If you are sending a prerecorded 1080p60 gaming video out as a YouTube Live broadcast, use YouTube’s live ingest recommendations: 17 Mbps for H.264 or 12 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC. “Rerun” describes the content being rebroadcast; YouTube does not publish a special rerun bitrate profile.
Those live figures are not the same as the recommendation for uploading a rendered SDR VOD. YouTube separately recommends 12 Mbps for a 1080p high-frame-rate SDR upload. Choose settings for the delivery path you are actually using, and treat listed minimums as floors, not targets.
What a rerun means for live ingest
A rerun is often a finished gameplay recording sent through an encoder as a live broadcast. From YouTube’s point of view, the outgoing signal is a live stream arriving at its ingest service, even if the pictures were captured earlier. The appropriate operational interpretation is therefore to configure the outgoing live signal using YouTube’s 1080p60 live encoder guidance.
That interpretation follows the distinction YouTube makes between live encoder settings and ordinary video upload guidance. The official settings pages do not define a separate “gaming rerun” mode or prescribe its own bitrate. A replay broadcast does not gain a different bitrate table just because its source file is already rendered.
This matters when choosing between two workflows. In a live rerun, your encoder sends a continuous real-time feed to YouTube; for a normal VOD, you upload a completed file. The first uses live ingest settings, while the second uses upload recommendations. YouTube’s live encoder settings and bitrate table is the source for the former, and its video upload encoding recommendations cover the latter.
Before setting a bitrate, confirm which route you intend to use. If viewers should see a scheduled broadcast with live chat or other live controls, you are configuring a live ingest. If you simply want a finished recording available to watch, use the upload path. An archived live broadcast can later appear as a replay, but that does not make the initial signal an ordinary upload.
For a playlist-style rerun, prepare the files and transitions before starting. If you are joining several recordings into one continuous programme, this guide to joining multiple videos for a YouTube Live stream covers the file-preparation side. If you are sending the feed through OBS, keep the stream key private; the guide to adding a YouTube stream key to OBS without exposing it addresses that separate setup risk.
Choose the live bitrate for your codec
YouTube’s current 1080p60 live recommendations differ by codec. For H.264, the recommended video bitrate is 17 Mbps, with 6 Mbps listed as the minimum. For AV1 or H.265/HEVC, the recommended figure is 12 Mbps, with a 4 Mbps minimum. These are codec-specific values for the live signal, not guaranteed image-quality outcomes.
| Live video codec at 1080p60 | YouTube recommended ingest bitrate | Listed minimum | Practical reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 | 17 Mbps | 6 Mbps | Aim for the recommendation if your upload connection can sustain it reliably. |
| AV1 or H.265/HEVC | 12 Mbps | 4 Mbps | Use this recommendation when your encoder and YouTube workflow support the codec. |
The minimum is not a sensible default simply because it is allowed. It is a lower boundary in YouTube’s guidance. A fast-moving game can contain frequent scene changes, particles, foliage, camera movement and fine interface details; a lower rate leaves less room for the encoder to represent that material cleanly. The official table does not promise that hitting the minimum will make every game look acceptable.
At the same time, entering a high number does not make an unstable connection more dependable. Your sustained upload capacity has to carry the video bitrate along with audio and network overhead, without repeated drops or congestion. The recommendation is a target to test against your real connection, not evidence that your provider’s advertised peak will remain available all night.
Codec support is part of the decision. You need an encoder capable of producing the codec in the format YouTube accepts for your stream, and your chosen software must expose the relevant settings. Do not select AV1 or HEVC solely because the table has a lower number; use the codec your complete workflow supports and verify the stream health in YouTube’s controls.
YouTube transcodes live streams into multiple output formats for different devices and network conditions. Your encoder’s bitrate is thus the rate of the signal you send, not a promise that every viewer receives an identical stream. Viewers’ connection and device affect playback. You control the incoming stream’s stability and quality, while YouTube handles its distribution formats.
H.264 at 1080p60: recommendation and minimum
For H.264 at 1080p60, set the live video bitrate to 17 Mbps as the recommended target in YouTube’s current guidance. The listed minimum is 6 Mbps. If you need compatibility with a broad range of existing encoder setups, H.264 may be the practical choice, provided your upload connection can carry the recommended rate consistently.
A 6 Mbps setting can be useful when diagnosing a constrained connection or testing whether a broadcast can be maintained at all, but it should not be described as YouTube’s recommended target. If image detail suffers in a fast game, lowering bitrate further is unlikely to improve the result. First establish whether the encoder, source resolution, frame rate, connection, and selected codec are configured as intended.
