The private server scene has always had its own streamers. Watch any realm launch and somebody is already live on it, and the reason the scene is bigger than its player numbers suggests is partly that it produces hours of free content. If you want to do that, you do not need a studio. You need three things, and only one of them is about the game.
The rule that decides your shopping list
Do you need a capture card at all? If the game runs on the same machine you stream from, yes. If you run the game on a second PC or a spare machine, you do not, because the streaming software captures the game window directly. A capture card exists to pull the picture out of a second device, usually a console or a second PC, through HDMI.
That single question decides whether the biggest line item in this guide is something you need or something you were about to buy for the wrong reason.
The capture card
If you do need one, the Elgato Cam Link 4K was about $90 on 22 October and rated 4.4 across 1,000 ratings. It is the plain, cheap, reliable way to turn any HDMI source into a webcam that your streaming software can see, which also means you can use it for a second camera later.
For the same job with console support, the Elgato 4K S capture card was about $147 and rated 4.4 across 1,733 ratings, and the older and cheaper Cam Link 4K was about $46 and rated 4.4 across 14,032 ratings, which is the most reviewed capture card on this page and the one to buy if you are not sure.
None of these are needed to stream a private server on a single machine. They are needed when the game is somewhere else.
The camera
Two options, and the expensive one is rarely the right one.
The Logitech C920x was about $68 on 22 October and rated 4.3 across 8,049 ratings, and the Logitech C922 was about $94 and rated 4.4 across 16,309 ratings. Both are 1080p and both are what most private server streams use, because they work, they mount anywhere, and they do not need a second computer.
If you already own a decent camera or a phone, the Cam Link 4K at about $46 turns whatever you have into a webcam, and it is the cheapest way to look like you have a camera.
The second screen
This is the piece people skip, and it is the one that makes streaming a private server bearable. Your game needs a monitor, your chat needs a window, your notes need a window, and your stream deck needs somewhere to sit.
The Amazon Basics 24 inch 165Hz gaming monitor was about $110 on 22 October and rated 4.4 across 2,911 ratings, and the Dell 24 inch 240Hz gaming monitor was about $120 and rated 4.7, which is the better rated of the two and about ten dollars more.
For control rather than pixels, the Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 was about $135 and rated 4.4 across 3,650 ratings, fifteen macro keys that put your scene changes, your raid pull warnings and your soundboard one button away instead of a keyboard shortcut you will miss mid fight.
Lighting and background
A portable green screen backdrop stand was about $40 on 22 October and rated 4.5 across 2,309 ratings. It is the cheapest way to look deliberate, and it is worth it before any camera upgrade, because a plain wall with a lamp on one side of your face looks better than a good camera lit badly.
A good microphone matters more than a good camera for a private server stream, because a private server stream is mostly talking. Our audio guide covers that, and the microphone choices there are the same ones streamers use.
Two rules that are not optional
Ask the operator before you stream a private server. Not because they own the raid footage, but because a stream is promotion. Every realm operator we track would rather know, and the ones who are serious will give you their launch date, their rules and their Discord, which makes the stream better. It is also the difference between a stream people watch and a stream that gets a realm a legal problem.
Keep your account details off screen. Passwords, character names of other players, server addresses, and Discord invite links are all things you should not put on stream, and the last one in particular gets your account stolen in a week. Blizzard's terms also do not cover the music you play over a stream, so use the game's own score and the sound effects, which are the better soundtrack anyway.
Or browse the catalog
Search capture cards → · Streaming webcams → · Stream decks →
Some of the scene's own creators are on our creator page, and if you want something to listen to while you set up, the radio page streams the old Turtle WoW station around the clock, and the music page has nineteen ambience playlists.