Browser sources are how almost every interactive overlay reaches your stream. Here is what to know.

Short answer

OBS browser source games are web pages added to OBS as a Browser source that read your live chat and render gameplay into your stream; they need the correct dimensions and two settings left unticked so the game keeps its state between scene changes.

What a browser source game actually is

It is a live web page rendered inside OBS. Because it is a page rather than an image, it can read chat, animate and keep score — and because OBS renders it into your video, viewers see it on any platform and any device.

Adding one

The process is the same for any overlay service.

  1. Sources → + → Browser
  2. Paste the game URL
  3. Set Width and Height to the game's designed size
  4. FPS 60 if your machine is comfortable, else 30
  5. Position and lock the source in your scene

The two settings that break games

These sound helpful and are not.

  • "Shutdown source when not visible" — kills the game whenever you switch scenes, losing scores and the chat connection
  • "Refresh browser when scene becomes active" — restarts it on every scene change, resetting everything

If your game keeps forgetting scores or disconnecting from chat when you change scenes, one of those two boxes is ticked.

Sizing correctly

Set the source to the game's native resolution, then scale it in the scene if needed. Setting a small size and stretching produces blurry text; an oversized source wastes GPU for no gain.

For a portrait game on a landscape canvas, keep the portrait dimensions and place it to one side rather than distorting it.

Troubleshooting a blank source

A blank source nearly always means the page failed to load or errored before rendering.

  1. Right-click the source → Interact, to see what OBS is rendering
  2. Open the same URL in a normal browser
  3. Check the link has not expired or been revoked
  4. Right-click → Refresh
  5. Check no VPN or firewall is blocking the domain

Performance

Each browser source is a small browser. A few are fine; a dozen animated ones will cost frames.

  • Use 30 FPS for static overlays
  • Share one source across scenes rather than duplicating it
  • Remove overlays you no longer use