Got the vibe to stream the new Animal Crossing, or just about any other new Nintendo title? This is the guide that will teach you how to stream games from your Nintendo Switch!

Although most of the latest generation of games consoles allow you to stream directly from an app on the console to Twitch, one of the more conventional methods of capturing game footage – whether for streaming or for video making purposes on YouTube – has been accomplished by using a capture card.

Since the Nintendo Switch does not offer the ability to stream directly from the console, in order to share your gameplay you may need to invest in a capture card.

Nintendo Switch Capture Cards

You can find cheaper capture cards out there but these two are the gold standard of capture cards and are widely popular within the streaming community of Twitch as they operate on both Windows and Mac.

Elgato Game Capture HD60

Elgato Game Capture HD60 S

Use the following steps to set up stuff, once you have invested in a capture card.

How to use an Elgato HD60 / HD60 S
capture card to stream
your Nintendo Switch to Twitch

1. Download the Elgato Game Capture software

Either go to the Elgato website by yourself or click here to find the latest update for Windows of Game Capture.

2. Dock your Nintendo Switch

Since the capture card needs an HDMI port, in its base station you will have to dock your switch.

3. Connect your capture card to your Nintendo Switch

You have to plug your first HDMI cable into the docked Nintendo Switch HDMI-out port and plug the other end of the cable into the HDMI-in port on your capture card.

4. Connect your capture card to your screen

Now, go ahead and plug your second HDMI cable into the HDMI-out port on your capture card and connect the other end into the HDMI-in port of your TV/PC monitor.

5. Connect your capture card to your PC

Plug the USB into your computer and the other end into the capture card using the USB-C cable included with the Elgato capture card.

6. Power up your Nintendo Switch, open Game Capture and OBS

Set your OBS to window capture the gameplay once you've opened these, and you're ready to go live! It is worth double checking all your settings beforehand, as some of the defaults may not be suitable for setting up your stream to your specific needs.

Having trouble with any of the Elgato capture products? For you to resolve them, they provided a ton of support pages to help you! Click here to check it out if you're struggling.

Can you stream Nintendo Switch
without a capture card?

Nintendo Switch footage can be streamed without a capture card, but it does have other requirements of a comparable cost, in which case you are better off purchasing a capture card unless you already have the gear available.

You can use the Xbox One to stream your gameplay to your Computer, which can then be window captured in OBS, according to reddit user u/kakysha. A link to his tutorial is here.