How to Optimize Game Settings for Live Streaming

Have you ever booted up a game and powered up your live streaming software, ready to broadcast your next session… only to hit “Go Live” and suddenly your computer starts acting like it just picked up a second full-time job?

In a way, it did.

When you’re live streaming and gaming at the same time—especially on one PC—your system is splitting its resources (read: attention) between running the game and encoding the stream. And if both are asking for too much at once? You get lagged frames, stuttering gameplay, and a stream that looks like it’s buffering in the early 2000s.

Chances are, your setup isn’t bad and your streaming software isn’t randomly crashing. You’re just asking your PC to do a lot without adjusting the settings to support it.

There are two sides to getting this right: your stream settings and your in-game settings. In this guide, we’re focusing on the game side because what’s happening inside your game has a bigger impact on performance than most people realize.

Pro tip: Your game settings are part of the equation—make sure your stream settings (like bitrate, encoder, and resolution) are dialed in too. Here’s a quick guide to optimizing your live stream settings in Streamlabs Desktop.

Jump Ahead:

• Why You Need to Balance Game and Live Stream Settings
• Game Settings Impacting Your Stream Quality
• Recommended Game Settings/Changes by Game Type
• Troubleshooting

Why You Need to Balance Game and Live Stream Settings

There are three things always fighting for control when you stream while gaming:

Game performance — how smooth your gameplay feels (this is your FPS—frames per second)

Stream quality — how smooth and clear it looks to viewers

System resources — your CPU and GPU (aka your computer’s “energy”)

Having everything set to max quality is where many people go wrong. The goal isn’t to max everything out—it’s to find the right balance where your game runs smoothly, and your stream holds up. 

Remember, every set up is going to be different, so be prepared to experiment with your settings to get the best output for your system.

Game Settings Impacting Your Stream Quality

Let’s get into the settings inside your game that make the biggest difference when you’re streaming.

FPS (Frame Rate)

This is how smooth your game feels.

• 60 FPS = smooth
• 120+ FPS = very smooth
• Uncapped FPS = your computer working overtime for no reason

What to know:

Leaving your FPS uncapped while streaming is like revving your engine while your car is in park—you’re burning gas and going nowhere, fast.

• Don’t let your FPS run wild
• Cap it to something stable (like 60 or slightly above)

Resolution

This controls how sharp your game looks (1080p, 1440p, 4K). Higher resolution = more work for your system.

What to know:

• Play at your native resolution (a.k.a. the resolution of your monitor), if possible
• When available, use AI upscaling tech like DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD), or XeSS (Intel) to improve performance—these let your game render at a lower resolution, then upscale it so it still looks sharp. This is often your best option.
• Lower it if your system starts struggling while live but keep in mind this can shift some of the workload from your GPU to your CPU, which may lead to skipped frames in some cases.

Graphics

It’s not uncommon for games to have Graphics Presets (Low / Medium / High / Ultra). This is a one-click setting that controls your game’s overall visual quality—things like shadows, lighting, and textures. Only go Ultra if your system can comfortably handle it while streaming. 

If different aspects of graphics are broken out separately like below, you can follow our recommendations for each. 

Shadows

Shadows look great visually, but can quietly diminish performance when live streaming.

What to know:

• Lower these first,
• You’ll barely notice the difference, but your system will in terms of performance.

View Distance (a.k.a. Draw Distance)

This controls how far your game loads the world in 3D—objects, players, buildings, all of it. The higher it is, the more you and your audience can feel immersed into the game but your system has a lot more process at once. Essentially, your computer is trying to keep track of everything in the distance while also streaming your gameplay. 

What to know:

• Lower it if your game feels less smooth or responsive while streaming.
• Keep it higher only if it actually impacts gameplay.

Anti-Aliasing

Anti-aliasing is what helps smooth out the rough, jagged edges you might see on objects in a game—especially things like characters, buildings, or anything with sharp lines to make them look more realistic. Without it, those edges can look a little pixelated or “stair-stepped,” especially when you’re moving around quickly.

It’s one of those settings where the difference is noticeable—but not always worth maxing out when you’re streaming.

What to do:

• Set it to Medium for a good balance.
• Higher settings look smoother, but use more of your system’s power.

Recommended Game Settings and Changes by Game Type

Different types of games need different settings, especially when you’re streaming, because each one uses your system differently. A setting that’s important in one game might be better lowered in another to prioritize performance elsewhere.

First-Person Shooters 

Games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Counter-Strike, Apex Legends, and Valorant require speed, swift reaction time, and clarity. You don’t need cinematic visuals, but you need your game to feel responsive.

