How to edit MKV gameplay videos with custom audio tracks

Use Movavi Video Editor!

NEW: Adjustable video templates for any vibe – made of Blocks
NEW: Blocks – pre-edited video segments you can customize
Fast and easy editing: cut, crop, adjust colors and speed
Auto subtitles, noise removal, hundreds of effects, and more

Download for Free

By clicking the download button, you're downloading a trial version of the program.*

Edited by

Ben Jacklin

October 30, 2026

7,622

This guide is for you if you post game reviews, highlight edits, or gaming videos recorded as an MKV file. It also fits you if you film music, art, history, or cinema reviews and want a voiceover and a music bed under the picture. You’ll finish with an edited MKV video that has custom audio, or an MP4 copy if you prefer. Your gameplay already has plot twists. The audio just needs to arrive on time.

To add audio to MKV, open the recording in Movavi Video Editor, trim it on the timeline, drop your music or commentary onto its own audio track, balance the volume, and export. Drag-and-drop does the heavy lifting, so a clean first cut is realistic. Movavi Video Editor is an intuitive video editor with customizable video templates, one-click AI tools, and hundreds of drag-and-drop effects. It’s a desktop app for Windows and macOS.

Templates can add a finishing touch, such as an intro. Movavi Video Templates is a multi-style library of customizable, pro-looking, modular templates for any kind of video. Each template comes with pre-set editing, music, transitions, and text, so an intro starts from a finished design instead of an empty timeline.

What is an MKV file, and why do audio tracks matter?

MKV is a container: one file that holds video, audio, picture, or subtitle tracks together. The Matroska format can hold an unlimited number of tracks in a single file, so MKV supports multiple audio tracks.

The audio codec is a separate thing. It’s the method that encodes the sound inside the container, such as AAC or MP3. The container is the box, and the codec decides how the sound is packed into it.

This matters when you edit an MKV. If your editor or player can’t read a track’s audio codec, you get a picture without sound. And any custom audio you add lands on a new track of the timeline, next to the original sound. If you’re unsure which audio to pick, a common one like MP3 or AAC is the safer choice.

What you need to add audio to MKV

Your MKV gameplay file. Movavi Video Editor for Windows opens MKV files with H.264, MPEG-4, MJPEG, Theora, DV, or uncompressed video.
Audio to add. MP3, WAV, FLAC, and AAC are the usual picks. The editor also includes copyright-free music and sounds.
Movavi Video Editor. Movavi Video Editor Free exports clips up to 60 seconds with a mandatory watermark. The full version has no watermark or export limits.

How to edit MKV videos in Movavi Video Editor

Hover previews show a clip or an effect before you commit, and drag-and-drop puts it on the timeline. That keeps the steps below short.

Picture a boss fight recorded for a game review. You cut the loading screens, turn the game sound down, and lay your commentary on top. A cinema review works the same way, with a voiceover and a background music track. Two one-click AI tools can help with the sound you add: AI audio noise removal clears traffic, wind, and steady hums from a voiceover while keeping the voice, and silence removal cuts dead air from commentary.

Step 6 uses a template, and it relies on Blocks: short segments of the video where you drop in your own clips, photos, and text. New to the editor? Movavi Ideas is a free tutorial hub with a new step-by-step editing idea every week, handy for practice.

Step 1. Import the MKV file

Upload your MKV gameplay recording to the program. Then move the clip onto the timeline.

Download for Free

Step 2. Trim and cut the gameplay

Move the position marker to the first moment you want to keep. Select the Blade tool, then click the clip at each point where you want a cut. Next, select the piece of dead time on the timeline and remove it.

Step 3. Edit original audio

Click the gameplay clip on the timeline to select it. In the Clip settings, set the clip volume to a lower level, or click Mute track if you want to mute it.

Step 4. Add an audio track

Drag and drop your music or voiceover file into the program window. Move the audio file to an audio track below the gameplay clip. Then drag the audio clip along the timeline until it lines up with the moment on screen.

Step 5. Balance the volume and preview

Click the music or commentary clip on the timeline and set its volume. Start playback in the preview, then listen to the mix. If the game sound and your voice compete, adjust the volume again.

Step 6. Add an optional intro

Open the Templates tab and choose a template in the Vlog category. Drop the template onto the timeline. Next, double-click a Block on the timeline and replace the placeholder with your own clip or photo.

Step 7. Export the video

Click Export and choose MKV. Click Start to begin the export. When it finishes, open the exported file in your media player and listen to the sound from start to finish.

Common mistakes with MKV audio

No sound, or an unsupported audio codec. Codec availability depends on your OS version, device, and system configuration. Movavi uses Windows Media Foundation on Windows and AVFoundation on macOS, and some codecs may need to be installed separately.
Audio out of sync. Trim the gameplay first, then place the audio. Linking audio to a video clip keeps the two in sync when you move or trim that clip.
Wrong track selected. The game sound and your commentary are separate clips. Click the one you mean to change before touching its volume.
Game sound too loud. Lower the gameplay clip first, then bring the commentary up to match.
Music ends before the video does. Looping audio repeats a shorter track to match the length of the gameplay.
Abrupt starts and endings. Fading audio adds a fade-in or fade-out, and it can crossfade between tracks, which helps when commentary hands over to music.
Cuts that miss the beat. Beat detection marks the musical beats on the timeline, so you can line up a cut or a big moment with the rhythm.

Try it on your next recording

Download Movavi Video Editor for Windows or Mac and run your next gameplay recording through the steps. Movavi Video Editor Free lets you test essential editing tools, plus auto subtitles, auto crop, and silence removal, with a 60-second length cap, limited codec support, no 4K export, and a mandatory watermark.

Once the sound is sorted, try auto subtitles next. They recognize 100+ languages, so viewers can follow your commentary in theirs.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add another audio track to an MKV file?

Yes. In Movavi Video Editor, to add an audio track, place it on its own audio track on the timeline beside the original, then export.

Why is there no sound in my MKV file?

Start with the audio codec, because your system may not be able to play the one used in the file. Codec support depends on your OS version, device, and system configuration, and some codecs need to be installed separately. If the codec isn’t the problem, check the volume of the clip on the timeline.

Which audio formats can I add?

Movavi Video Editor imports AAC, AIFF, APE, AU, FLAC, MP3, M4A, Ogg, WAV, WMA, and AMR. MP3, WAV, and FLAC work in both directions, so you can import them and also export audio in those formats.

Can I save the result as MKV or MP4?

Both work. The Windows version exports MKV with H.264 or MJPEG video and MP4 with MPEG-4 or H.264. MP4 is the pick for broad compatibility. Standard export also lets you adjust resolution, aspect ratio, and quality.

Have questions?

If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to contact our Support Team.

Visit Our Support Center

Watch Our Video Guides

Join us for discounts, editing tips, and content ideas

1.5M+ users already subscribed to our newsletter