PlayClaw :: Overlays, Game Recording & Streaming

PlayClaw :: Overlays, Game Recording & Streaming Game Cover

About

PlayClaw is a game overlay application that enables recording and streaming of gameplay. It offers customizable overlays including system information, Teamspeak 3, Discord, webcam, browser, and timers. The software is designed to make full use of GPU and hardware-accelerated H.264 codecs, providing high-quality recordings with minimal impact on game performance. Stream or locally record to YouTube, Twitch, or other services.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

PlayClaw :: Overlays, Game Recording & Streaming screenshot

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 50 reviews

optimization3 negative mentions

PlayClaw 6 offers a high level of customization for overlays and recording, making it a versatile tool for both casual and professional users.
The software has minimal impact on system performance, allowing for smooth gameplay while recording.
The developer provides excellent support and is responsive to user feedback, often fixing issues quickly.

Users frequently experience issues with audio cutting out after long recordings, which remains unresolved.
The software can be difficult to use for streaming, with some users reporting crashes and compatibility issues with certain games.
There are concerns about the software's performance compared to alternatives like OBS, particularly regarding frame rate drops and limited audio settings.

optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The optimization of the software is criticized for its high performance footprint, particularly when using PlayClaw 6, which results in significant frame drops and severe frametime spikes, negatively impacting gameplay and video editing. In contrast, OBS Studio maintains a stable performance, making it a more reliable choice for users prioritizing quality and efficiency. Overall, the performance impact of the software is deemed substantial, making it hard to recommend over alternatives like OBS.
- “Impact on performance is minimal, one of the lowest I've seen.”
- “Arbitrary overlays with webpages, windows from other displays (or the same display if your game is borderless), performance counters, recording status, etc. Recording status is especially useful, no need to alt-tab and verify it's actually recording.”
- “The performance footprint is much, much higher. KF2 easily maintains 120 fps with OBS Studio while recording at 120 fps, but PlayClaw 6 introduces a noticeable performance hit. The 99th percentile fps dropped to 110-115, with severe frametime spikes (6 whole frames, as reported by PlayClaw 6 itself, that's a 50 millisecond hang - very bad even if you're targeting 60 fps).”
- “This means very poor performance in video editing software, unless you want to reencode the entire recording (which I don't).”
- “With all the aforementioned issues, it's very hard to recommend this over OBS, unless you value convenience over quality and performance, and don't have a second display.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay experience is generally positive, with users noting that the screen recorder, Playclaw 6, has minimal impact on performance and produces high-quality recordings. However, there is a recurring issue where the audio cuts out after 20 minutes of recording, which users hope will be addressed in future updates. Despite its complexity, the program offers useful features like volume control and customizable recording options, making it a recommended choice for gamers.
- “Playclaw 6 is a screen recorder with streaming, so I say yes, good program. It's not as easy to use as I wanted it to be, but it works. I recorded some gameplay using the program, and they all look really good. It has checkboxes to 'see mouse cursor', 'turn up and down volumes', and change if you want to record the whole screen or just one application. I recommend 'desktop mode'; that one is working very well for me.”
- “I recommend Playclaw 6.”
- “The only problem I hope one day gets fixed is that when recording gameplay for over 20 minutes, the sound goes out.”
- “The screen recorder has little to no impact on gameplay and works all the time!”
- “Playclaw 6 is a screen recorder with streaming, so I say yes, good program, but it's not as easy to use as I wanted it to be. I recorded some gameplay using the program, and they all look really good. It has checkboxes to 'see mouse cursor', 'turn up and down volumes', and change if you want to record the whole screen or just one application. I recommend 'desktop mode'; that one is working very well for me.”