A YouTube gaming “rerun” usually means watching a saved live-stream archive, not pressing a button in OBS to replay the game. On Linux, OBS can send gameplay to YouTube Live, but the capture source that works depends on your desktop session and game, so test it before relying on it.
YouTube may automatically archive a stream that is shorter than 12 hours; streams that run longer may not be captured at all. If you need the whole session later, make a local recording as well and confirm it is being written.
What you mean by “rerun”: archive, replay, or Replay Buffer
There are three different things people call a rerun. A YouTube live archive is the video YouTube may save after a broadcast finishes. It appears in YouTube Studio’s Live content, where you can manage its visibility or remove it. It is the option viewers can watch after the live event, subject to YouTube’s archiving behaviour and your channel settings.
An OBS local recording is a file saved on your own computer while you stream. It gives you a separate copy to edit, upload or keep, but it also uses disk space and depends on your computer staying powered and able to write the file. It is the safer choice when the broadcast matters and you cannot afford to lose the footage because the YouTube archive was not captured.
OBS Replay Buffer is different again. It keeps a recent segment in memory and saves that segment when you use its configured hotkey. It is useful when you want to save a moment from a game without recording the entire session, but it is not a YouTube archive and it does not turn a finished YouTube broadcast into a rerun. OBS explains the distinction through its recording and Replay Buffer overview.
Decide which outcome you need before setting up the scene. For a full VOD, stream and record locally. For a few short gameplay clips, Replay Buffer may be enough. If you need viewers to return to the live event as a saved video, check YouTube’s archive and visibility settings after the stream. For a deeper explanation of how YouTube treats past gaming broadcasts, see whether live gaming reruns become regular video replays.
Check live eligibility and plan the encoder workflow
Before configuring OBS, check whether your channel can stream live. YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance says the channel must be verified and must not have a live-stream restriction during the preceding 90 days. Requirements and interface labels can change, so check the current official page rather than relying on an old tutorial.
For gameplay, the encoder workflow is straightforward: create or schedule a stream in YouTube Live Control Room, copy its server URL and stream key, enter those in OBS, then check the preview and stream health. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance describes using an encoder for live video. The stream key is a credential that lets software send a feed to your channel. Treat it like a password: do not show it on stream or paste it into a public chat, and reset it if you think someone else has seen it.
Plan the stream length as well as the gameplay. If you intend a long session, do not assume the whole broadcast will appear as a YouTube archive. The 12-hour caveat matters particularly for overnight or all-day broadcasts; a local recording is the practical fallback. You can read more about recurring gaming broadcasts in this guide to running a 24/7 gaming video stream on YouTube without OBS, which considers a different workflow from a desktop gaming session.
Install and open OBS Studio on Linux
Use the current OBS Project installation guidance for your distribution. The official Linux installation page recommends Flathub for distributions other than Ubuntu and documents a PPA and apt route for Ubuntu. Those instructions are published guidance, not a promise that packaging never changes; check the page and your distribution’s own software guidance before installing. In particular, avoid mixing installation methods without understanding how your distribution handles updates and permissions.
Open OBS after installation and use its setup prompts as a starting point. OBS lists Linux requirements that include an OpenGL 3.3-compatible GPU and an X window system or Wayland. Meeting the listed baseline does not mean every game will capture smoothly or that a machine will encode the quality you want. Performance depends on the encoder available, game load, resolution, frame rate and scene complexity.
For a first test, create a scene for the game and add only the sources you need. Keep the scene simple until you have confirmed picture and sound. If you are using a launcher, overlays or multiple displays, add them later; troubleshooting one capture source at a time makes it easier to find what has gone wrong.
Choose Display Capture or Window Capture
OBS’s Quick Start lists Display Capture and Window Capture for Linux. Its capture-source guide identifies Game Capture as Windows-only. That is not a guarantee that every Linux game appears correctly through either documented source: desktop session, game mode and display configuration can affect what OBS sees. Choose a source based on the preview, not on a general claim that one works for every system.
| Source | What it can show | Trade-off to check before streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Display Capture | The selected display, including the game and other visible desktop activity | It is broad coverage, but can expose notifications, launchers or private windows if they appear on that display |
| Window Capture | A selected application window, when OBS can see it in your setup | It is more limited to the game window, but may not behave the same with every game or desktop session |
Start with Window Capture if it correctly shows the game and keeps unrelated desktop activity out of the feed. If it is blank or unreliable, try Display Capture and inspect the preview. Before going live, switch to the game, move through a few representative scenes and check that the preview updates rather than showing a frozen frame or the wrong window.
