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How to Record Gameplay on Nintendo Switch & Switch Lite [Without Limitation]

Here are ways to help you record gameplay on Nintendo Switch & Switch Lite with/without capture card. Screen record Switch gameplay, HD, no time limit.

Nintendo Switch is one of the most successful consoles which Nintendo has ever made. Nintendo has sold 80 million pieces of units up to the moment you read this article, surpassed its predecessor 3DS, and the legend is going on. Many masterpieces were released on Switch. You can be Mario, jumping up to finish his odyssey, or you can play as Link, on his travel to save Zelda from Ganon. But did you ever think, to record the best moment of your game, to memory the path you’ve walked through? How to record Switch & Switch Lite gameplay? How would a screen recorder software play its role in recording? Let us explore it further.

Can We Record Switch Gameplay

How to Record Nintendo Switch Gameplay on PC with Capture Card

Professional player needs professional tools, first, we will need professional tools, the Screen capture card and screen recorder that can cover you to record Switch gameplay on PC without limitation and edit video with advanced features. The capture card can be found in the electronic store, BestBuy near you, or Amazon & eBay. And iTop Screen Recorder is a top choice for free download and use to screen record on Nintendo switch.

iTop Screen Recorder-Record HD Gameplay With No FPS Drops

  • Record high-performance PC game with no lags
  • Record HD game clips up to 200 FPS
  • Record real-time gaming with audio & webcam
  • Upload game video to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook

iTop Screen Recorder builds in Game Mode that can automatically detect games you're playing or streaming on PC and then capture gameplay or other clips with ease. It not only empowers you to flexibly choose the recording area, but helps record Switch gameplay with audio and webcam. Don't need to worry about quality and performance. It can capture gameplay video in 1080p 60fps or even up to 4K without no lag and fps drop thanks to hardware acceleration and low CPU usage. 

Besides gameplay recording, it is also a powerful tool to record Zoom meetings without permission, online lectures, streaming videos or ripping online audios without quality loss.

Steps of how to record Switch gameplay on PC with capture card

1. Connect HDMI coming out from your Nintendo Switch to the HDMI input port, then grab another HDMI cable plug into the HDMI output, and plug another end to your monitor.

2. Then plug in the included USB cable into your device and your computer, the device will automatically be detected as USB 3.0 HD video capture and the pop-up will appear in the bottom right corner.

3. To confirm that is working, for now, type into a Windows search bar, type in “camera”, go to it and your console will show here.

4. To screen record Switch Lite capture card & PC, the last thing you will need to do is finding a proper & stable screen recorder. I would strongly recommend you have a try to iTop Screen Recorder, it is small (100 megabytes), compact (with all functions you’ll need to record switch gameplay), clean (no addon, no malware), and the most important point is, it is FREE, no time limitation, no function restriction, plus no watermark on the captured video. Also, iTop Screen Recorder can be your sharper knife to cut through all gameplay recording problems, like how to record Gameplay on PC.

About how to record the captured Switch screen with iTop Screen Recorder, not quite difficult:

1. The UI design of iTop Screen Recorder is intuitive enough, all general functions are presented on the main menu. You can quickly access the functionality you'd like to use to record the game for all kinds.

2. Click the game console icon to access game mode. Then, turn on speaker, mic, and webcam to record Switch gameplay with audio and webcam at the same time if necessary. Next, click REC button to start recording.

Start Recording Switch Gameplay

3. Then the record will begin and the gameplay video will be perfectly captured by iTop Screen Recorder.

Switch Gameplay Recording

iTop Screen Recorder also has an online video recorder that enables users to record online content with a webcam and audio for free. No matter the online gaming, online meeting or classes, or amazon prime video, it can easily record them with full screen, a single window, or a Google Tab.

How to Record Gameplay on Nintendo Switch & Lite without Capture Card

Is there any method to record your gameplay through the Nintendo Switch lite? Or, can you record gameplay on Switch? Sure, you can, but in condition. The function itself isn’t hard to access at all. Though Nintendo was never famed for its generosity, it has still provided a screen recording function to aid in the need for recording gameplay footage.

