How to Stream on Youtube from PS4 – 3 Quick and Easy Steps

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Are you convinced that streaming gameplay from your Playstation 4 on Youtube, Twitch, and other services is the new way to earn money online but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.


Check out our guide on starting streaming on Youtube using your Playstation 4. 

1. Link PS4 to your Youtube account;
2. Choose “Start Broadcasting”;
3. Configure broadcast settings and start streaming!


Find out how to broadcast gameplay from your PS4 to your Youtube further down the line and get the best PS4 streaming equipment needed. 

How to Stream on Youtube from PS4

You see, YouTube is already in-built in the PlayStation, so you don’t need to buy anything extra in terms of hardware or software to start to broadcast your game.

How to Stream on Youtube from PS4

Firstly, link your PS4 with your YouTube. Here’s the step-by-step guide to start steaming in no time:

  • Find the “Settings” tab on the home screen of the PS4 and select it to open settings
  • Find “Account Management,” then select it
  • Then, down below, you will get “Link to other services.” Select it.
  • This opens up a view of options to link with other services. We need to select “YouTube” because we want to link your PS4 with a Youtube account
  • Follow the easy instructions you get to finish linking your account—select sign in to get into your Google account needed for Youtube

Bonus tip: opt for a PlayStation camera and a microphone for a pro live streaming experience. We assure you, the time and money you’ll spend on this will be worth it!

2. Select Start Broadcasting

Time for step 2 on how to start broadcasting your gameplay. The setting up of the streaming service is extremely beginner-friendly, so keep following our instructions.

First, you want to go to the game you want to live stream. Then, when it loads up, you press the ‘share button’ on the top of your controller.

This button on your controller will bring up a new screen, where you can see many options. 

Go three tabs down where you see ‘Broadcast gameplay.’ Click the X button on your controller on this tab. By doing this, you select ‘broadcast gameplay,’ which leads to an option to link with other services.

On the broadcast gameplay page, you get two options for the services you want to stream on, Twitch and Youtube, depending on your accounts.

Go ahead and select the Youtube service to connect it to your existing account. If you want to stream gameplay on the Twitch service, you can choose your Twitch account instead.

3. Configure broadcast settings and start streaming

You now get many broadcast settings options to choose the video quality tags and write your video title and the description. Fill all these in as you see fit, and configure the broadcast settings.

For example, please put the game’s name in the video’s title to make it easier for viewers to search for your broadcast gameplay.

Last but not least, don’t forget to invite friends!

  • If you want more advanced video stream settings, you can press the ‘Options’ on your controller. It will open the detailed settings. We recommend checking the tab ‘using the Playstation camera for streaming.’ 
  • See how the camera looks in the second tab of the advanced settings, pressing the square bottom on the controller. You can test how the live stream will look and be prepared for the real thing in no time!

If you want good video quality for the live video, you should also have a stable and fast Internet connection.

Select ‘start broadcasting’ to start playing the game and streaming for the last step!

How to Stop Broadcasting on Youtube from PS4

You can stop broadcasting when you’re done with playing the game and the spectators’ comments. Namely, press the share button on your controller again. The share button will lead you to the share menu screen.

To stop streaming, select ‘Broadcast settings’ and then ‘Stop broadcasting.’ This option should end the stream.

Common Issues

Check out the common issues that happen when you try to link your PS4 to Youtube:

The stream cut off

When you see the red dot that indicates recording disappear, it means that you’re no longer recording the video. The viewers won’t know what happened, and then they have to search for your stream again.

This feedback could be very frustrating, so our advice is to check if you are still online. The stream usually cuts off because you are suddenly offline.

Make sure you have a stable connection before starting any live stream.

Live video delays

Suddenly, during your game, you see on the screen that the chat is exploding with complaints from your viewers. They are all saying that you’re lagging or delaying.

Don’t worry; this happens from time to time. In a nutshell, your Internet connection is not the best when it comes to speed, and you can’t handle the full HD video options of the broadcast. The best thing you can do is lower the streaming video quality, which should fix the stream delay in a second!

Viewers don’t hear you

You notice that you answer the comments and the spectators’ questions, but you don’t get anything back. Is it possible that they don’t hear you?

You can fix it in several ways. For example, check if the headset and microphone are connected well. Then, check the audio settings because you might have set the audio to ‘low.’ Also, you could have muted yourself on accident. It happens when you press the “mute” button on the controller.

Frequently Asked Questions

faq ps4 youtube streaming

How do I enable YouTube streaming on PS4?

You may know that your YouTube and PlayStation 4 accounts already have a connection, so enabling your streaming is easy.

1. You start to connect your accounts when you press the ‘Settings’ option on your home screen. Then choose the ‘Account management’ tab. Now, Link with other services and choose the streaming service you want: Youtube or Twitch.
2. Select Youtube
3. Choose sign-in. You will get the sign-in instructions on the new screen, so follow them. You might be asked for a code to input, so your computer or mobile device will need your identity confirmation.

Great, you’ve just enabled Youtube streaming on your PS4!

What equipment do I need to stream on YouTube PS?

You don’t need a lot of equipment to start streaming. We recommend you have:

1. DualShock controller with the share button (you need to press the share button to enable streaming)
2. External microphone or headphones
3. Good lighting ring or DIY lighting
4. Streaming monitors to see the chat separately from the game
5. Green screen (or a clean background behind you)
6. Capture card

How to use a capture card?

If you’re a serious gamer, we urge you to learn how to use a capture card because you get way more control over your stream. Namely, using the console for broadcasting can be slow or patchy, as you might have already experienced.

This device lets you link your computer to your PS4 instead of just your TV, which doesn’t have much computing power.

So, linking your PC with your PS4 will give you a high-quality video, and the capture card helps you with that.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Make sure everything is plugged in first – the capture card goes into the PS4 and the card into the PC
2. Open the software for the capture card (most is built-in)
3. Choose your service and link all your accounts
4. Configure all the settings; you can choose between hardware (CPU) or software encoding (using your graphics card).
5. Close the settings and start the broadcast as described in previous steps

Conclusion

We hope that we have helped you figure out how to enable broadcasting on Youtube from your PS4, configure settings, and find the best and cheapest equipment. Also, you know that you can quickly fix common issues like stream cut-offs, delays, and the lack of audio without Googling.

Did these tips for fixing issues with broadcasting on Youtube from PS4 help you? Let us know in the comments below!

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author on the blog

Stefan Mitrovic

Stefan is a long-time content creator and one of the Stream Mentor's co-founders. He's a tech geek and a Dota 2 player (not even a good one) who wanted to help others become professional streamers and earn from the comfort of their home.

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