Streaming is an easy activity in the gaming world. All you need is a stable internet connection and a powerful gaming PC. However, if you experience frame drops while streaming, it can affect your viewers’ experience.
In general, you may not notice when your stream starts dropping frames, but your viewers will. This can cause them to miss moments of the action. If you’ve been receiving complaints about frame drops, it’s important to fix the issues and improve your stream’s quality.
Here are some tips to help you stop dropping frames during a Twitch stream:
Change your bitrate
Adjusting your bitrate is often the quickest fix for dropping frames on Twitch. Bitrate refers to the amount of data you send to Twitch while streaming. Setting your bitrate too high can cause frame drops, so you may need to lower it. You can also try lowering your output resolution to reduce the number of frames you’re working with. It’s recommended to refer to a guide by Twitch for the best bitrate settings.
Troubleshoot your upload speed
When streaming on Twitch, you’ll be uploading more than downloading. Check your upload speed and compare it to your download speed. Higher upload speeds are necessary for smoother streaming. If your upload speed is low, consider upgrading your internet plan.
Don’t stream on Wi-Fi
Streaming wirelessly can result in a poor connection quality. If you experience frame drops while streaming on Wi-Fi, try connecting your router with an Ethernet cable for a more stable connection.
Try out different broadcast servers
Depending on your location, there might be multiple broadcast servers available to you. If you’re experiencing frame drops, try switching to a different server to see if it improves your stream’s quality.
Restart your stream
In rare cases, software-related errors can cause frame drops. You can try to find the exact error using debugging tools, but restarting your stream can also solve the problem.
Restart your router and change your DNS
A simple router reset can fix connection problems. It assigns a new connection route between you and your ISP, which can help eliminate frame drops. Additionally, changing your DNS can also improve connectivity. Most players use the DNS addresses provided by their ISP, but they can go down. Changing your DNS can help resolve frame drop issues.
Contact Twitch support
If you’ve optimized your connection and streaming software but are still experiencing frame drops, it’s best to contact Twitch support. They will investigate the broadcast server closest to you and determine if there are any issues. In cases like this, the resolution time can vary, taking hours or even days.