NVIDIA ShadowPlay Pricing & Plans

ShadowPlay saves recordings as MP4 files (and sometimes MKV depending on your NVIDIA App version). The default codec is H.264 (AVC), while H.265 (HEVC) is automatically used for HDR recordings or high-frame-rate captures above 60 FPS. RTX 40-series and newer GPUs also support AV1 encoding via the latest NVIDIA App. Bitrate is adjustable — for 1080p60 recording, 15–50 Mbps is the recommended sweet spot, and newer NVIDIA App versions support up to 250 Mbps for compatible encoders. Note that ShadowPlay uses Variable Bitrate (VBR), so the actual bitrate fluctuates based on scene complexity even when a target is set.