How to Choose the Best Twitch Bitrate

What to Know

Open Twitch Studio > Click Settings > Stream > Re-Optimize Settings. Wait for the test to complete, then click Apply Settings.
If you're not using Twitch Studio, the recommendation is to stream at 720P at 60FPS with a bitrate of 4,500kbps for fast-paced games.
Lower it to 30FPS and 3,000kbps for slower-paced games.

This article explains how to find the optimal Twitch bitrate using Twitch Studio, general recommendations, or basing it on your upload speeds.

How to Select the Right Streaming Bitrate for Twitch

It's important to choose the right streaming bitrate for your Twitch stream to get the highest quality audio and video. There's no one best bitrate for Twitch as it's affected by multiple different factors such as your internet connection and computer specifications. However, the Twitch Studio app offers a great way of finding out the best settings for your system. Here's how to do it.

Open Twitch Studio.
Click Settings in the bottom-right corner.
Click Stream.
Click Re-Optimize Settings.
Wait for the test to complete.
Click Apply Settings to choose the optimal settings for your system.

If you'd prefer to manually change the settings, you can change the Stream Settings from the same section by clicking the drop-down menus.

Dealing With Slow Upload Speed

Upload speed is a pivotal part of streaming to Twitch. It dictates how quickly you can send your data to the Twitch servers for others to watch your stream. It's important to know what your upload speed is by running a Speed Test. Twitch recommends an upload speed of 3,000kbps (around 0.4MB/s) for 720p at 30FPS. If it's lower than that, you can change your bitrate accordingly or you could call your ISP to arrange a higher upload speed if needed.

Ultimately though, the key is to adjust your bitrate so that it doesn't overwhelm your upload connection. ISPs tend to charge more for higher upload rates so the cheapest alternative is to choose a bitrate based upon your upload speed.

Choosing a Bitrate Based Upon Your Upload Speed

As mentioned, upload speed is an important thing to consider when figuring out the best settings for streaming on Twitch. Here's general advice on what works for many users.

Always run an internet speed test so you know what your upload speed is, and bear in mind that your computer hardware may mean you still need to stream at a lower quality.

When your bitrate is 4,000kbps or less. Expect to only be able to stream at 720p and 30FPS at most.
5,000kbps or less means a small boost. With an extra 1,000kbps at your disposal, you can bump your settings up to 720p and 60FPS.
What to do with 6,000kbps upload speed. An upload speed of 6,000kbps enables you to run your stream at 900p with 60fps. If you're a Twitch partner, you can increase that to 1080p.
Don't be afraid to experiment. It's worth seeing what works best for you, as well as your viewers. Lower settings can often reap better rewards, even if you're able to stream at a high rate.