If you’re a gamer who wants to show off some great gameplay, or a content creator looking to stream, you’re going to need a capture card. Luckily, we at CGM have looked at a slew of capture cards this year, and we have brought together our favourites to name our Best Capture Cards 2025, giving you a look at the best cards to use in the new year!
Capture has changed a lot in recent years, with the ability to capture 4K gameplay and content being a lot more common. With that in mind, we needed to look a little deeper in 2025 to name our capture cards that are truly going above and beyond. Whether it is the AVerMedia X’Tra Go Capture Dock that pairs being a standard handheld dock with on-the-go capture, or the Elgato 4K X capturing 4K at 120fps, we saw some truly amazing cards this year, making up our Best Capture Cards 2025 list.
Elgato Game Capture 4K X
his little card feels like the natural evolution of the Game Capture range, bringing all the latest features that have come to the world of HDMI to your fingertips. We’re talking full 4K passthrough at up to 144fps, 4K SDR capturing at a blistering 120fps, variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM) support, instant gameplay streaming, and a 3.5mm headphone jack to monitor audio.
If you’re a next-gen console gamer hungry for high-quality content, the Elgato Game Capture 4K X is hands-down the best external capture card solution available, especially for the value it brings to the table. The 4K 120fps recording abilities are fantastic and deliver flawless footage that looks incredible. And for streamers who have already invested in other Elgato products, the ecosystem integration makes production even easier.
Elgato hits it out of the park by packing bleeding-edge capture technology into a conveniently portable form factor with the Game Capture 4K X.
AVerMedia X’Tra Go Capture Dock GC515
The X’Tra Go Capture Dock GC515 has the ability to capture gameplay without requiring a connected PC. By inserting a microSD card and toggling the switch to capture mode, you can start recording with just a press of the front button. The LED indicator changes from blue to a pulsating red, letting you know you’re capturing footage. This level of simplicity is a godsend for those who want to record gameplay on the go without lugging around a laptop or dealing with complex software setups.
What impressed me most is that AVerMedia has managed to make the X’Tra Go Capture Dock GC515 a solid handheld dock and capture device. It features an HDMI 2.1 port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, three USB-C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. This wealth of ports transforms the device into a versatile hub, allowing you to connect external controllers, keyboards, or even a mouse for more complex gaming setups. It’s that extra effort that makes it something you want to use and helps it stand out.
The AVerMedia X’Tra Go Capture Dock GC515 simplifies handheld game capture while delivering excellent quality and versatility.
- 4K30 One-Touch Recording: Press a button to record your gaming and screen content at 4K30 to an SD card storage while streaming or gaming, no computer needed.
- 4K6 HDMI Output: The X’TRA GO GC515 equips with an HDMI 2.0 port that supports HDCP 1.4, enabling you to output up to 4K at 60Hz to an additional display, perfect for both work and video streaming.
AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K 2.1
Setting up the Live Gamer 4K 2.1 was remarkably straightforward and easy for most people to install and get to content creation. It really just involved slotting the card in your PC, installing the capture software of choice, and you are off to the races. AVerMedia has made the process painless, with it only taking at most five minutes from beginning to end. Since the card can work without special drivers, the AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K 2.1 is one of the easiest capture cards I have ever set up.
Throughout my testing, I was impressed with the small capture card, and for the most part, it worked fantastically. The Live Gamer 4K 2.1 delivers excellent, no-compromise 4K60 HDR game capture and pass-through for high-end HDMI 2.1 gaming. It outperforms previous generation cards with its superior quality and wide format support. Its small form factor and driverless experience also make it easy to install and use, and it feels tailor-made for content creators who just want to get to work and not worry about fiddling with software just to get an image to appear.
The AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K 2.1 excels in delivering crisp, vibrant, and stable game capture, making it a valuable tool for serious streamers and content creators.
- Multi-channel 5.1 audio capture and pass-through support – Enjoy immersive surround sound with 5.1 channel audio capture and pass-through. Please note that LPCM format supports stereo (LPCM 2.0ch) only.
Elgato 4K Pro Capture Card
The Elgato 4K Pro capture card is a PCIe 2.0 x4 card, giving you tremendous speeds for passing through and capturing your data. Setup could also not be easier. It is essentially plug-and-play. I say essentially because Elgato’s software is a fantastic tool that shouldn’t be overlooked, but we’ll talk about that in a bit. All of that being said, the 4K Pro will appear in OBS or whatever application you want as soon as it is plugged into your motherboard.
At $279.99 USD, the Elgato 4K Pro is only $30 more than its predecessor, the 4K60 Pro Mk. 2, so if you are getting an internal capture card for the first time, the 4K Pro is a no-brainer. The question really comes to whether the latest card is worth the price of upgrading from a previous model, the answer to which would be a resounding yes, particularly if you are gaming at higher frame rates. HDMI 2.1 is a game changer with its ability to give you up to a 240Hz refresh rate, so gaming computers with a beefy GPU can still be represented properly on your monitor even when passing through the 4K Pro.
The Elgato 4K Pro Capture Card is at the top end of internal capture cards available to you today. It gives you all the capture quality that you need and more passthrough quality than you would even ask for, all at a price that is comparable with its previous models, making it well worth the investment in your content.
- Seamless Broadcasting and Versatile Streaming: Connect effortlessly to any app such as OBS, Streamlabs, Twitch Studio, Restream, Zoom, Teams, and stream flawlessly on various platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Facebook Gaming, etc., providing you with unparalleled flexibility and reach.
- Unrivaled Gaming Experience: Immerse yourself in pure gameplay at an astounding 8K60 resolution, all while effortlessly capturing the action in stunning 4K60 quality.
