How to Stream on Kick in 2026: Stream Key, OBS Settings and Requirements
To stream on Kick, sign up at kick.com and confirm your email, then open the creator dashboard at dashboard.kick.com, go to Stream URL and Key, and copy the server URL and your stream key. In OBS, pick the Custom service, paste both values and apply Kick's limits: H.264 codec, CBR rate control, bitrate up to 8000 kbps, resolution up to 1920×1080, up to 60 frames per second, keyframe interval of 2 seconds. Before going live, fill in the stream title and category, otherwise the stream may not start. Two-factor authentication is not needed for streaming itself, but without it you cannot get verified or turn on monetization.
What to do before your first stream
A Kick account is free. Click Sign up in the top right corner of kick.com, enter your email, username and password, and confirm your date of birth. The platform is open to users aged 13 and older, and those under 18 need parental consent. Choose your username carefully from the start: changing it later is restricted, and Kick requires two-factor authentication to be enabled before you can change it.
Right after signing up you will get an email with a confirmation link. Until your email is confirmed, some features are unavailable. If the email does not arrive, check your spam folder and request it again.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled at kick.com/settings/security: click Enable 2FA, scan the QR code with an authenticator app (for example, Google Authenticator), and enter the six-digit code. Kick's help center only describes the app-based method, with no SMS option.
| Action | Is 2FA required? |
|---|---|
| Start a stream from OBS, a browser or a phone | No, the help center lists no such requirement |
| Change your username | Yes |
| Channel monetization | Yes, Kick states directly that 2FA is mandatory for monetization |
| Channel verification | Yes, it is a separate item in the requirements |
Our advice: turn on 2FA on day one. It takes five minutes, and later you will not get stuck on your verification application. If the code is rejected, check the exact time on your phone: codes change every 60 seconds and depend on the device clock.
Where to find your stream key and server URL
- Log in and open the creator dashboard at dashboard.kick.com.
- In the left menu, choose Stream URL and Key (in the help center the path is written as Channel → Stream URL and Key).
- Copy the Stream URL. This is the server address and it starts with rtmps://, meaning the connection uses the secure RTMPS protocol.
- Copy the Stream Key.
Your key is effectively the password to your broadcast: anyone who has it can stream to your channel. Never show it on stream and never send it to moderators. If the key leaks, click Reset in the same section. Kick does not keep the old key, so paste the new one into OBS right away.
In the same section, under Advanced Settings, there is a useful option called Disconnect Protection. During a brief connection drop, viewers see a placeholder screen instead of the channel going offline, and you get up to 60 seconds to reconnect. You can only enable it while the channel is offline.
Setting up OBS for Kick's requirements
In OBS, open File → Settings → Stream, choose Custom in the Service field, paste the server URL and the key, and click Apply. Then go to Output, switch the mode to Advanced and set the parameters from the table. These are the recommendations from Kick's help center.
| Parameter | Value for Kick |
|---|---|
| Encoder | x264, NVIDIA NVENC H.264 or AMD HW H.264. H.265 (HEVC) is not supported |
| Rate control | CBR. VBR is not supported |
| Bitrate | 1000–8000 kbps, but no higher than your internet connection can handle |
| Keyframe interval | 2 s |
| Profile | main |
| Resolution and frame rate | up to 1920×1080, up to 60 frames per second |
| x264 preset | veryfast, tune zerolatency |
| Audio | stereo, no higher than 48 kHz |
A word on speed: Kick recommends that your upload speed be at least twice your bitrate. A 6000 kbps stream needs roughly 12 Mbps of upload. If you have a stable 10 Mbps, it is wiser to set 4500–5000 kbps than to suffer dropped frames at 8000. On Mac there is a catch: Apple's hardware encoder may not offer CBR mode, so Kick recommends choosing x264.
We covered scenes, audio, filters and choosing an encoder for your graphics card in a separate guide to setting up OBS for streaming. Here we cover only what is specific to Kick.
The last step before going live: in the creator dashboard, click Edit Stream Info and fill in the title, category, language and the 18+ flag if it applies. Kick's help center warns directly that without a title and category the stream may not start. After that, click Start Streaming in OBS. When you finish, the recording of your stream is saved to the channel automatically.
Other ways to go live
Streamlabs Desktop
You do not have to copy the key here: in Settings → Stream, click Connect next to KICK and sign in through your browser. You will still need to fix the stream title on Kick itself after launch.
From a browser
Kick has a built-in studio called Web Go Live. Open the creator dashboard, click Go Live, and allow access to your camera and microphone. It includes ready-made scenes (Starting Soon, Be Right Back), chat and alert widgets, screen or window sharing, and output from a camera or capture card. No software is needed, which is handy for talk streams and for streaming from a weak laptop. Kick does not publish quality parameters for the browser mode.
From a phone
The official KICK - Go Live app is available for iPhone (iOS 18 and newer) and Android (8.0 and newer). You do not need partner status for it: any account without active restrictions will work. The app can film from two cameras at once, stream your phone screen for mobile games and picks the quality for your network by itself. Manual bitrate and resolution settings exist on iOS, while on Android quality is chosen automatically. You cannot reply to chat from the app, so you need a second screen for that.
Third-party apps also work: Streamlabs Mobile, PRISM Live Studio, Larix Broadcaster or Moblin. In them you add a custom RTMP server with the URL and key from the dashboard.
From a console
Kick's help center does not describe official streaming to Kick directly from PlayStation or Xbox. The working route is a capture card and OBS on a PC: the console connects to the card over HDMI, and from there everything is as in the instructions above.