Think of the bitrate as a sustained operating point, rather than a short burst. A connection that briefly reaches a high upload speed but fluctuates during congestion may struggle to hold the stream. Test at the time and place you expect to broadcast, since shared networks can behave differently during a busy evening than during a quiet daytime check.
Keep the output at 1920 by 1080 and 60 frames per second only if the source and encoder are set to deliver that format. If your source recording is lower frame rate, encoding it at 60 does not recreate missing motion detail. Conversely, a genuine 60 fps source can lose some of its motion character if your output is accidentally set to a lower frame rate. Match the output to the intended programme, then test it in YouTube’s preview.
Audio also contributes to the total data sent, though the video rate is the principal figure in the comparison table. YouTube’s advanced guidance lists stereo audio at 128 Kbps and 44.1 kHz, with AAC or MP3 among the listed options. The separate audio bitrate guide for a 24/7 YouTube stream is useful if your rerun has commentary, game audio or music and you need to think through the sound path as well.
AV1 or HEVC at 1080p60: recommendation and minimum
For AV1 or H.265/HEVC at 1080p60, YouTube lists 12 Mbps as the recommended live ingest bitrate and 4 Mbps as the minimum. The current guidance groups these two codecs in the same bitrate column. The setting applies to the signal going into YouTube Live, not to a VOD upload merely because the file uses one of those codecs.
Whether this is the right choice depends first on encoder and workflow support. Confirm that your encoder can produce the intended format, that the relevant option is available in your streaming software, and that YouTube accepts the configuration for your channel and stream setup. If those conditions are not clear, H.264 is a straightforward alternative with its own published recommendation.
Do not infer from the smaller Mbps figure that AV1 or HEVC is universally better for every gaming rerun. YouTube’s published table provides bitrate recommendations, not a comparative quality test for your particular game, encoder, or audience. A codec can be efficient in one workflow and inconvenient in another if it requires different hardware, software, or troubleshooting steps.
Use the recommended 12 Mbps as the starting target when this codec path is supported. The 4 Mbps minimum is not a quality target to choose by default. As with H.264, test the actual programme: a quiet title screen can conceal problems that appear during rapid camera movement, busy combat, or a scene transition.
YouTube recommends using a supported transport and its guidance recommends RTMPS for encrypted transmission. That choice is separate from codec and bitrate: it governs how the signal is sent, not how many megabits per second the video should use. Check your encoder’s options and YouTube’s current instructions rather than assuming that a transport setting changes the codec recommendation.
Set CBR and a two-second keyframe interval
YouTube’s encoder guidance specifies constant bitrate, or CBR, and recommends a keyframe interval of two seconds, with an interval no longer than four seconds. Set those values in the encoder rather than treating them as optional consequences of selecting a bitrate. The bitrate table and these encoder settings work together: one controls the intended rate, while rate control and keyframes affect how the signal is encoded.
CBR aims to keep the outgoing bitrate steady around the value you have chosen. Real encoders and networks can still vary in practice, but selecting a variable-rate mode is not the documented recommendation for this live setup. If the stream is unstable, do not respond by changing several settings at once. Check whether the upload connection can sustain the chosen rate, then make one deliberate adjustment and test again.
A keyframe is a reference image from which later frames can be decoded. A two-second interval gives a regular spacing for those reference points; YouTube’s guidance says not to exceed four seconds. If your software expresses the interval in frames rather than seconds, ensure the conversion reflects the output frame rate. At 60 frames per second, two seconds corresponds to 120 frames; that is a conversion of the interval, not a separate YouTube recommendation.
For SDR, YouTube lists Rec. 709 as the recommended colour space in its advanced settings. Check this if your capture, editing and streaming chain can apply colour-space options, particularly if the rerun looks washed out or has unexpected colour shifts in the preview. Avoid mixing settings blindly: the source recording, encoder output and playback may each affect what you see.
Before going live, test with movement and audio similar to the real programme. YouTube Help specifically advises: “Make sure to test before you start your live stream. Tests should include audio and movement in the video similar to what you'll be doing in the stream.” A static desktop preview is not a useful substitute for a busy game scene with the same soundtrack and transitions.
Keep the live signal and upload encoding separate
A rendered SDR VOD follows YouTube’s upload guidance, not the live ingest table. For a normal 1080p high-frame-rate SDR upload, YouTube separately recommends 12 Mbps. That figure is an upload encoding recommendation; it is not the live ingest recommendation for H.264 1080p60. For that live signal, YouTube’s H.264 recommendation is 17 Mbps.
