With over 2.2 million unique monthly streamers and an excess of 292 billion minutes of content watched, Twitch is definitely the place to be if you plan on streaming your game. The live streaming platform, acquired by Amazon.com in 2014, has been growing at an exponential rate and amassed over 100 million unique monthly users as of November 2017.

If you’re thinking of starting your own Twitch channel using a PC but aren’t sure how to go about it, you’ve come to the right place. Follow the instructions provided below to start streaming on Twitch right away!

Minimum requirements to stream on Twitch

System

Firstly, to start streaming on Twitch, you will need a decent PC. As per Twitch streaming requirements, the minimum hardware specs include:

• Intel Core i5-4670 processor (or AMD equivalent)
• 8 GB of RAM
• Windows 7 or newer

Also, you will need a dedicated graphics card that is capable enough to run what you intend to play and run the streaming software at the same time.

broadcast software

One of the most essential parts of any streamer’s toolkit is the streaming software. The open streaming software (Free) is the most used streaming software for amateur streamers. It brings all the essential features you need to start streaming on Twitch, with the best part being that it’s open source and completely free. For this tutorial, we will be using OBS to stream your stream on Twitch.

Setting up your Twitch page

Now that you’ve got the basic requirements sorted out, you’ll have to set up your Twitch page. Follow these steps to get started with your Twitch page:

• Go to Twitch.tv and sign up for a new account or log in if you already have an account.
• Select Dashboard from the drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  
• On the Live tab, fill in a Title for your stream, choose the game you want to stream, and select the Communities you want your stream to be associated with.
• Once you’ve set up your Twitch page, it’s time to set up your streaming software.

Using OBS

flow configuration

• After downloading and installing OBS, right-click the icon and select Run as administrator.
• Select Settings from the File menu and click the Flow tab.
  
• Select Twitch from the list of streaming services and leave the Server option on Auto.
• Open the Twitch dashboard, go to the Settings tab and click on Stream Key.
  
• Click Show Key and copy the Stream Key displayed in the popup.
• Paste the Stream Key into the Stream tab in OBS.
  
  

Live

• In the OBS interface, click the ‘+’ icon on the Sources tab and select Display Capture.
• Create a new screenshot and rename it to your preference.
• Once a new video capture is created, a properties window will appear where you can select the video capture resolution.
  
• If you want to stream video from your webcam, you can add additional feeds in the source menu.
• You can now select the Start Streaming option from the main OBS interface and go straight to the action.
  

Streaming software alternatives

While OBS is good enough for a live streaming newbie, there are several other streaming software on the market that offer much more control over the stream and even allow users to get video from other sources. X Division ($199) is one such paid software that allows users to stream to multiple channels at the same time, get video directly from Skype and send it to a projector. The software is also available for free, but the free version has limited functionality and to access all the features you will have to shell out a little money in monthly subscriptions or a lifetime license.

SEE TOO: How to Stream Games Using Microsoft Mixer on Windows 10

Start with your Twitch broadcast

I personally followed the steps mentioned above to stream my first PUBG game on Twitch without any issues. As I used a laptop, I noticed some FPS drops here and there, but your mileage may vary depending on your system configuration. In my opinion, getting started on Twitch is a pretty easy process. If you happen to have an idea, I suggest you cut to the chase and it will hardly take you an hour to go live for the first time.

However, don’t expect your Twitch stream to match those of professional streamers if you’re using this guide. There are a lot more nuances to streaming and getting high-quality professional streams, most of which involve expensive hardware and software. Would you be interested in learning to broadcast like a pro? Let us know in the comments section below.

Games You Can Stream On Twitch From PC

game title	Developer
overwatch	Blizzard Entertainment
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds	PUBG Corporation
Fortnite	epic games
League of Legends	riot games
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	Valve Corporation
DOTA 2	Valve Corporation
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands	Ubisoft
Rainbow Six Siege	Ubisoft
Grand Theft Auto GTA V	rockstar games
Final Fantasy XV	Square Enix
rocket league	Psyonix
sea ​​of ​​thieves	Crude
FIFA 18	AND THE
NBA 2k18	AND THE
Mortal Kombat XL	NetherRealm Studios
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice	Ninja Theory
character 5	P-Studio
Forza Horizon 3	recreational games
Forza Motorsport 7	Turn 10 Studios
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	CD Project RED
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard	capcom
Hitman: The Complete First Season	Square Enix
Nioh	Ninja team
for honor	Ubisoft Montreal
sniper elite 4	Developments of the Rebellion
Nier: Automata	PlatinumGames
The Elder Scrolls: Legends	Bethesda Softworks
Mass Effect: Andromeda	BioWare
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Editing	epic games
Stardew Valley: Collector’s Edition	games for sick
survive II	Red Drums
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3	IC games
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III	entertainment relic
prey	Arkane Studios
injustice 2	NetherRealm Studios
The wave	deck 13
darksiders	vigil games
Friday the 13th: The Game	weapon media
rhyme	Tequila Works
Don’t starve Mega Pack	Klei Entertainment
Tekken 7	Bandai Namco Entertainment
Destroy	psygnosis
dead in daylight	Interactive Behavior
Nex Machina	housemarque
Elite: Dangerous	frontier developments
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy	vicarious visions
agents of chaos	Willing
sonic mania	sega of america
Observer	Bloober team
Absolve	sloclap
Ark: Evolved Survival	Virtual Basement LLC
Hello Neighbor	dynamic pixels
redout	34 Big Things
XCOM	Hasbro Interactive
Life is Strange: Before the Storm	deck nine
destination 2	Bungie
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition	Ubisoft
Deity: Original Sin II	Larian Studios
Dishonored: Death of the Stranger	Arkane Studios
NHL 18	AND THE
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite	capcom
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2	ripples
Project Cars 2	Slightly Crazy Studios
Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition	Bethesda Softworks
cuphead	MDHR Studio
a hat in time	Gears for breakfast
South Park: the fractured but whole	Ubisoft
Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition	Microsoft Studios
Doom	identification software
Need For Speed: Return	ghost games
LA Noire	rockstar games
Star Wars Battlefront II	EA DATA
the Sims 4	AND THE