Check audio separately. The mixer meters should move when the game plays and when you speak into your microphone. If a meter stays still, inspect the selected desktop audio and microphone devices in OBS rather than assuming the audience will hear them. Listen to a short test recording with headphones: meters can move even when the wrong source is selected or the balance is difficult to hear.
Send the feed to YouTube Live
In YouTube Live Control Room, create or schedule the stream and locate the encoder details. Copy the server URL and stream key into the corresponding OBS stream fields. Use the key for the intended broadcast and keep it private. YouTube’s live encoder settings page and setup material describe the connection details and encoder requirements; the exact screen labels can change.
For the encoder, YouTube’s general guidance includes RTMP or RTMPS, CBR, and a two-second keyframe interval, with an interval no greater than four seconds. Those are not a universal bitrate recipe. Choose resolution, frame rate and bitrate according to your upload reliability, the game’s motion and the machine’s capacity. A high setting that repeatedly strains the connection is worse for viewers than a lower setting that remains stable.
Run a private or otherwise appropriate test before a public session. Start OBS, check that YouTube’s preview shows the right game and that the audio is present, then watch the stream health indicators while moving through the game. Fast camera turns and busy scenes are more revealing than a static menu. If the picture stutters or the connection reports problems, reduce the load and test again rather than assuming the platform will compensate.
Keep a note of the working settings for that machine and connection, but retest after changing the game, display mode, OBS version or network. If the stream unexpectedly ends, first look at the connection and encoder status; this troubleshooting guide for a YouTube live stream that ended unexpectedly can help structure that check.
Understand YouTube’s live archive limits
YouTube can automatically archive a live stream that is shorter than 12 hours. A stream that exceeds 12 hours may not be captured at all. The threshold is a caveat, not a promise that every shorter stream will be available in every circumstance. Check the current YouTube archive guidance and confirm the finished broadcast appears in YouTube Studio’s Live content.
After the broadcast, wait for processing and then inspect the archive in Studio. Check that the video is the expected length and that its visibility is what you intended. If you need to share it, use the archive’s resulting video page rather than assuming the live event URL will serve the same purpose. YouTube may provide controls to change visibility or delete an archive, but availability and interface details can change.
The 12-hour caveat is especially important when “rerun” means an overnight loop or a long gaming session. Ending and restarting streams may create separate archives, but do not treat that as a guarantee of uninterrupted coverage or successful saving. If a complete record matters, plan the local recording before going live and retain enough storage for the session.
Keep a local recording backup
In OBS, configure recording separately from streaming: choose a recording path with enough free space, select a suitable recording format and confirm that the recording control is active when the stream starts. Make a short test first, stop it cleanly and open the resulting file. During the real session, verify that the file is growing; a stream preview alone does not prove the local recording is being saved.
A local file protects against the risk that a long broadcast is not archived by YouTube, but it is not effortless. It consumes disk space, can add work for a machine already running a game and encoder, and may be lost if the computer fails or storage fills. Keep the capture settings within what the computer can handle, and make room before an extended session rather than discovering a full drive halfway through.
Use Replay Buffer only for its intended job: saving a recent stretch of play when you press the assigned hotkey. Set the buffer duration and test the hotkey before play, because an untested shortcut can conflict with the game or fail to save the moment you expected. For a full VOD, use continuous recording instead; Replay Buffer is not a substitute for a local session archive or the YouTube archive.
For a broadcast that must keep running after your desktop is switched off, the workflow is different from OBS capturing live gameplay on your Linux computer. StreamNeo addresses that separate pain by turning an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream, so the file can run without leaving your gaming computer on. It is YouTube-only; it does not replace OBS for capturing a live game in progress.
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
Is OBS Replay Buffer the same as a YouTube gaming rerun?
No. Replay Buffer saves a recent segment from OBS when you use its hotkey, while a YouTube archive is a saved live broadcast managed through YouTube. Use local recording for a full-session backup and Replay Buffer for selected moments.
Can I use Game Capture on Linux in OBS?
OBS’s Quick Start identifies Game Capture as Windows-only and documents Display Capture and Window Capture for Linux. A capture path that works on one Linux setup may not work on another, so inspect the preview and test the actual game before going live.
Will YouTube save a stream longer than 12 hours?
Do not count on it. YouTube says streams over 12 hours may not be captured at all, so use local recording if the session needs to be preserved and check the current official archive guidance.
How do I find the YouTube archive after streaming?
Open YouTube Studio and look under Live content for the completed stream. Check the resulting video, its length and visibility; if the full session matters, keep and verify the local recording too.