OBS stream stutters with no dropped frames

What it may mean

Rendering lag, encoding lag, unstable frame pacing, capture behavior or destination playback may be responsible instead of the upload route.

What it does not prove

Zero network drops does not mean every stage is healthy. OBS builds and encodes frames before the network sends them.

Evidence to inspect

After reproducing the issue, compare rendering-lag and encoding-lag counters in the same completed OBS session. Review the local recording separately from the platform VOD.

One conservative free test

If rendering lag rises, create GPU headroom by capping game FPS. If encoding lag rises, test a faster preset. Change only the matching bottleneck and repeat the scene.

Rollback first

Record the original FPS cap or encoder preset and restore it when the relevant counter does not improve.