Awesome Linux Game Tools: gpu-screen-recorder-gtk

Awesome Linux Game Tools is a series of reviews showcasing the finest tools for Linux gamers.

When we want to capture a video of our desktop, our thoughts always turn towards OBS Studio, open source software for video recording and live streaming. OBS Studio may seem very unfriendly at first, but it’s generally regarded as a must-have for streamers. With Linux, there are always other open source alternatives.

gpu-screen-recorder-gtk is a GTK frontend for GPU Screen Recorder. It’s billed as a screen recorder that minimizes system performance by recording using the GPU only. It also claims to be the fastest screen recording tool for Linux. That’s a bold claim indeed and piqued our senses.

This screen recorder can be used to record your desktop, for live streaming with Twitch and YouTube, and for NVIDIA-like instant replay, where only the last few seconds are saved.

Installation

We tested gpu-screen-recorder-gtk on Manjaro. There’s a package in the Arch User Repository which compiled with no fuss and bother. Plain sailing all the way.

If you’re running on a non-Arch based distro, it’s easiest to install the Flatpak.

$ flatpak install flathub com.dec05eba.gpu_screen_recorder

And then run the software with the command:

$ flatpak run com.dec05eba.gpu_screen_recorder

Here’s a video captured with GPU Screen Recorder.

As the source code is available, we can always build the software.

While we’re at it, you’re likely to need a good video editor. Our recommended video editors are covered in this roundup.

Next page: Page 2 – In Operation and Summary

Pages in this article:
Page 1 – Introduction and Installation
Page 2 – In Operation and Summary