4 Simple Ways to Fix OBS Game Capture Black Screen (2024 Updated)

I use OBS to record gameplay on my Windows 7 Dell laptop. But recently I can’t get the OBS game capture source for the screencasting. I see nothing but a black screen while the preview and recording process. Any suggestions for the OBS game capture black screen problem?

Are you facing the situation that you only get a black screen when you want to capture screen like recording a video game with OBS? In fact, many users complained about the black screen game capture problem in Streamlabs OBS. It is one kind of common problem.

Now we back to the key question, how to fix the OBS black screen game capture issue? Here in this post, we will show you 4 effective ways to solve the OBS game capture showing black screen problem with ease.

Solution 1. Verify Capture Mode

Many black screens are actually mode issues, and some games do not support Game Capture. Therefore, you can check the capture mode and change to another one if needed. Below is how to change the capture mode in OBS.

Step 1: Open OBS and find your source in the Sources panel at the bottom: Game Capture/Window Capture/Display Capture.

Step 2: Right-click on the source and select Properties.

Step 3: Then, find the Mode or Capture Mode dropdown menu and choose the mode you need, such as capturing the full screen, a specific window, or the foreground window.

Step 4: Finally, click OK to save.

Solution 2. Run OBS as Administrator

There are many reasons that will cause the black screen when you record with OBS. In some cases, the OBS capture black screen is due to some features blocked by the Windows system. So when you face the OBS game capture black screen problem, you can try running OBS as an administrator to get full features of it. The following steps will tell you how to solve OBS game capture black screen by running OBS as an administrator.

Step 1: First, you need to run OBS and remove all the sources or views that are black-windowed. Then add a source in OBS Studio and keep the default setting. Close the OBS.

Step 2: Locate the OBS’s icon on your computer and right click on it. If you can’t find the OBS software, you can use the search feature to quickly find it.

Step 3: Choose the “Run as administrator” option from the drop-down list. By doing so, you can get full features of OBS. Then you can record your gameplay and check if the black screen problem is solved.

Solution 3. Switch OBS’s GPU

In general, your laptop comes with two GPUs for the better performance and power saving. When you run power-intensive apps like games, system will use the discrete GPU. The integrated GPU is mainly for low-power apps running. You are more likely to get the OBS game capture black screen problem if system uses the low-performance GPU for the game and OBS recording.

When you only get a black screen in the OBS recording window, no matter what capture mode (Game Capture, Window Capture or Display Capture) you are using, you can try switching the OBS’s GPU for the fixing.

Step 1: If you only see a black screen in OBS, you should first close it.

Step 2: Back to the desktop window on your computer and right click on the blank space. From the drop-down list, choose the “NVIDIA Control Panel” option.

Step 3: When you enter the “NVIDIA Control Panel”, click “Manage 3D settings” on the left panel. Choose the “Program Settings” tab on the right window, and then click the “Add” button next to the “Select a program to customize” option.

Step 4: Click Browse and then locate the OBS.exe. Right click on its icon and choose the “Open file location” option. Then select the “High-performance NVIDIA processor” and click “Apply” to confirm the operation.

Step 5: Close the “NVIDIA Control Panel” window and then restart OBS to check if the OBS game capture black screen problem is gone.

Solution 4. Enable Compatibility Mode

Sometimes, the compatibility problems may also cause the OBS game capture black screen. So you can enable the OBS’s compatibility mode to solve the problem.

Step 1: Locate the OBS icon on the desktop and right click on it. You can also tap “Start” and then search the OSB Studio there.

Step 2: Choose “Properties” option from the drop-down list.

Step 3: When you enter the “OSB Studio Properties” window, click the “Compatibility” tab. Then tick “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and select the system you want to compatible with.

Step 4: Click “Apply” to confirm the operation and save the changes. After that, you can run OBS again and see if the OBS game capture black screen problem is solved or not.

Solution 5. Use A More Stable OBS Alternative

With the 3 methods above, you have a good chance of solving the OBS game capture black screen problem. But if the black screen is still present in OBS Studio, it’s time to find an OBS alternative to capture gameplay on your computer.

Here, we strongly recommend the professional game recording software, Vidmore Game Recorder, for you to capture the computer monitor screen and webcam. It has the capability to record high-quality video even up to 4K smoothly. With the adoption of the latest acceleration technology, this OBS alternative is able to capture stable video up to 120 FPS with low CPU, GPU and RAM while the game is running.

Best OBS Alternative – Vidmore Game Recorder

1. Record computer screen and sound smoothly with high quality.
2. Support 4K UHD screen recording up to 3840 x 2160 resolution.
3. Create a picture-in-picture recording to add your reaction.
4. Powerful editing features and save the recorded file in any popular format.

How to use the best alternative to OBS alternative:

Step 1: First, you need to download and install this OBS alternative on your computer. Launch Vidmore Game Recorder.

Step 2: In the main interface, there are 4 recording modes for you: PC Game, Browser Game, Handheld Game, and Console Game. Choose one based on what you want to record.

Step 3: Open the game and click the Rec icon to start recording. When you finish your recording, click it again to stop.

Step 4: When you stop it, an editing window will pop up. You can easily preview and trim the game recording, adjust its volume, and take screenshot in the toolbox below. (Tips: In the lower-right corner, there are another 7 editing tools for advanced needs.)

FAQs about OBS Game Capture Black Screen

Why does OBS show a black screen when capturing my game?

This usually happens because OBS and your game are running on different GPUs, or the capture mode is incorrect. Switching the GPU or using Window/Display Capture often solves it.

Is there a difference between Game Capture and Display Capture in OBS?

Yes. Game Capture is optimized for full-screen games but may fail with some games, while Display Capture records your entire screen and is more compatible but uses more resources.

What should I do if my game uses anti-cheat software and OBS shows a black screen?

Some anti-cheat systems block Game Capture. In this case, use Window Capture or Display Capture instead of Game Capture to record gameplay. Otherwise, trying a more professional screen recorder like Vidmore Game Recorder is a good option.

Conclusion

OBS(Open Broadcaster Software) is a free and open source screen recording tool. It is quite popular in gaming communities because it can help gamers capture screen and make a live gameplay video with ease. However, many users complained about the OBS game capture black screen problem in many forums.

Here in this post, we have mainly talked about the black screen game capture in OBS. We shared 4 effective solutions to help you get rid of this problem. If you have any other ways to solve the black screen, you can share them in the comment part with other readers.