The distinction is easiest to remember by asking what is being sent. When an encoder is broadcasting a real-time feed to YouTube Live, use the live encoder table for the codec and resolution. When a finished SDR file is uploaded as a regular video, use the upload recommendation that matches its resolution and frame-rate category. A single number should not be carried from one workflow to the other without checking the applicable page.
| Delivery path | Example 1080p high-frame-rate setting | What the number describes |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Live, H.264 at 60 fps | 17 Mbps recommended; 6 Mbps minimum | Live video ingest bitrate |
| YouTube Live, AV1 or H.265/HEVC at 60 fps | 12 Mbps recommended; 4 Mbps minimum | Live video ingest bitrate |
| Regular SDR video upload, high frame rate | 12 Mbps recommended | Encoding bitrate for the uploaded VOD |
The overlap at 12 Mbps can cause confusion. It is the recommended live rate for AV1/HEVC at 1080p60 and also the separate upload recommendation for 1080p high-frame-rate SDR content. Those two occurrences refer to different delivery paths and should not be merged into one rule.
A live stream may also be archived automatically, creating a replay on the channel. YouTube says streams under 12 hours can be automatically archived, and warns that a stream exceeding 12 hours may not be captured at all. If the complete rerun matters, keep a local recording as a backup and plan the broadcast around that archive caveat. The guide to why YouTube may end a 24/7 stream after 12 hours covers the duration issue in more detail.
For a long programme, a local archive is useful for more than a backup of the broadcast. It gives you a source file to upload separately if the live archive is incomplete, and lets you preserve the original encoding and edit. YouTube does not endorse a particular storage device; choose a recording destination with enough capacity for your settings and intended duration, and verify that the recording is actually being written before relying on it.
Test the complete rerun before scheduling it
Do a short test with representative gameplay, not only a menu screen. Watch YouTube’s stream preview and health indicators while the same sort of motion, audio and transitions you expect in the full broadcast are playing. Confirm that the selected resolution and frame rate are right, the encoder is using the chosen codec and bitrate, and the audio is present.
Check the connection under realistic conditions. If the intended broadcast is overnight, a test during the same period can reveal congestion that an earlier check misses. Leave adequate headroom rather than choosing a bitrate equal to a speed test’s best moment. If the connection cannot sustain the recommended rate, consider whether a lower output format or a more stable connection is the better compromise; do not assume the minimum gives the same result as the recommendation.
Reuse settings carefully. YouTube Live Control Room can reuse prior stream settings, including metadata and stream key, while allowing changes for a new stream. Review the settings each time: a previous stream might have used a different resolution, codec, or frame rate. Reusing a saved setup is convenient, but it does not confirm that the present encoder output matches the current file.
If your rerun must continue while your own computer is off, a conventional desktop encoder is no longer the whole workflow. StreamNeo can remove the specific need to leave a personal computer running by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream that continues without your computer switched on. It is YouTube-only, so it is relevant only when that is the destination you intend to use.
Before you commit to a workflow
Use the codec your encoder supports, set the matching YouTube live recommendation, and test for a sustained connection rather than a brief peak. Keep the live bitrate separate from the upload rate, and keep a local copy if the completeness of a long replay matters. These choices answer different questions: codec and bitrate govern the outgoing signal, while the archive plan protects the recording.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
What bitrate should I use for a YouTube 1080p60 gaming rerun?
For a live H.264 signal, YouTube recommends 17 Mbps and lists 6 Mbps as the minimum. For AV1 or H.265/HEVC, it recommends 12 Mbps and lists 4 Mbps as the minimum. Choose according to the codec you are actually sending and test that your connection can sustain the rate.
Does YouTube have a special rerun bitrate profile?
YouTube’s published live encoder guidance does not define a special “rerun” profile. If you are sending a recording through YouTube Live, treat it as live ingest and use the live recommendation for the outgoing codec and resolution. A normal uploaded VOD uses separate upload guidance.
Is 12 Mbps the right rate for every 1080p60 video?
No. YouTube lists 12 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC live ingest at 1080p60 and separately recommends 12 Mbps for a 1080p high-frame-rate SDR upload. For H.264 live ingest at 1080p60, the recommendation is 17 Mbps, so identify the codec and delivery path first.
Will YouTube keep a rerun longer than 12 hours as a replay?
YouTube warns that a live stream exceeding 12 hours may not be captured, and recommends keeping a local archive. Do not rely on one very long live broadcast as the only copy if the entire replay matters. Plan the duration and recording backup before starting.