Why OBS won't connect to Kick
The creator dashboard has a session status indicator: Healthy, Unstable, Misconfigured, Error or Offline. If it says Misconfigured, the problem is almost always in the encoder settings. Common causes are collected in the table.
| What you see | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| OBS cannot connect to the server | Wrong or old key, especially after a reset | Copy the key again from Stream URL and Key and paste it into OBS |
| It connects, but the stream does not start or keeps dropping | VBR, H.265, bitrate above 8000, resolution above 1080p or more than 60 frames per second | Bring your settings in line with the table above |
| The stream does not appear on the channel | No title or category set | Fill in Edit Stream Info in the dashboard |
| Connection error with no clear reason | Outdated version of OBS or Streamlabs | Update the program and restart it |
| Fails to connect on one network only | Antivirus, firewall, or an office or school network is blocking ports | Add OBS to your antivirus exceptions, check outgoing connections, try another network |
| Lag and dropped frames | Bitrate higher than your real upload speed, or CPU overload | Lower the bitrate in steps of 1000 kbps, switch to a wired connection, enable a hardware encoder |
If your CPU is constantly loaded above 90%, use a faster preset (superfast for x264) or switch to NVENC, AMF or QuickSync.
Monetization: subscriptions, KICKs and the Partner Program
Money on Kick unlocks in steps. The first is Streamer status: you need 5 hours of streaming in total, which you can collect over several days. After that an Enable Subscriptions button appears in the dashboard, and you can accept subscriptions and KICKs, virtual gifts that viewers use to support a streamer and pin a message in chat.
A subscription costs $5 a month. The streamer keeps 95%, which is $4.75, while 5% goes to payment processing fees. KICKs have the same split: 95%.
| Tier | Requirements | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| Streamer | 5 hours of streaming in total, Stripe set up | Subscriptions, KICKs |
| Verification | Within 30 days: 15 hours of streaming, an average of 50 viewers, 100 unique chat participants, 10 active subscriptions; 2 stream recordings within 7 days; 2FA; no violations | Verified status, weekly payouts on request |
| KICK Partner Program | Verification; within 30 days: 30 hours of streaming, an average of 75 viewers, 25 active subscriptions, 250 unique chat participants, 3 stream recordings; at least 250 followers; a completed profile | Income from streams, multistreaming |
Kick says these numbers are preliminary and may change, and meeting the requirements does not guarantee approval. Your progress is shown in the Achievements section of the dashboard. Applications for verification and partnership are sent by email to support from your account email. If you already have an audience on another platform, there is a faster route called Fast Track at streamer.kick.com/partner, with no hour requirements on Kick. Kick does not officially publish how much partners are paid per hour of streaming.
Separately, here is what can get your partnership revoked: the rules explicitly forbid artificially inflating stats to meet requirements and subscribing to your own channel with your own money. The platform also does not accept restreams, empty streams or pre-recorded streams.
Payouts go only through Stripe to a bank account, there is no minimum amount, and they usually happen once a month. Russia and the CIS countries are not on Stripe's list of countries, and Kick says that without Stripe in your country payouts are currently unavailable. Take this into account before investing in monetization. How identity verification works and what difficulties come up, we covered in the article on Kick verification for withdrawing funds.
Multistreaming: can you stream on Kick and Twitch at the same time
You can, but only as a member of the KICK Partner Program. Before streaming to long-form platforms such as Twitch or YouTube, you need to turn on the Multistreaming toggle in the Partner Income section of the dashboard or use the /multi on command in chat. While it is on, partner payouts for that session are reduced by 50%. For vertical formats (YouTube Shorts, TikTok Live, Instagram Live) the toggle is not needed.
Your first viewers after setup
Technically the channel is ready; now it is about the audience. The minimum set: a filled-in profile with a banner and panels, a clear stream title, an accurate category, a steady schedule and talking to chat even when only two people are in it. In its checklist for newcomers, Kick suggests running 2–3 streams in week two to find your rhythm and locking in a schedule in week three. We put the full plan together in our guide on how to grow a Kick channel from scratch.
So that a new channel does not sit in the directory with zero viewers, you can add a starting boost: stream-promotion.ru offers services for Kick (viewers and followers), and you can conveniently arrange viewers for a stream in the viewer control panel. This helps with your first viewership, but for the partner program Kick looks at real activity, so content and chat still decide everything.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need two-factor authentication to start streaming on Kick?
No. You can go live without it. But 2FA is mandatory for monetization, verification and changing your username, so it is better to enable it right away.
What is the maximum bitrate on Kick?
8000 kbps with CBR and the H.264 codec. Resolution up to 1080p, up to 60 frames per second, keyframes every 2 seconds. The platform does not support VBR or H.265.
What should I do if my stream key was shown on stream?
Immediately click Reset in the Stream URL and Key section of the creator dashboard and paste the new key into OBS. The old one will stop working, and no one else will be able to broadcast to your channel.
Can I stream on Kick from a phone only?
Yes. The official KICK - Go Live app works on iPhone with iOS 18 and on Android 8.0 and newer, suits any account and can stream your screen for mobile games.
Why do viewers see 720p at most when I stream in 1080p?
This is not an OBS error. Kick unlocks 1080p for growing channels automatically as engagement grows, with the benchmark being around 75 viewers on average. You do not need to change any settings.
How much does a streamer get from a subscription on Kick?
95% of $5, which is $4.75 from each subscription. The same 95% share applies to KICKs. Payouts go through Stripe to a bank account.
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