Being able to play modern, high-quality video games on just about any kind of PC is the big pitch of the handful of cloud gaming services out there. Using a subscription model, these services allow people with a strong internet connection to tap remote servers in order to play video games of all kinds on even modest computer setups that wouldn’t be able to run them directly. We took the time to try out the biggest players in the cloud gaming space to figure out what works, what to expect, and why you may want to choose one service over another. From the game libraries to the user experience to the visual quality, read on to see what these cloud gaming services bring to the table.
Updated 09/30/2022 To remove Google Stadia as one of our best picks, because in a not-so-surprising move Google has decided to discontinue the service, as we explain in our news article. You can also learn how Google plans to make good with its Stadia customers.
1. GeForce Now – Best cloud gaming service overall
Pros
- Very smooth and responsive experience
- The Free plan
Cons
- Games are not included
- Limited time on gaming sessions
- Inconsistency in compatibility of games and platforms
When it comes to the best all-around experience, GeForce Now is our strongest recommendation. While you do have to purchase many of the games that you can play on this service, the fact is that GeForce Now brings some of the best visual quality, a massive game compatibility list, and a free membership plan option. With those aspects in mind, there’s almost no reason not to jump in and at least try out some free games like Destiny 2 or Fortnite to see if it works for you.
Additionally, if you do end up wanting to purchase some games to play with GeForce Now, you are not tied to the service long term. The games you’re playing in GeForce Now are accessed through your own Steam, Epic Games Store, or other distribution service that you’ll be able to load up locally on your own computer if/when you get your own gaming PC. So if you’re just getting started in PC gaming, or simply want to check out cloud gaming in general, we’d recommend starting here at the very low cost of free.
2. Xbox Cloud Gaming – Best value
Pros
- Impressive game library all included with subscription
- “Out of the box” functionality
Cons
- Video compression makes a big impact on visual quality
- Not all games are staying in the game library
There may be contention over which major gaming brands make the best hardware—but for most folks, it really just comes down to the games themselves to determine where you’re going to play them. Xbox Cloud Gaming, a component of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, grants access to the entire Xbox Game Pass game library, and that library is both impressive and ever-changing.
For $14.99/month, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers access to over 350 games, from Skyrim to Deep Rock Galactic to Boyfriend Dungeon to Battlefield V and plenty more. While the cloud gaming experience can have some notable amounts of compression artifacts from time to time, it still means playing some of the best games available without too much of an investment.
3. Amazon Luna – Best casual experience
Pros
- Very intuitive interface
- Some games playable with friends that aren’t subscribed to Luna
- Incredible deal to access very specific games
Cons
- Game library is a few years behind
- Multiple channels with different costs can add up quickly
Amazon Luna is an extension of Amazon’s efforts in the gaming industry and it brings a fantastic and smooth user experience with a niche selection of games at a reasonable price. Amazon Luna splits its available games up into various channels, which can be paid for separately, making it both one of the cheapest and one of the most expensive subscription models in this list, depending on what you’re going for.
Notably, Amazon Luna offers a strong roster of retro and family-friendly games, if you’re looking to either dive into some nostalgia or enjoy some gaming with your family without having to buy and connect old and new game systems. Additionally, with a free rotation of games for Prime members and an incredible deal on playing Jackbox Games, it can make for a great party pick for you and your friends both locally and online.
4. Playstation Plus – Up and comer
Pros
- Visual quality can be spectacular
- Some really great games in the included library
Cons
- The user experience and app interface needs a complete overhaul
- Questionable connection stability and a lack of troubleshooting tools to address it
PlayStation Plus on PC is Sony’s follow-up to its now shuttered PlayStation Now service, and while their heart seems to be there, it still has some catching up to do. Largely, you can access quite a few games, including many PlayStation exclusives from the original PlayStation through PlayStation 4, but we did run into a few issues.
Similar to Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation Plus on PC is a component of a larger service, PlayStation Plus Premium, but unlike Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation Plus on PC needs a lot of help when it comes to what makes a solid PC service and application, from the user interface to connection stability. If you are a PlayStation Plus Premium member already, though, then do check the PC app out.
What to look for in a cloud gaming service
There are three major aspects to consider when it comes to a cloud gaming service: technical requirements, game library, and your own plans for the future.
Technical requirements
When it comes to technical requirements, it’s mostly about having a fast and stable internet connection. The bare minimum seems to be about 10Mbps for some of these services, but 20Mbps or higher should be good to get started on any of them. They all recommend using wired internet connections, or they may have specific recommendations for what your Wi-Fi network at home needs. Additionally, if your internet service has data consumption caps, then be aware that these kinds of services will use a ton of that data, similar to streaming high-quality video.
Other technical requirements, such as processing power, RAM, and monitor quality are all going to vary by your needs. But generally speaking, if your device can handle a high-quality Netflix or Hulu stream, it should be able to handle cloud gaming streams. If you’re looking to get into the 4K experiences with GeForce Now or Google Stadia, then you will need a monitor to support that, too. Additionally, both Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation Plus on PC do require a game controller to play games on their services—though that does not necessarily have to be their branded controllers, so long as it has enough buttons.
