How to stream your phone's game to OBS on a Windows PC
Your best plays happen on your phone, but your stream lives on your PC: OBS, your mic, your overlays. Getting the game across is the hard part. Here are the three ways creators do it, and how to set up each.
What you need to get across
Three things have to travel from the phone to the PC:
- The picture, sharp and smooth enough for your stream.
- The game sound, so viewers hear it and so you can play in your PC headset.
- Your teammates' voices, if you play in a squad.
Most setups handle the picture well and fumble the sound. Keep that in mind as you compare.
Option 1: a capture card
A capture card takes an HDMI signal and turns it into a camera OBS can see. For a phone you need a phone-to-HDMI adapter, the card, and cables.
- Picture: good, once it works. Some phones and apps limit what they send over HDMI.
- Sound: comes with the HDMI signal, but you then need a way to hear it yourself, usually by monitoring it in OBS or with a second pair of earphones.
- Cost: the card, the adapter and the cables add up.
We compare it in detail in capture card or app.
Option 2: screen mirroring
Mirroring apps show your phone's screen on the PC, often over Wi-Fi. They're built for showing a phone in a meeting, not for streaming games.
- The window usually has buttons and borders you then have to crop out in OBS.
- The game sound often stays on the phone, so you route it with cables or a second app.
- Over Wi-Fi, the picture can stutter when the network is busy.
Option 3: a streaming app built for games (Casttit)
Casttit is built for exactly this job. You plug your phone into the PC with its USB cable, and Casttit puts the game in a clean window for OBS, with its sound in your PC headset and your phone gone quiet.
- Install Casttit for Windows. The installer sets up the USB drivers.
- Plug in your phone. Casttit finds it by itself: Android uses the free Casttit app; iPhone needs no app.
- Press Open OBS preview. A window with only your game opens.
- In OBS Studio (30.1 or newer), add a Window Capture of Casttit Preview with Capture Audio on. That's picture and sound in one source.
The full OBS setup, with the two settings that matter most, is in Set up OBS.
Which should you pick?
| Capture card | Mirroring app | Casttit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra hardware | Card, adapter, cables | None | None (your phone's USB cable) |
| Clean picture for OBS | Yes | Usually needs cropping | Yes, a clean window |
| Game sound in your PC headset | Needs monitoring setup | Often stays on the phone | Yes, and the phone goes quiet |
| Sound and picture in sync | Adjust in OBS | Varies | One slider |
| Android and iPhone | Depends on adapters | Varies | Both; iPhone needs no app |
Tips whichever way you go
- Use a good data cable and a USB port on the PC itself, not a hub. USB or Wi-Fi?
- Play with wired headphones; Bluetooth adds a delay you'll feel in fights.
- Check sound and picture land together before you go live: how to fix drift.
Questions
Can I stream mobile games without a capture card?
Yes. An app that brings the picture and sound over USB, like Casttit, does the capture card's job without one.
Which OBS source do I use for a phone?
With Casttit, a Window Capture of 'Casttit Preview' with Capture Audio on. With a capture card, a Video Capture Device.
Is it the same for Android and iPhone?
With Casttit, yes: the picture lands in the same window and the sound goes to the same headset. Android uses the free Casttit app; iPhone needs no app.