The best capture card: 4K and 1080p cards for PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch

Whether you’re streaming games for an audience or you want to record some casual gameplay footage from your PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch, you might need a capture card. It’s an essential accessory that can process your console’s uncompressed video signal, either sending it to a PC for livestreaming or converting it into a file that you can edit later to share online.

You might be lucky and find the perfect model without doing any research. You may also not be so fortunate. In our guide, we cover a wide range of affordable and expensive capture cards that are reliable with a lot of features. To complete the streaming setup, we’ve also included some recommendations for camera capture cards, in case you want to turn your DSLR into a webcam. We’ll keep this post updated as more models become available.

The best capture card

Elgato HD60X is the best choice for many people. It costs $177.89. The HD60 X came out on top when we asked the Polygon Video team to give their opinion. They chose it because, in their opinion, the HD60 X offers superior features and performance compared with other capture cards at its price point.

HD60 X is connected to PCs using USB (with a USB C to USB A cable included). It has maximum resolutions of 4K and 30 frames/second. This device can capture 4K footage at up to a 60 frame per second. This is more than enough to capture footage from current consoles. If you’re recording in 1440p or 1080p resolutions, it can capture at a faster 120 fps.

Adding to its impressive list of specs, the HD60 X grants buyers access to Elgato’s 4K Capture Utility software. This application isn’t totally necessary, but it’s easier to learn for streaming newcomers than OBS Studio. The 4K Capture Utility also allows you to record commentary over your video clip, if you’d like, and take high quality screenshots from the captured video.

HD60 X usually costs $199.99 outside of a special, though it is sometimes sold at a lower price. As an alternative that’s significantly less expensive, the $64.99 UCEC GAM Live capture card supports the same passthrough/capture resolutions and frame rates as the HD60 X, but it may not be as reliable as the HD60 X.

The best budget card

If you’re just testing the waters with capturing and editing gameplay footage, there are some good capture card options that cost well under $100. AVerMedia’s Live Gamer Mini lists for $99.99. However, it is often available at a price around $70.00. This small capture card records 1080p at up to 60 frames-per-second and offers a passthrough quality that matches the Nintendo Switch. The Live Gamer Mini is compatible with other consoles as well, but this model won’t make PS5 and Xbox games look their best.

The $50 Genki ShadowCast is a less-expensive (and smaller) alternative. ShadowCast, which is a HDMI-to USB-C dongle, allows you to stream the video from your console directly to a laptop or desktop using the Genki Arcade free app. Alternatively, you can directly stream this footage to PC applications like OBS Studio. ShadowCast works with current consoles but can only handle 1080p video at 30fps. Also, the quality of the footage isn’t exceptional.

AVerMedia

The best 4K capture cards

A PCIe capture card is your best bet if you’re looking to record gameplay in 4K at 60 frames per second. The best choice we’ve found for doing that is the AVerMedia 4K60 HDR10, which is usually available for around $210.

The 4K60, as its name implies, is capable of recording at higher frame rates with lower resolutions than 4K, up to 144 fps for 1440p, or 240 fps for 1080p, and this even when HDR is enabled. This card is also capable of recording at higher framerates with resolutions lower than 4K. For example, it can max out at 144fps in 1440p and 240fps in 1080p. It’s important to note, however, that while the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are both capable of outputting 4K resolutions at 120 fps, this capture card’s HDMI 2.0 ports mean you’ll only be able to capture 120 fps footage by knocking down your console’s output resolution to 1440p. We’re keeping our eyes out for capture cards that use HDMI 2.1, which will allow for capturing 4K footage at up to 120 fps on consoles.

AVerMedia

Some alternatives to AVerMedia’s 4K60 include Elgato’s PCIe card, the 4K60 Pro MK.2, which is equipped with similar specifications, but costs $249.99. The biggest difference (aside from the brand name) is that AVerMedia’s option doesn’t include video editing software. That’s no big deal, as long as you’re eager to learn how to use OBS Studio.

There are PCIe card options available on Amazon for as little as $100, but given the potential for an unvetted PCIe card to do some actual harm to your desktop (or just not work as advertised), we wouldn’t recommend taking this route.

Best capture card that doesn’t require a PC

These cards are not tethered by a PC and can be used to capture video footage. They have a full-size SD or microSD card slot to store the gameplay files until they can be transferred onto your computer. This alone makes these capture cards the best option. They also support lower resolutions than other capture cards. But look no further for one that’s ideal for bringing to tournaments, or other situations where a laptop or desktop won’t be available to you.

AVerMedia’s GC513 portable 2 plus is your best stand-alone option until Elgato releases a card that is more competitive than the discontinued 4K60S+. This card supports 4K at 60 frames per second, but can only record 1080p in 60 frames per second. The GC513 is marketed as a card that can record to remote storage, but it also works with a computer when connected directly.

AVerMedia

Currently, stand-alone capture cards are a rarity in this product category, so there isn’t an abundance of alternatives. However, if you’re looking for something that costs less, the Hauppauge HD PVR Pro is available on Amazon for around $130. HD PVR Pro shares many of its specs with AVerMedia, but it is also compatible with microSD and standard SD cards.

Best camera capture card

Camera capture card are a more niche product that allows you to transform most DSLR camera into a webcam. Some newer DSLR cameras support this feature out of the box with native USB connections, but other cameras will need to rely on a camera capture card to translate what your camera sees into a video signal that’s usable by your PC.

Elgato Cam Link 4K offers 4K recording up to 30 frames per seconds and is fully compatible for DSLRs from manufacturers such as Nikon, Canon, or GoPro.

AVerMedia also offers a camera capture card with similar specifications for less than $90. AVerMedia BU113 is capable of recording 4K video at 30 fps. However, its smaller list of compatible devices means that only a few cameras can take advantage of this capability.