Action! - Gameplay Recording and Streaming Review Summary

Streaming and rich features meet a user-friendly interface, but frequent crashes, missing customization, and performance issues hold it back.

Streaming and Upload Capabilities: Users praise the ability to live stream directly to platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook, as well as direct upload to YouTube and Facebook. The streaming supports up to 1080p/60fps and is free to use.

Rich Feature Set: The software offers multiple recording modes (game, full screen, window), built-in noise reduction, separate audio tracks, hardware acceleration (NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD APP), and supports recording games, classes, meetings, and more.

User-Friendly Interface: The software is consistently described as easy to use with an intuitive, clean, and simple interface. Users find it straightforward and pleasant to navigate.

High Performance and Low Impact: The program is lightweight, causes no lag even on weak PCs, and minimizes FPS drops. It also produces good file sizes with high quality, making it ideal for low-end systems.

Overall Positive Feedback: Many users simply describe the program as good, excellent, or one of the best recording tools they have used. It is consistently recommended for game recording and screen capture.

Frequent crashes and instability: A vast number of users report that Action! crashes frequently, freezes, becomes unresponsive, or causes system instability. These issues often occur on opening, during recording, after updates, or when alt-tabbing. Some users note that the program causes games to crash as well.

Missing features and limited customization: Users find Action! lacking essential features present in competitors, such as scene switching, separate audio tracks, audio layer adjustment, background replacement, chroma key for windows, plugin support, built-in video editor, and advanced streaming options. This limits its usefulness for content creators.

Performance problems and resource usage: Users report poor optimization, with Action! causing lag, frame drops, and high CPU/GPU usage even when idle. Recording can result in slideshow-like performance, especially on weaker PCs or with demanding games. Large file sizes and slow startup add to the issues.

Inferior to OBS Studio: Many users directly compare Action! to OBS Studio, stating that OBS is free, has a better interface, more features, and is more customizable. This comparison is the most common criticism, indicating a clear market disadvantage.

Pricing and subscription model criticized: Many users consider Action! overpriced, especially compared to free alternatives like OBS. The subscription fee for live streaming and watermark removal, along with the base price being high, is a major point of frustration. Users also note that the software frequently goes on sale, causing buyer regret.

Comprehensive recording and streaming features: This software offers extensive recording capabilities including screen, gameplay, and desktop capture, along with live streaming, clipping, time-shift recording, and screenshot capture. It supports multiple codecs, high resolutions, key-bindings, and direct upload to social media platforms.

Stability issues and game compatibility problems: Users report various stability issues including crashes, freezing, and black flickering during playback. Compatibility problems exist with specific games like Destiny 2 and titles using Denuvo or anticheat software.

User-friendly interface and OBS alternative: The software features a simple and intuitive interface, making it beginner-friendly. It is often praised as more practical than OBS, with a gamemode and HUD panel for easy control.

Smooth performance across hardware: The software runs smoothly on both low-end and high-end hardware, providing reliable performance even after long usage. Users report smooth capture without significant lag.

Low resource usage and lightweight: Multiple reviews highlight the software's low CPU and system load, making it suitable for weak PCs. It consumes fewer resources than OBS and Fraps, with minimal FPS loss (3-7 FPS) and no noticeable performance impact on various hardware, including old systems and low-end GPUs like GTX 750 Ti or 950m.

Crashes and freezes during recording or saving: Several users report that the software freezes or crashes when saving, starting recording, or during use. These crashes often cause the game to close or the program to become unresponsive. Issues occur especially after updates or when recording in MP4 format.

Compatibility issues with updates and hardware: The software has problems after Windows 11 update, Nvidia driver updates, and with DirectX 12. There are also issues with AMD 9000 series, multi-GPU systems (wrong GPU default), and some games like CS and Overwatch showing graphic bugs. The program may require updates to fix these.

Positive comparison to OBS and other tools: Several users claim the software is less resource-intensive, has lower CPU load, higher bitrate, and even gives FPS gain compared to OBS. It also doesn't drop FPS like OBS does. However, its startup time is slower (3-5 seconds vs OBS instant).

High-quality recording features: The software supports up to 4K/8K recording, up to 144fps, hardware acceleration for direct MP4 encoding (H.264/H.265), and stable streaming. No artifacts or lag during capture.

Overall positive but with caveats: Many users give positive recommendations, often coupled with advice to buy on sale or acknowledging that it is good for basic recording but not for advanced streaming. The sentiment is mixed but leans positive with conditions.

OBS is a better alternative: Multiple users strongly recommend using OBS Studio instead of Action! due to its superior features, free price, and flexibility. Users consistently suggest switching to OBS for recording and streaming.

Recommended for beginners and low-end systems: Action! is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a good choice for novice content creators or users with modest hardware. It offers quick setup without complex configuration.

Buy on sale to get value: Many reviewers advise purchasing Action! only during Steam sales or discounts, stating it is not worth the full price. Recommended sale price points include under $5, 40-50% off, and specific regional prices.

Technical issues and workarounds: Users report serious problems including HDR compatibility issues, crashes, game launch conflicts with Denuvo, and AVI file playback issues on older hardware. Some workarounds exist (changing color depth, driver downgrades) but reduce reliability.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

OBS Convert: Previously used Action! for recording but now uses OBS; values stability, constant updates, and no DRM restrictions. Motivation: Reliability and cost savings by switching to a free, well-maintained alternative. Stance: no buy.

Casual Recorder: Uses default or near-default settings for recording gameplays or screen; values quick results and low CPU usage. Motivation: Simple, hassle-free recording without needing to learn complex settings. Stance: buy.

Feature-Focused Streamer: Customizes hotkeys and feature toggles; uses Action! for guided content, streaming, and detailed video production; may supplement with other tools. Motivation: Access to specific recording features (time-shift, multi-track audio, real-time zoom) that improve content creation workflow. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The software exhibits critical incompatibilities with Linux (Steam Deck), fails to record games using Easy Anti-Cheat or Denuvo, and imposes a slow, always-online startup. These issues collectively render the tool unreliable and often broken on Steam Deck, requiring extensive tinkering or rendering it unusable for many use cases.

Linux and Proton: The sole user review indicates that the software does not currently support Linux, and the user is asking for that support while noting that a competitor (OBS) already provides it. No positive Linux/Proton experiences are reported, and no workarounds or launch options are mentioned. The evidence points to the software being effectively non‑functional on Linux, with no known compatibility layer success.

Steam invisibility feature request: Users request an option to hide the game's presence on Steam, similar to how OBS can be configured to not show in game lists, to improve privacy or avoid detection while streaming.

Windows 10 support concerns: Players express worry about the future of Windows 10 support for the game, fearing potential compatibility issues or lack of updates on that operating system.

Recommendation from Bilibili influencer: Multiple players report discovering the game through a recommendation on Bilibili by Joe, highlighting a significant source of new users and potential marketing impact.