Guides · OBS Studio · Twitch
OBS Bitrate Settings for Twitch: What to Use in 2026
By Yaseen Khatib · October 23, 2026
For a 1080p60 Twitch stream, set OBS to CBR at 6,000 kbps — and go up to 7,500 kbps only if your upload speed comfortably allows it. Twitch raised its maximum for 1080p to 7.5 Mbps in June 2026, but 6,000 kbps is still the setting that works for most viewers and most connections. Use a 2-second keyframe interval. The rest of this guide covers lower resolutions and how to pick a bitrate your connection can actually hold.
OBS bitrate settings for Twitch, by resolution
These are the starting points. Twitch's long-standing encoding guide uses the lower end of each range; the upper end of the 1080p row reflects the higher limits Twitch announced in June 2026.
| Resolution and frame rate | Video bitrate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p, 60 fps | 6,000 – 7,500 kbps | Best for fast games if your upload can hold it |
| 1080p, 30 fps | 4,500 – 6,000 kbps | Slower games, Just Chatting |
| 720p, 60 fps | 4,500 – 6,000 kbps | The safest choice for fast games on modest uploads |
| 720p, 30 fps | 3,000 – 4,500 kbps | Weak connections or very low-end PCs |
Set these in Settings → Output → Output Mode: Advanced → Streaming:
- Rate control: CBR. Twitch's ingest expects a constant bitrate.
- Bitrate: from the table.
- Keyframe interval: 2 seconds.
- Audio: 160 kbps AAC is plenty for voice and game audio.
1440p ("2k") streaming on Twitch, at up to 9 Mbps with the HEVC codec, is available to Partners and Affiliates through Twitch's Enhanced Broadcasting, not through a plain single-stream setup.
How to pick a bitrate your connection can hold
The table is the ceiling, not the target. Your upload speed decides what you can actually sustain:
- Run a speed test and note the upload number, not download.
- Keep your total stream bitrate (video plus audio) to roughly three quarters of that upload, so a busy evening on your connection does not drop frames.
- If your upload is 8 Mbps, 6,000 kbps video is about the limit. If it is under 6 Mbps, drop to 720p at around 4,000 kbps.
A stable stream at a lower bitrate looks far better to viewers than a sharper one that stutters. Twitch's own guidance says the same.
Why higher is not always better on Twitch
Two reasons to stay moderate even if your upload is huge:
- Viewers' connections. If your channel does not get quality options (the transcodes that let a viewer pick 480p or 720p), every viewer receives your full bitrate. Twitch says it has added server-side transcoding for Partners and many Affiliates, but not every channel gets it. A very high bitrate then means buffering for viewers on mobile or slow Wi-Fi.
- Your encoder. More bitrate does not fix a struggling encoder. If OBS shows encoding lag, the fix is elsewhere — see OBS 'Encoding Overloaded': What It Means and How to Fix It.
Checking that it works
- Open View → Stats in OBS during a test stream.
- Watch Dropped frames (network). Anything consistently above zero means the bitrate is too high for your connection right now — lower it in steps of 500 kbps.
- If frames missed due to rendering lag or skipped frames due to encoding lag are climbing instead, bitrate is not the problem; it is your GPU or encoder.
Which encoder to pair with these settings is covered in NVENC vs x264 for Streaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best OBS bitrate for Twitch? 6,000 kbps CBR for 1080p60 is the safe default. Twitch allows up to 7,500 kbps for 1080p since June 2026, if your upload can hold it.
What bitrate should I use for 720p60 on Twitch? Between 4,500 and 6,000 kbps, with CBR and a 2-second keyframe interval.
Why does my Twitch stream drop frames at 6,000 kbps? Your upload cannot sustain it, or something else on your network is using it. Lower the bitrate in 500 kbps steps until dropped frames stay at zero.
