Best OBS settings for Kick

The best OBS settings for Kick are: H.264 encoder, CBR rate control, a bitrate between 1,000 and 8,000 kbps that fits your upload speed, 1920x1080 or 1280x720 output, up to 60 fps, and a 2 second keyframe interval. These come from Kick’s own setup guide (How to stream on Kick.com). Go past Kick’s limits and the stream may not connect.

The right bitrate and preset depend on your internet and your computer. This page gives Kick’s numbers for each encoder, then helps you pick values for your setup.

Kick’s limits

Setting	Limit at the time of writing (October 2026)
Encoder	H.264 only (x264, NVENC H.264, AMD H.264). No H.265 (HEVC).
Rate control	CBR only. VBR is not supported.
Bitrate	1,000 to 8,000 kbps
Resolution	Up to 1920x1080
Frame rate	Up to 60 fps
Keyframe interval	2 s
Audio	Stereo, up to 48 kHz

Source: OBS or Streamlabs not connecting to Kick.

Before you start

1. Connect OBS to Kick with your server URL and stream key. See Find your Kick stream key.
2. Test your upload speed. Kick says it should be at least twice your bitrate.
3. In OBS, open Settings > Output and set Output Mode to Advanced. The settings below are on the Streaming tab.

Choose your encoder

Use the encoder on your graphics card if you have one. OBS says modern hardware encoders give very good quality with little impact on performance (OBS hardware encoding).

• NVIDIA graphics card: NVIDIA NVENC H.264.
• AMD graphics card: AMD HW H.264.
• No graphics card encoder, or an Intel Mac: x264 (uses the CPU).
• Mac: Kick says to use x264 on a Mac so that CBR is available.

Do not pick an HEVC (H.265) or AV1 encoder. Kick does not accept them.

Kick’s recommended settings per encoder

NVIDIA NVENC H.264

Setting	Value
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	1,000 to 8,000 kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 s
Preset	P6: Slower (Better Quality)
Tuning	Ultra Low Latency
Multipass Mode	Single Pass
Profile	main

AMD HW H.264

Kick lists the same values as for NVENC: CBR, 1,000 to 8,000 kbps, 2 s keyframes, a quality preset, ultra low latency and the main profile. The preset names in OBS can be different for AMD cards. Pick the higher quality preset first, and go lower if you see encoding lag.

x264 (CPU)

Setting	Value
Rate Control	CBR
Bitrate	1,000 to 8,000 kbps
Keyframe Interval	2 s
CPU Usage Preset	veryfast
Profile	main
Tune	zerolatency

Kick notes that the CPU preset changes how much CPU OBS uses. If your CPU is often above 90% while live, try superfast.

Rescale Output

Only turn on Rescale Output if your base resolution is larger than 1920x1080 (for example a 1440p monitor). Set it to 1920x1080 or 1280x720.

Pick a resolution and bitrate

Kick does not publish a bitrate table for OBS. Its guide for the KICK - Go Live phone app gives this rough guide, which works as a starting point on a computer too (Kick help center):

Output	Bitrate	Upload speed (2x bitrate)
1280x720, 30 fps	2,500 to 4,500 kbps	5 to 9 Mbps
1280x720, 60 fps	3,500 to 5,000 kbps	7 to 10 Mbps
1920x1080, 30 fps	4,500 to 6,000 kbps	9 to 12 Mbps
1920x1080, 60 fps	6,000 to 8,000 kbps	12 to 16 Mbps

Some tips:

• Fast games: 60 fps looks smoother. If your bitrate is limited, 720p60 often looks better than 1080p60 at the same bitrate.
• Just Chatting, IRL, art: 30 fps is fine and needs less bitrate.
• New channels: Kick says some growing channels can show viewers up to 720p60 only, until the channel reaches an engagement threshold (Why 1080p may not be available). You can still stream in 1080p. If your upload is limited, a good 720p60 stream is a sensible choice.

Set the resolution and frame rate in Settings > Video:

• Base (Canvas) Resolution: your monitor size.
• Output (Scaled) Resolution: 1920x1080 or 1280x720.
• Common FPS Values: 60 or 30.

Audio settings

Kick asks for stereo audio at 48 kHz or less. In OBS, open Settings > Audio and set Sample Rate to 48 kHz and Channels to Stereo. Do not choose 5.1 or other surround modes.

Test before you go live

1. Start a short test stream. Watch it on another device with the sound on.
2. Look at the bottom of the OBS window. OBS shows dropped frames there. If the number goes up, your bitrate is too high for your connection (Kick help center).
3. Check that your microphone is louder than game audio, and that nothing private shows on screen.

Fix lag and dropped frames

Try these in order. Kick gives the same steps:

1. Lower the bitrate by 1,000 kbps and test again.
2. Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
3. Lower the output resolution (1080p to 720p) or the frame rate (60 to 30).
4. Use a faster preset: superfast for x264, P3: Fast for NVENC and AMD.
5. Close other programs, especially browsers with many tabs.
6. Check the Kick status page. The problem may not be on your side.

Add overlays without slowing OBS down

Alerts, chat and other overlays run as Browser sources, which use some CPU and GPU. Keep only the overlays you use, and turn on Shutdown source when not visible for overlays in scenes you do not show (OBS browser source). The KickBot widgets for chat, alerts and counters are light web pages made for this. See Add a browser source in OBS.

FAQ

What bitrate should I use for Kick?

Kick accepts 1,000 to 8,000 kbps. Use a bitrate that is at most half your upload speed. For 1080p at 60 fps, Kick’s guide suggests 6,000 to 8,000 kbps. For 720p at 60 fps, 3,500 to 5,000 kbps.

What keyframe interval does Kick use?

2 seconds. Set Keyframe Interval to 2 in the OBS streaming output settings.

Can I use VBR or H.265 on Kick?

No. Kick needs CBR and H.264. A stream with VBR or H.265 can fail to connect or be rejected.

Can I stream 1440p or 4K to Kick?

No. Kick’s maximum is 1920x1080 at 60 fps. Use Rescale Output or set the output resolution to 1920x1080.