or “Preferences” from the drop-down menu, depending on whether you have a PC or a Mac, respectively.
Select “Steam” from the menu at the top left. “Settings” will be second from the bottom of the drop-down menu on a PC.
Ross James / Business Insider
2. A new menu will open. In the left sidebar, select “Broadcast”.
The broadcast menu should be in Settings.
Ross James / Business Insider
3. Activate the broadcast by opening the “Privacy settings” drop-down menu. Here you can choose who can see your shows. I’ve selected friends, but if you want to broadcast publicly, choose “Anyone Can Watch My Games” instead.
The options available in the drop-down menu are “Streaming off”, “Friends can request to watch my games”, “Friends can watch my games” and “Anyone can watch my games”.
Ross James / Business Insider
4. There are also other options for video quality and how you want to see your viewers’ chat messages. Also make sure to sort your microphone in this menu if you want to speak to your audience.
5. After clicking “OK” you should be ready to stream your games.
6. All of these options can be accessed in-game by pressing Shift + Tab and selecting “Settings” at the bottom of the Steam overlay.
The Settings menu is small, at the bottom of the Steam overlay which you can access during gameplay.
Ross James / Business Insider
Steam will stream live footage of your game as you play it. Your friends will be notified when you go live.
contrary to
Tic
, Steam will not save your game footage, which means your audience needs to see you live, or not at all.
Steam streaming is very simple to perform, but it lacks the customization options of dedicated capture software like OBS or XSplit, like overlays and live editing options. So as you gain experience with
Diffusion
, Steam may not always be the right choice.
However, if you’re just trying to share your game live with friends, Steam’s ease of use and built-in encoding means it’s probably perfect for your needs.
