Discord is a popular social client that allows users to access countless servers where they can chat, text, and send a wide variety of media files.
As it is primarily a gaming platform, it was only a matter of time before Discord released its own live streaming feature.
This popular app recently released a beta version of the “Go Live” feature, which allows users to stream their gaming sessions to friends on the same channel. This article will walk you through the “Go Live” feature and explain everything you need to know.
How to Go Live on Discord
If you want to stream your game session on Discord, you must be a member of the Discord voice channel. Also, the game you intend to stream must be in Discord’s database. Since Discord has a built-in game detection mechanism, it should automatically recognize the game when you start it.
Launch The Game You Want To Go Live With
Start a game you want to stream. A small dialog box will appear informing you that Discord has recognized the game.
Note:If your game isn’t available on Discord’s game detection feature, you won’t be able to go live with it. However, if it doesn’t appear immediately, try going toSettings>Game Activitiesto add your game.
- Click “Go Live”
- Click the “Go Live” button that appears at the bottom left of the screen (above the status bar). A new window should appear.
- Select a voice channel where you want to stream the game.
When you go live, you will see a small picture-in-picture (PiP) window of the game you are streaming. This allows you to see how it looks from the viewer’s point of view.
You can hover over the small window and adjust some streaming settings like resolution and frame rate. Normal users can only stream up to 720p / 30fps.
However, Nitro Classic subscribers can stream 1080p / 60fps. Also, if you are a Nitro subscriber, you can set a resolution up to 4k / 60fps.
Eventually, you can also invite others to join your voice channel and watch your streaming session. You will see a small “Invite” icon at the bottom left of the PiP window where you can send direct invitations. There is also an option to post the invite link on a certain channel as well.
What If Discord Doesn’t Recognize The Game?
If the game doesn’t appear automatically, you can try adding it manually. ù
Click the “User Settings” button next to your username in the lower left corner.
- Select “Games”.
- Select the “Add” button under the “No games detected” notification.
- Once the game is added, Discord should recognize it every time you start it. However, if it still fails to recognize the game, you will not be able to stream it.
Who can go Live?
Any friends you invite to the Discord channel can follow the same steps from above and stream their gaming sessions. If you are the owner of a server and want to manage who can / cannot go live, you can do so by adjusting the permissions.
- Click the Server tab on the left of the screen.
- Go to “Server Settings”.
- Find the “Roles” section at the top left of the menu.
- In this section you can manage the permissions of all your users.
Alternatively, you can right click on your voice channel and select “Edit”. Channel’. In the “Permissions” section you can disable the “Go live” option for the entire channel.
How To Watch Friends Stream?
If you want to join another user’s stream, you need to be part of the same voice channel. Once the user starts streaming, you will see the “live” notification next to the user’s icon in the channel list.
There are two ways to join the stream: you can click once on the user’s profile and then select “Watch Stream” from the screen that appears on the right. The other way is to double click on the user’s name and the streaming window will appear automatically.
When you join the streaming voice channel, you can double click the streaming window to switch to full screen. Also, you can manage the stream volume and you can drag the small streaming window and resize it according to your preferences.
Adding Overlays to Your Live Stream
The Discord Overlay widget allows you to use most of the app’s features while playing in full screen. Thanks to the integration of the Overlay and Go Live features, you can easily start your stream without leaving the game’s full screen mode.
- Start a game you want to play.
- Press the Overlay hotkey.
- Select the game displayed on the user bar. The streaming window will appear.
- Click “Go Live”.
When streaming starts, all streaming settings will be displayed on the Overlay tool. You can use it to control who is watching, manage settings, invite other users and end the streaming session.
To check if anyone is watching, look for the small eye icon next to the user’s status bar.
Can You Stream Or Watch From Mobile?
Unfortunately, the Go Live feature is not yet available for mobile phones. You can only go live from the Windows desktop app. If you want to watch a stream, you can do it from both your browser and desktop client.
According to the official Discord website, mobile app viewers will be available soon, but there is no indication as to whether streaming will also be possible from smart devices.
Go Live: Constantly Improving
As the Go-Live functionality is still relatively new, you can expect some major changes in the following months.
At the moment, you can only invite 10 other people to watch your stream, so it’s still a somewhat private experience. There is still a long way to go before it reaches Twitch proportions. On the other hand, it’s a great way to hang out with your friends while playing your favorite game titles.