The Create button captures and shares your gameplay

The Create button on your PS5 controller is a shortcut to record video clips, take screenshots, and manage your broadcast settings without pausing your game. It sits to the left of the touchpad on the controller face. Pressing it once opens a menu where you can save the last few minutes of gameplay, grab a still image, or start streaming to Twitch or YouTube.

Unlike the older PlayStation Share button, the Create button gives you more control over what you capture and where it goes. You can trim clips before saving them, add a caption, and choose whether to keep the file private or share it with your friends list or the public.

The button works across all PS5 games and the system menu itself. You do not need a capture card, external recorder, or special software — the PS5 handles everything built-in.

Key Takeaways

  • Press the Create button once to open a menu for recording clips, taking screenshots, or adjusting broadcast settings.
  • The PS5 automatically saves the last 15 minutes of gameplay in the background, so you can capture moments you did not plan to record.
  • You can trim clips, add captions, and choose who sees them before you save or share.
  • Holding the Create button for a few seconds starts or stops a live stream to Twitch or YouTube without opening the menu.

Recording a clip with the Create button

Press the Create button once to bring up the capture menu. Select Save Video Clip to record the last 15 minutes of gameplay by default. A dialog box appears asking how much of that 15-minute window you want to keep — you can trim it down to as little as 30 seconds or keep the full length.

Once you choose the length, the PS5 saves the clip to your console storage. The file appears in your Captures folder, which you can access from the PS5 home screen under your profile. From there you can watch it, trim it further, add a caption, or upload it to YouTube or send it to a friend through the PlayStation Network.

Clips are saved in MP4 format at up to 4K resolution if your console and TV support it. The frame rate matches your game — usually 60 frames per second for most PS5 titles.

Taking a screenshot

Press the Create button and select Take Screenshot to capture a still image of what is on your screen right now. The screenshot saves instantly to your Captures folder as a PNG file.

Screenshots are useful for capturing a specific moment you want to share without the overhead of a video file. You can edit them on the PS5 using basic tools like cropping and brightness adjustment, or download them to a USB drive to edit on a computer.

Starting a live stream

Hold down the Create button for a few seconds to start broadcasting to Twitch or YouTube without opening the menu. The first time you do this, the PS5 asks which platform you want to use and whether you want to go live immediately or set up your stream settings first.

You can choose your broadcast title, description, and privacy level before going live. The PS5 captures your gameplay audio and microphone input if you have a headset plugged in. Once you are streaming, a small indicator appears on screen showing your viewer count and letting you end the broadcast quickly.

To stop streaming, hold the Create button again or go to the broadcast menu and select End Stream.

Adjusting Create button settings

Go to Settings on your PS5 home screen, then select Captures and Broadcasts. Here you can change how long the PS5 records in the background (the default is 15 minutes, but you can set it to 30 minutes or as low as 5 minutes), choose your default video quality, and set which platforms you stream to.

You can also turn off automatic background recording if you want to save storage space, though this means you will only capture clips you intentionally record going forward. The settings also let you control who can see your clips — just you, your friends, or everyone on the PlayStation Network.

Where your clips and screenshots go

All captures save to your console's internal storage. On a standard PS5, you have about 667 GB of usable space after the system software takes its share. Video clips take up more room than screenshots — a 15-minute clip at 4K can be 3 to 5 GB depending on the game.

You can manage your storage by deleting old clips from the Captures folder, or by uploading them to YouTube or sending them to friends, which frees up space on your console. If you run low on storage, the PS5 warns you before it stops recording new clips.

To move clips to a computer, connect a USB drive to your PS5, go to your Captures folder, select the clip you want, and choose Copy to USB Storage Device. You can then plug the drive into a PC or Mac to edit the files in video software like DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record longer than 15 minutes?

The automatic background recording maxes out at 30 minutes. If you want to capture a longer session, start a manual recording by pressing Create and selecting Save Video Clip, then choose the full available length. For streams longer than a few hours, use the live broadcast feature instead of saving clips.

What happens if I press Create while streaming?

You can still take screenshots and save clips while you are live. The clips you save will not include your stream overlay or chat, just the raw gameplay. Your viewers will see you pause briefly to open the Create menu, but the stream itself keeps running.

Can I use the Create button on a different controller?

Yes. Any PS5 controller connected to your console can use the Create button. The captures save to whichever profile is currently playing, so if you are signed in as a different user, clips go to that user's Captures folder.

Do I need PlayStation Plus to use the Create button?

No. Recording clips, taking screenshots, and saving them to your console works without any subscription. You do need PlayStation Plus to stream to Twitch or YouTube, or to upload clips directly to YouTube from your PS5.

Why is my clip blurry or low quality?

Check your capture settings in Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Video Quality. If it is set to Standard, switch it to High or Best to improve quality. Keep in mind that higher quality clips take up more storage space.