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How to Multistream to YouTube, Twitch, and Kick at the Same Time (Without CPU & Bitrate Problems)

Multistreaming can be a total drag on your computer CPU & bitrate, but luckily you can use cloud multistreaming with Upstream to send a single stream from your OBS and multistream that to up to YouTube, Twitch and Kick at the same time.

Multistreaming OBS to twitch, kick and youtube

If you spend some time on Reddit /streaming or /newtubers you’ve probably seen a common complaint: “Multistreaming is too hard to set up,” or “My PC and internet can’t handle streaming to multiple platforms at once.” It’s true that trying to force your computer to encode separate streams for YouTube, Twitch, and Kick simultaneously will crush your CPU and stream bitrate. If you are streaming gameplay, your FPS might suffer, too. But what if you could send just one high-quality stream from your PC, and have a cloud service handle the heavy lifting of splitting it across the internet?

That is exactly what Upstream does. In this quick guide, we’re going to show you how to set up Upstream with OBS Studio so you can broadcast your gameplay to YouTube, Twitch, and Kick all at once in just a few minutes.

Why Should You Multistream (Simulcast)?

Before we dive into the setup, let’s talk strategy. Why bother?

  • Reach Entirely Different Audiences: People who hang out on Twitch aren’t always scrolling YouTube live, and the Kick community has its own distinct vibe.
  • Maximize Your Views: Instead of forcing your audience to come to one platform, you meet them where they already are.
  • Save System Resources: By using a cloud restreaming service, your computer only uses the bandwidth and processing power required for a single stream.

Step 1: Prepare Your Game and Scene in OBS

First things first, open up OBS Studio and get your content ready to go.

  1. Create or select your scene.
  2. Add a Source (such as Screen Capture or Game Capture) and select the monitor or window running your game.
  3. Make sure your audio levels are right and transition the scene to your active live window.

Once OBS is looking all set up and ready, leave it open, we will come back to it in a moment. Don’t start your stream yet.

Step 2: Set Up Your Upstream Dashboard

Now, let’s configure the cloud re-streaming side of things. Head over to Upstream and log into your dashboard.

  1. Click on Create a New Stream.
  2. When the setup wizard appears, select Multistreaming (from OBS)
  3. Connect Your Primary Platform: Select YouTube as your primary target. For YouTube, Upstream offers a convenient “One-Click Connect” feature to link your channel instantly instead of copypasting stream keys.
  4. Fill out your stream details: Give it a title, set the privacy to Public, add a description, and select your audience settings (e.g., “Not made for kids”).

Step 3: Add Your Extra Platforms (Twitch & Kick)

With YouTube set as your primary stream, it’s time to add your secondary destinations using their stream keys.

Adding Twitch:

  • In the Upstream wizard, click Add Your First Multistream and choose Twitch.
  • Give it a nickname (this is an internal nickname for you only).
  • Go to your Twitch Creator Dashboard, navigate to Settings > Stream, copy your Primary Stream Key, and paste it right into Upstream.

Adding Kick:

  • Click Add Platform again and select Kick.
  • Head over to your Kick creator dashboard to grab your stream key (you may need to verify this via your email).
  • Copy the stream key from Kick and paste it into the designated box in Upstream.

Once you hit next, you’ll see a summary screen confirming that your single OBS stream will be split into YouTube, Twitch, and Kick. Click on Create Stream, and Upstream will build your temporary streaming server.

To tell OBS where to send your video, we need to grab the stream credentials from Upstream’s Live Studio.

  1. In the Upstream Live Studio, copy the Stream URL.
  2. In OBS, go to Settings > Stream. Set your Service to Custom, and paste the URL into the Server box.
  3. Go back to Upstream, copy the Stream Key, and paste it into the Stream Key box in OBS.
  4. Click Apply and OK.

Step 5: Go Live!

You are ready to roll.

  1. Click Start Streaming in OBS. (Don’t worry, you aren’t broadcasting to the public just yet!)
  2. Look at your Upstream dashboard. In a few seconds, you’ll see your live gameplay preview appear.
  3. Adjust your layout if needed, then hit the big Start button on your Upstream dashboard to activate Twitch, Kick, and YouTube simultaneously.

Within a couple of seconds, all three platform statuses will turn green. You can open up your phone or browser tabs to double-check, and you’ll find yourself flawlessly live on three major platforms at the exact same time.

Multistreaming is easy

Multistreaming doesn’t have to be a headache, and it definitely shouldn’t require a $3,000 dual-PC streaming setup. By offloading the multiple stream encoding to Upstream, you can focus on what matters: playing your favorite games and interacting with a brand-new, multi-platform audience.

Have you tried simulcasting yet? Which platform gives you the best engagement? Let us know!