How to go live on Twitch from your PC with your phone's game
Twitch and OBS work well together: you can sign in from inside OBS, and Twitch publishes exactly which settings it wants. Here's how to take your phone's game live on Twitch from your PC.
1. Get your game into OBS
Download OBS Studio (30.1 or newer). With Casttit, plug in your phone, press Open OBS preview, and add a Window Capture of Casttit Preview with Capture Audio on. Then add your mic and facecam. Step by step: Set up OBS.
2. Connect OBS to Twitch
The easy way: connect your account.
- In OBS, open Settings → Stream.
- For Service, choose Twitch, then Connect Account (recommended), and sign in.
- OBS can then show your Twitch chat and stream info as docks next to your scenes.
Or use a stream key. In your Twitch Creator Dashboard, go to Settings → Stream and copy your primary stream key. In OBS, choose Use Stream Key and paste it. Never show it on stream: anyone with it can stream to your channel. If it leaks, reset it there.
3. Use Twitch's own settings
Twitch publishes broadcasting guidelines with the settings it wants. The short version:
| Resolution and frame rate | Bitrate (Twitch's figure) |
|---|---|
| 1080p, 60 fps | 6000 kbps |
| 1080p, 30 fps | 4500 kbps |
| 720p, 60 fps | 4500 kbps |
| 720p, 30 fps | 3000 kbps |
- Constant bitrate (CBR) and a keyframe every 2 seconds, whatever the resolution.
- Encode on the graphics chip if you have one (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD or Intel): Twitch notes that it leaves the processor free. On x264, Twitch suggests starting at the veryfast preset.
- Pick what your upload can carry. Twitch's own advice: a stable stream beats a sharper one that drops frames. If 1080p60 struggles, 720p60 still looks good for fast games.
Not sure? Tools → Auto-Configuration Wizard in OBS tests your connection and fills these in.
4. Enhanced Broadcasting
With Twitch as the service, OBS may offer Enable Enhanced Broadcasting in Settings → Stream on supported graphics cards. Twitch then picks your settings and your graphics chip sends several qualities at once, so viewers on slow connections get a smooth lower version. It uses more of your graphics chip; if OBS warns that the encoder is overloaded, turn it off and use the settings above.
5. Test, then go live
- Do a short test stream and watch it back from another device: is the game sharp, the sound in step with the picture, your mic above the game?
- Open View → Stats in OBS while you stream: dropped frames there mean your upload can't keep up. Lower the bitrate or the resolution.
- Set your title and category in the Creator Dashboard, then press Start Streaming.
Sound and picture out of step? Here's how to line them up.
Questions
What bitrate does Twitch recommend?
Twitch's broadcasting guidelines list 6000 kbps for 1080p at 60 fps, 4500 kbps for 1080p at 30 fps or 720p at 60 fps, and 3000 kbps for 720p at 30 fps, all with constant bitrate (CBR) and a keyframe every 2 seconds.
How long can a Twitch stream be?
Up to 48 hours, according to Twitch's broadcasting guidelines.
Where is my Twitch stream key?
In your Creator Dashboard, under Settings, then Stream. You only need it if you don't connect your account in OBS. Never show it on stream.