Steps to screen record Nintendo Switch Lite and Switch with built-in recorders: 

1. To record gameplay footage, press the “Capture Button” on the left-hand Joycon and hold on for a while. You can also do a screencap by pressing the button once. The system will automatically record the game footage for the last 30 seconds.

Hold Capture Button to Record Gameplay on Switch

2. The saved videos could be found in the system album. You can access it on the system home screen’s “Album” button, then you can find all your footages & screencaps here.

Enter Album to Access Recorded Switch Gameplay Video

3. That’s it. The way how do you record gameplay on the Nintendo Switch and is also working on the Nintendo Switch Lite series. Not quite hard, right? But, how do you do to save your gameplay footage on pc for future editing & sharing? Try iTop Screen Recorder now.

How to Transfer Nintendo Switch Record Gameplay Videos to PC

Note: To complete the transfer after screen recording Switch Lite, you need to have a microSD card and make sure it can contain the videos & screenshots you’ve recorded & captured. Also, an SD card reader that reads & transfers the contents to your PC.

First, we need to copy the video clips and screenshots on your Switch to a microSD. Go to the Switch homes screen and select the small white gear icon to the “System Setting” menu.

How to Manage Gameplay Video Recorded by Switch

Second, In System settings, choose the “Data Management” tab and find “Manage Screenshots and Videos”, press button "A”.

How to Manage Gameplay Video Recorded by Switch

Third, you may choose to copy all your assets to your SD card by selecting “Copy All Screenshots and Videos you’ve recorded with Switch to SD Card”. The system will show you the process and you can skip “How to Transfer Screenshots from a MicroSD Card to Another Device” to finish the transfer.

Copy all Recorded Gameplay Videos to SDcard

In the last step, You may go to “Album” and highlight the screenshots & videos, press “A” for “Editing and Posting.” A menu will pop up on the left side of the screen. Select “Copy” then you can copy them to the SD card.

This will be the whole process to record Switch gameplay & copy the videos to your PC. It is good to have such a convenient function. But it is not perfect, as the symbolic stingy Nintendo characteristic, there are many deadly restraints.

Problems when you recording switch gameplay on the Switch console.

  • You are only permitted to record a maximum length of 30 seconds video — Which is a fatal problem. Which causes the switch built-in recorded videos are not usable on many different occasions.
  • The resolution of videos recorded via Switch built-in recorder is locked at 720p, 30FPS. Not in a satisfying quality.
  • Very limited titles are compatible: According to Nintendo’s official announcement, until march, 2021, switch video recording function only compatible within total 4 games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS & Splatoon 2.

Only Four Games are Allow to Record Gameplay on Switch

That means, the great majority, probably more than 99% of Nintendo Switch games, their gameplay can’t be recorded. The rest of the 3295 games are not compatible with the switch built-in video recorder!

For professional gamers & content creators, if anyone wants to make a game guide video or game walkthrough, best moment compilation, or any kind that needs Switch video material to make their own video content, they will need extra assistance to record Switch gameplay video from screen recorder tool - iTop Screen Recorder.

Why It Is Better to Record the Switch Gameplay Video on PC

To bypass the 30 seconds recording restriction

Using a PC to record Switch games is the only way to bypass the Nintendo recording time limitation.

To record all Nintendo Switch game lists.

Your content will be expanded dramatically and not limited to only four games.

To save your recorded video easily

Avoid complex steps that Nintendo set up to cumber you in storing, editing, or posting your personal video.

To know more detail about hot topic gameplay recording, also read >> The Best PUBG Screen Recorder for PC: Share Excellent Gameplay Easily

Conclusion

We would like to see more people notice there are many tricks about how to record Nintendo Switch gameplay (as well as how to screen record on Switch Lite ), not only because we love the games, but we want to see more players can share their happiness and joyful moments with the community, enjoy the time when creating fantastic video, to post your video publicly gain more recognition, keep the experience as the step towards the best… Without PC hardware & software support, like the decent screen recorder - iTop Screen Recorder, your talent & inspiration would never be achieved. Just try this all-around screen recorder Windows 10 to capture gameplay on PC without restriction to resolve some irritating problems.

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