Gaming is a great way to spend your free time, whether you play by yourself or with others in multiplayer games. There are multiple console options and, of course, PCs. Unfortunately, gaming hardware isn’t cheap, especially if you want to play AAA games in high resolution with a high frame rate. The best cloud gaming services aim to solve that issue — to an extent.
Cloud gaming services offer cloud-based hardware that you can connect to for the duration of your gaming session. In most cases, you get access to systems with high-end graphics cards and processors with plenty of RAM. This ensures a smooth gaming experience that is not limited by hardware.
It’s been a rocky road for some providers, with major players such as Google Stadia shutting down. However, several services offer a great experience nowadays. We’ll take a look at the five best cloud gaming services, what you should know before subscribing to a service, and the advantages and disadvantages of cloud gaming.
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11/18/2021
Updated the information regarding free cloud gaming options.
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10/04/2022
Removed Stadia as an option, as Google announced its retirement in January 2023.
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06/13/2024 Facts checked
We rewrote this article to provide more up-to-date information in an easier-to-read format. We also updated the list of cloud gaming providers to include Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Amazon Luna.
Cloudwards Editor’s Choice: Nvidia GeForce NOW
Nvidia GeForce NOW is the best overall service, offering the most powerful cloud hardware among its competitors and 4K gaming at up to 240 frames per second. It supports most major game stores and many games, so there’s something for everyone. You can try it out for free with the free tier, though the paid tiers are significantly more attractive.
What Is Cloud Gaming?
Cloud gaming is a streaming service for video games rather than media content. Rather than buying PC hardware or consoles, you pay a monthly subscription to access powerful hardware and a game library via the cloud. You can enjoy high-resolution and high-frame-rate games with only a modestly powerful device and a strong internet connection.
Free Cloud Gaming
Though most cloud gaming platforms only offer paid plans that vary depending on your needs, Nvidia offers a free plan with its GeForce NOW cloud gaming platform. However, you are limited to a basic rig and one-hour sessions. Plus, you don’t get the priority access to premium servers that paid users enjoy.
How to Choose the Best Cloud Gaming Service
Not all cloud gaming services are created equal. If you want to play with minimal interruption, keep the following points in mind before subscribing:
- Hardware: More powerful hardware will result in smoother frame rates at higher resolutions, especially if you want to play with a high level of detail.
- Game library: Some subscriptions may provide a selection of games to play included in the subscription, but others will ask you to bring your own games.
- Device support: Not all services are compatible with all streaming devices, so make sure the service you pick supports the device you own.
- Frame rate: Some streaming services will only let you play up to a certain frame rate and resolution, unless you splurge for a more expensive plan.
- Pricing: Pricing varies wildly depending on the platform and plan you choose, so pick a plan that’s within your budget.
The Best Cloud Gaming Services
Let’s take a look at the best cloud gaming services you can subscribe to today, starting with our top pick: Nvidia GeForce NOW.
1. Nvidia GeForce NOW — Best Cloud Gaming Service for PC Gamers
Nvidia’s GeForce NOW was one of the pioneers of the cloud gaming industry, and it remains a major player to this day. The free plan supplies the basics, but the Priority and Ultimate plans offer high-end hardware, with the latter providing a GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card for you to use in up to 4K resolution and at up to 240fps.
GeForce NOW supports more than 1,800 games. You can play games you already own on the Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft, EA and GOG.com platforms. Its Achilles heel is the session limit, which only lets you play for up to one, six or eight hours, depending on your plan. In addition, each server has a limited number of slots, so you may have to wait for a turn to play.
Nvidia GeForce NOW Pricing & Value
GeForce NOW has three tiers. The free tier provides access to a basic gaming rig and hour-long sessions. The Priority tier, at $9.99 per month, offers the best value, with ray tracing-enabled premium rigs, up to six hours per session and no ads. The Ultimate tier, at $19.99 per month, offers an RTX 4080, 4K resolution at up to 240fps, and eight-hour sessions.
| Plan: | What’s Included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Basic rig, 1-hour ad-supported session limit | $0 |
| Priority | Premium rig with RTX & up to 1080p at 60fps, priority access to premium servers, 6-hour session limit | $9.99 per month |
| Ultimate | GeForce RTX 4080 rig with up to 4K & 240fps, exclusive access to RTX 4080 servers, 8-hour session length | $19.99 per month |
2. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — The Best Multi-Platform Cloud Gaming Service
Even though technically still in beta, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate comes in a close second in our cloud gaming services roundup. Despite only supporting up to 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second, it has no issues maintaining that frame rate even when you set games to higher-detail settings thanks to its powerful hardware.
Device support is excellent for PCs and mobile devices, but you can also enjoy Xbox cloud gaming on a console or smart TV. The icing on the cake is the massive game library, with more than 450 games, as well as the included EA Play membership, which offers an additional selection of games to enjoy.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Pricing & Value
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate isn’t the most affordable compared to other gaming services, coming in at $16.99 per month after the first two promotional weeks. That said, if you want a reliable way of enjoying a vast selection of games on a variety of devices, the pricing isn’t too terrible.
| Plan: | What’s Included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Xbox Game Pass Ultimate | Up to 1080p at 60fps gameplay, large gaming library, included EA Play membership | $1 for the first two weeks, then $16.99 per month |
3. Amazon Luna — The Best Amazon Fire TV Cloud Gaming Service
If you aren’t picky about your game library and would rather enjoy an affordable cloud gaming experience, Amazon Luna is a perfect choice. The game library includes free titles with your Prime membership, but you can upgrade to Luna+ if you want to enjoy more popular games.