Game library
When it comes down to it, the games are what you’re here for. Every service has its own included or compatible game library, and you can look those up ahead of time. If you’re looking for specific games, then definitely look to see which services, if any, offer them. Otherwise, if you’re looking to keep up with the latest releases, then do note which services are getting those new releases activated ASAP. None of them seem to fully keep pace with modern release schedules, but both Xbox and Google seem to be trying their hardest to get there, with GeForce Now following close behind.
Cloud gaming goals
Lastly, think about what you want out of your cloud gaming experience. Are you just looking to have some games to play when you’re traveling or staying with family for an extended period? Are you just getting into gaming and want a more affordable option to see if you’d stick with it before buying into expensive hardware? Maybe you’re just looking to be able to play some specific games with a group of friends? Each of the major cloud gaming services seems to have a different approach to their offerings, making it possible to shop around for the right fit.
How we test cloud gaming services
We dove deep into all of these services to get the best feel for what they’re offering, including getting technical specifications when possible, testing each service in identical locations for comparisons, and trying to get the more subjective perspective of whether it feels good to play.
Our main test location was in Texas, U.S. on a home Spectrum internet connection with a minimum 400Mbps down and 25Mbps up, and a maximum of about +10 percent for both speeds. Latencies were tested against major server locations for each gaming session to ensure there weren’t any unexpected problems getting in the way there. GeForce Now was the only service that included its own speed testing and troubleshooting tools, so we confirmed that conditions were good there, and then recorded the other speed and latency stats to recreate that connectivity as best we could with the other cloud gaming services for as much consistency as possible.
All of our testing was done on a custom gaming PC with a Ryzen 7 1700X CPU, 32GB of Corsair DDR4-3600 RAM, an EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB XC3 Ultra GPU, and both a 1080p and a 4K monitor. For controls, we used the same Razer Basilisk v2 mouse and Corsair K70 RGB Pro keyboard when relevant, as well as both an Xbox One and a PlayStation 4 controller connected to the PC with USB cables. All tests were done on the Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OS.
Some, but not all, services offer both a web browser interface and a standalone Windows application to browse and launch games. All of our tests were done with both when relevant, and our full reviews reference which seemed to provide the better experience in both browsing and playing. For the web browser access, we tested with both Firefox and Google Chrome with little difference between the two except for Stadia, which calls for Chrome.
When it came to game performance, we were not able to capture accurate frames-per-second or benchmarking data for every service, so data for those comparisons were not directly measured. This largely has to do with the obfuscation of information, and that most of the cloud gaming services are running console versions of the games on their platform, meaning much of the PC testing options simply aren’t available for in-game testing. Even if we could, our performance stats wouldn’t necessarily match anyone else’s since those results would be tied more closely to internet speeds and latency issues, which can depend simply on how far your PC is from a service’s data center.
The feeling of gameplay came down to a handful of tests. Some games are available on multiple services, so we would be sure to play the same game across multiple services to see if things like responsiveness felt the same between them. Additionally, we would specifically pick out games that required what people consider “tight” or quick response controls to play successfully, including various platformers, fighting games, and action RPGs. Additionally, we would compare the cloud gaming experience to just playing the same game locally on the test rig to see if anything did feel notably off. The results are subjective and are likely to be more noticeable for more experienced players, especially in the competitive gaming space.
FAQ
How does cloud gaming work?
Think of it as something between playing an online game and watching Netflix. You are connecting to a server somewhere on the internet, and that server has the hardware that your account and game is running on. The video feed of that game is then being streamed back to your device, where you send controls back through your connected controller or mouse & keyboard. In this setup, it’s important to have both a stable, high-speed internet connection and low latency to the cloud gaming service. GeForce Now explicitly references the importance of latency in its service, and we agree. Poor latency will mean longer delays between what you do on your controller and what you see on screen, and in many games, that’s just a bad time.
Can cloud games be played offline?
No. While some video streaming services allow you to temporarily download videos to watch offline later, cloud gaming requires an active internet connection to the cloud servers. The big point is that those cloud servers are doing the heavy lifting for the game’s performance, and gaming is a constant back-and-forth of interaction between you and the gaming system, so if you’re not connected to the hardware, you’re not able to play your games. If you’re looking to play games offline, you’ll need the local hardware to support it.
Does cloud gaming use a lot of data?
It sure does! At the lowest, cloud gaming is on-par with constantly streaming very high-quality videos, using seemingly a few GB of data per hour. When the cloud gaming services say they need a 15Mbps internet connection, they mean it, so you can extrapolate from there. While all of these services are figuring out the optimal quality and compression options, it’s fair to look at some of the long-time players in media streaming as the ideal for what cloud gaming data usage could be, but know it will be more. If you’re looking to take advantage of the 4K options where available, expect the data usage to go up to match.