1. What you actually need
A computer, console or phone, a steady internet connection and free broadcasting software. That is all. A camera is optional: plenty of channels grow with gameplay and a voice.
Test your upload speed before anything else. Streaming uses upload, not download, and a stream should use well under your full upload speed so that games and voice chat keep working.
2. Software
OBS Studio is free, open source and what most tutorials assume. Start here. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and sends to Twitch, Kick and YouTube.
If you would rather not install anything, browser studios such as StreamYard and Restream run in a tab and can send one broadcast to several platforms. They suit talk shows and interviews more than fast games. Streamlabs packages alerts and overlays for people who want them ready-made.
3. Sound first
Viewers forgive a soft picture long before they forgive bad sound. If you buy one thing, make it a USB microphone. A boom arm keeps it close to your mouth and out of the frame, which matters more than the price of the microphone.
4. Camera and light
A 1080p webcam is enough. Light does more for the picture than a better camera: face a window, or put a soft light behind your monitor. Makers such as Elgato and Logitech sell cameras and lights built for streaming.
5. Consoles and second computers
You only need a capture card to bring a console or a second computer into OBS. Current consoles can also broadcast on their own, which is a fine way to find out whether you enjoy it.
6. Settings that work
Start at 720p. It looks good on phones, where much of your audience watches, and it is forgiving of a modest connection. Move to 1080p once your stream holds steady for a full session. Each platform publishes its current limits for resolution, bitrate and keyframe interval; use those numbers rather than a setting copied from an old video.
Record a ten-minute test and watch it back before your first real broadcast. Check that your voice is louder than the game.
7. Music
Music you do not have the rights to can get a broadcast muted or a channel penalised. Use music licensed for streaming, such as a subscription library like Epidemic Sound, or leave it out.
8. Looking the part
Overlays and alerts are optional. When you want them, ready-made packs from OWN3D or a designer on Fiverr cost less than your time.
9. Being found while you are small
Directories sort by viewers, so a new channel in a huge category sits far down the list. Pick a category where you can be on the first screen: our Twitch and Kick pages show how many broadcasts are live in each one right now.
Go live at the same time on the same days. Returning viewers are how small channels grow, and they can only return if they know when. Once we have seen you live, your free channel page shows your usual start time, your history and a share card you can post anywhere. Viewers looking for someone new browse Small streamers and this week’s new faces.