Luna has an ace up its sleeve in terms of its compatibility with Fire TV devices, which no other service offers natively. Unfortunately, there aren’t many games to choose from unless you subscribe to an additional plan, and you’re limited to a 1080p, 60fps experience. Moreover, it is currently only available in the U.S., Canada, the mainland U.K. and several European countries.
Amazon Luna Pricing & Value
Amazon Luna offers several plans. If you have a Prime membership, you can stream several games for free. To enjoy more games, you can upgrade to Luna+ for $9.99 per month.
Ubisoft titles are available for an additional $17.99 per month, or you can connect your existing Ubisoft account and play any games you already own if you have a Luna+ subscription. In addition, you can enjoy Jackbox Games’ selection of games for an additional $4.99 per month.
| Plan: | What’s Included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Luna+ | Up to 1080p at 60fps, support for Fire TV devices | $9.99 per month |
| Ubisoft+ | Up to 1080p at 60fps, Ubisoft game library | $17.99 per month |
| Jackbox Games | Up to 1080p at 60fps, Jackbox Games’ library | $4.99 per month |
4. PlayStation Plus Premium — The Best Console Cloud Gaming Service
AAA titles on your console for free.
PlayStation console owners have probably heard of PlayStation Plus. If you’re into streaming games via the cloud, consider the Premium tier. If you own a PlayStation console, you can stream a massive selection of games at up to 4K resolution at 60fps.
Unfortunately, if you don’t own a PlayStation, you’re limited to streaming older games, which include PlayStation 4 games or those in the Classics catalog. This might not be a dealbreaker if you don’t want the latest and greatest games, but it’s definitely worth keeping in mind.
PlayStation Plus Premium Pricing & Value
PlayStation Plus Premium is fairly expensive, coming in at $17.99 per month. You can bring that price down by subscribing for three months at $16.66 per month, or by signing up for an annual subscription, which brings the price down to $13.36 per month. If you’re a hardcore console gamer, the annual subscription is the best value.
| Plan: | What’s Included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation Plus Premium | Up to 4K at 60fps, library of PS4 & Classic games | $17.99 per month |
5. Shadow — The Best Full-Fledged Cloud PC
Shadow takes a different approach to most cloud gaming services. Instead of limiting you only to gaming, the service leaves a full-fledged computer at your disposal. The hardware depends on the subscription plan you choose, but even the most affordable plan offers a high-end processor and an aging but powerful Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card.
However, by opting for a higher tier, you can get up to 4K resolution and an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card paired with a high-end processor. To add to this, you can access your Shadow PC on a variety of devices, including Mac computers, smartphones and even smart TVs. You can also run it in virtual-reality mode with a Meta Quest headset.
Shadow Pricing & Value
If you only use it for gaming, Shadow is fairly expensive. We recommend the Boost plan, which costs $19.99 for the first month and $29.99 per month after. This gives you solid hardware and up to 4K resolution.
You can upgrade to Power for $34.99 for the first month and $49.98 per month after, which gets you ray tracing and DLSS. The cheapest plan is Discovery, which costs $9.99 for the first month and $19.99 per month after, but you only get access to a budget gaming PC that will struggle to run any demanding games.
| Plan: | What’s Included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | GeForce GTX 1080, quad-core Intel Xeon CPU, 6GB of RAM | $9.99 for the first month, $19.99 per month after |
| Boost | GeForce GTX 1080, octa-core Intel Xeon CPU, 12GB of RAM | $19.99 for the first month, $29.99 per month after |
| Power | GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, octa-core AMD EPYC CPU, 28GB of RAM | $34.99 for the first month, $49.98 per month after |
How Does Cloud Gaming Work?
Cloud gaming works by giving users access to powerful gaming hardware — and in some cases a game library — via their internet connection. Rather than owning a high-end processor and GPU, which can easily cost thousands of dollars, all you need is a strong internet connection and a moderately powerful device such as a budget gaming PC or even a smart device.
The actual cloud gaming PC you use to play games is usually located on a server farm. Most popular cloud gaming services own several such server farms in different locations to ensure minimal latency for users, regardless of where they are while accessing the service. As a user, you connect to the PC and stream the game content to your own device.
This is why, in addition to having a device to use with your cloud gaming subscription, it is critical to have a stable internet connection. Download and upload speeds are certainly important, but consistently low latency can make or break your entire experience. A wired internet connection is usually recommended if you want to play via the cloud.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t already own top-of-the-line gaming hardware, cloud gaming could make you think twice before shelling out for an expensive Windows PC for gaming. By paying a monthly subscription, you get access to powerful hardware and, in some cases, a selection of free games to enjoy on that hardware.
Nvidia’s GeForce NOW is the best choice for PC gamers thanks to its powerful hardware and the ability to play in up to 4K resolution and at up to 240 frames per second. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers a bit more flexibility by adding Xbox support. If you’re more of a PlayStation person, the PlayStation Plus Premium service has you covered.
Have you ever tried using a cloud gaming platform to stream games? Did you opt for PC gaming, or are game consoles more your cup of tea? How was your overall experience streaming AAA games? Let us know in the comments. If you’re interested in learning more, we have some online gaming facts you can dive into. Thank you for reading.
FAQ: Best Cloud Gaming Services
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The key features to look for in a cloud gaming service are the available hardware, game library, support for devices and streaming quality.
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Unlike traditional gaming, which requires you to own a gaming PC or game console and purchase games, cloud gaming allows you to play games on a remote server for free or for a fraction of the price.
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Yes, you can play multiplayer games, though you may face latency issues depending on your internet speed and connection quality.
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Yes, cloud gaming services are cost-effective when you pit them against traditional gaming, especially if you’re considering buying a high-end gaming PC that consists mostly of expensive hardware.
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