On Tuesday, Discord announced a major overhaul of its Overlay feature, rebuilding it from scratch to enhance the streaming experience for users.

The revamped Overlay is designed to make streaming games on Discord more intuitive and user-friendly for streamers, providing a more seamless experience.

Previously, the Overlay would display the entire Discord client in the center of the screen when toggled on, which could be cumbersome and obstruct the stream. In contrast, the new Overlay allows users to add customizable widgets that can be placed around the screen, enabling easy access to key features such as messages and audio/video settings without interrupting the game.

These widgets can be tailored to individual preferences, with adjustable opacity, size, and placement options. This update is expected to significantly improve the overall streaming experience on Discord.

Another notable feature of the updated Overlay is the picture-in-picture widget, which enables users to watch a friend’s stream directly from their own Overlay while playing a game. Additionally, users can view other users’ webcam videos during live chats, facilitating more interactive and immersive experiences.

According to Discord, the new Overlay will be compatible with a wider range of games and will operate with improved performance, ensuring a smoother experience for users.

In addition to the Overlay updates, Discord is also introducing new features to its Desktop app. Fans of dark mode will be excited to learn that the platform is expanding its free dark theme options, offering a range of shades, including Ash, Dark, and Onyx. Furthermore, the new UI density options will allow users to customize word spacing to their liking.

While these updates are primarily geared toward power users, such as creators who utilize in-server livestreams for monetization, they are also expected to benefit casual users who play games with friends, as they enhance the overall quality of the experience.