What to adjust:

Graphics preset — Low–Medium

Keeps performance high without overloading your system with unnecessary visual detail.

Shadows — Low

They’re resource-heavy and don’t impact gameplay much, so lowering them frees up power where it counts.

Motion blur — Off

Motion blur isn’t needed in an FPS game—if anything, the cinematic look can make it harder to track enemies by softening details during movement.

FPS — Aim for a stable, not the maximum

Most games let you set a frame rate limit (FPS cap), which helps keep your performance consistent instead of constantly fluctuating. Aim for a frame rate that feels smooth but stays consistent. A steady 60 FPS will feel better than a higher frame rate that constantly fluctuates—and capping it helps prevent your system from overworking itself while streaming.

View distance —Medium-high (only if it helps you spot enemies earlier)

View distance isn’t just about what you see—it’s about how much your system is juggling at once. It can give you better visibility, but increasing it too much adds extra load. So only raise it if it actually benefits your gameplay.

Open-World / RPG (GTA, Elden Ring, Cyberpunk)

These games are more immersive and visually detailed, which means they naturally use more of your system. These games load a lot at once—entire environments, NPCs, lighting—so dialing things back slightly helps keep your stream from struggling in the background.

What to adjust:

Graphics preset — Medium–High

Keeps the game visually rich without overloading your system with every effect maxed out.

Shadows and reflections — Lowered

These are some of the most resource-heavy settings, and lowering them helps free up performance without drastically changing how the game looks.

FPS — Stable (doesn’t need to be maxed)

Some games like Elden Ring have a built in 60 FPS cap, but for those that don't, consider limiting your frame rate to something your PC can consistently upkeep while streaming. These games aren’t reaction-based, so a consistent frame rate matters more than pushing for the highest possible FPS. 

View distance — Medium

Open-world games already load a lot at once—keeping this moderate helps reduce the amount your system has to process in the background.

Sandbox / Simulation (Minecraft, The Sims)

These games can look simple on the surface, but they’re constantly simulating and loading things in the background, which can quietly put a lot of strain on your CPU, especially while you’re streaming. In many cases, you’re also focused on what’s happening right in front of you, not across the entire map.

What to adjust:

Render distance — Lower this first

This controls how much of the world is loaded at once. Lowering it reduces how much your system has to process in real time.

View distance (if separate) — Keep moderate

This controls how far you can see into the distance. You can usually keep this at a moderate level since it’s less critical than render distance for performance.

Graphics — Medium

Keeps the game looking clean without adding unnecessary strain from higher-end visual effects.

Background apps — Keep minimal

These games already rely heavily on your CPU, so extra apps running in the background can quickly impact performance.

Mods/settings — Be mindful, as these add up quickly

Mods can increase complexity and load behind the scenes, so the more you add, the more your system has to handle while streaming.

Racing / Sports Games

These rely on smooth motion and consistent performance more than heavy visual detail.

What to adjust:

FPS — High and stable (use an FPS cap to help it stay consistent)

Keeps motion smooth and responsive, which is key when everything on screen is moving quickly.

Motion blur — Off (helps with clarity)

It looks nice, but you don’t need it—and it can make fast gameplay harder to read. Turning it off keeps things sharp and can even take a little pressure off your system.

Graphics preset (or equivalent settings) — Medium–High

This is a one-click setting (like Low, Medium, High, or Ultra) that controls your game’s overall visual quality—things like textures, lighting, shadows, and effects.

Keeping it around Medium–High helps your game look good without overloading your system with unnecessary visual effects. You want things to feel smooth and readable, especially during fast movement.

Troubleshooting

“I adjusted my game settings and my stream still doesn’t look right.”

If you’ve already lowered your in-game settings and things still feel off, the issue may be coming from outside your game.

Start by checking your stream settings (in your streaming software). Settings like bitrate, resolution, and encoder play a big role in how your stream looks. If these are too high for your setup, your stream can still lag even if your game is running fine. The stream settings section in this guide will help you make the right adjustments.  

Also, check your internet connection (upload speed) using an internet speed test tool. Your stream relies on your upload speed. If your bitrate is higher than what your internet can handle, your stream may appear blurry, laggy, or unstable.

A few small adjustments inside your game can make a big difference when your system is doing double duty. Because at the end of the day, streaming isn’t about having everything on Ultra—it’s about making sure everything works together so you can make your audience feel a part of the gaming experience in the best way possible.

If you have any questions or comments, please let us know by contacting us or joining our Discord server.