Complete Guide to Cloud Gaming Services in 2024: All Your Options

Xbox Cloud Gaming is included as a perk in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. For the subscription price you also get access to a vast library of games included in Xbox Game Pass. Most of these titles can be streamed via the cloud to various devices.

Maximum Fidelity: 1080p x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >400 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, Web Browser, SmartTV (Samsung Tizen, Amazon Fire TV)

Cost: $19.99 per Month

Games Included? Yes, access to over 400 cloud games are included with the subscription

Regions: US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Pros:

• Extensive game library.
• Great performance and reliability.
• Available on multiple devices.
• Xbox ecosystem features like friends, parties, achievements and more.

Cons:

• Local Multiplayer is not supported.
• Currently limited to Xbox Series S quality on server and low streaming bitrates.
• Currently limited to Xbox Game Pass titles. Ability to play games you purchase from the Xbox store has been coming “soon” for awhile.

GeForce NOW is the official cloud gaming service from NVIDIA. It allows you to stream games you already own from various digital stores. It has a free tier as well as a RTX 4080 GPU tier.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 120 FPS (240 FPS w/ CLOUD G-Sync) + RTX & DLSS (RTX 4080 used for Ultimate Tier)

Number of Games: >1900 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Mac, Chrome-OS, Android, iOS, Web Browser, SmartTV (Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Android TV)

Cost: Free tier available; Priority membership starts at $9.99 per month; RTX 4080 membership starts at $19.99 per month. (Discounted 6 month options available)

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately.

Regions: Available many countries globally.

Pros:

• Highest fidelity in cloud gaming 4K/120 FPS plus Ray Tracing
• High performance streams and low latency.
• Supports a wide range of devices
• Free tier available.

Cons:

• Limited session lengths for free tier.
• Some popular games unavailable.
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox PC Store etc.).

Amazon’s cloud gaming service with a growing library of games. Amazon Luna contains a rotating selection of games each month with a Amazon Prime subscription. You can also purchase different game subscriptions including Luna+, Ubisoft+ etc. and can purchase individual games from GOG and the Ubisoft Store.

Maximum Fidelity: 1080p x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >250 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Web Browser, Smart TV OSes (Fire TV, Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS)

Cost: Free Amazon Prime Tier. $9.99 per month for Luna+; additional channels available at varying prices.

Games Included in Cost? Some. A selection of games are available for free with an Amazon Prime subscription. >100 games are included with a Luna+ subscriptions. Other games can be purchased from the Ubisoft or GOG stores.

Regions: US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Poland, Netherlands.

Pros:

• Growing library of games.
• Different channels for various game genres.
• Direct Streaming to Twitch.
• Luna Couch allows you to play “couch co-op” games with friends across the internet.
• Integration with Amazon ecosystem.

Cons:

• Currently available only in a few select countries.
• Limited game selection compared to competitors.
• Luna+ games are platform-less (no friends list, parties, achievements or multiplayer).

Boosteroid is a Jack of All Trades in the cloud gaming space. Like GeForce NOW, it offers a managed library of games you can stream from your Steam, Epic and Xbox libraries. In addition, it offers access to many games not available on GeForce NOW via a Cloud PC like model where users install games into their own private cloud drives.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 120 FPS

Number of Games: >850 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Web Browsers, SmartTV (Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Android TV)

Cost: Starts at €9.89 per month €17.89 for Ultra. (Discounted 6 month and 12 month options available)

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately.

Regions: US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Europe and Latin America (Brazil Servers coming soon!)

Pros:

• Wide range of supported games.
• Competitive pricing.
• High fidelity gameplay and streaming.
• Available on multiple devices.

Cons:

• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox PC Store etc.).

PlayStation Cloud Gaming combines cloud gaming with a subscription service (it’s offered as perk of PlayStation Plus Premium), offering a library of PlayStation games that can be streamed.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >1,100 – View All

Device Availability: PS4, PS5, PC. PS5 games can only be streamed to PS5 devices.

Cost: $17.99/month

Games Included in Cost? Some. >850 games are available with PS Plus Premium. Other PS5 games can be streamed from the cloud if purchased individually – currently only supported on PS5 consoles.

Regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, US, UK

Pros:

• Access to exclusive PlayStation titles.
• High-quality streaming.
• Available on multiple devices.

Cons:

• Limited to PlayStation ecosystem.
• Limited number of end-user devices supported.
• PS5 game streaming is only supported on PS5 consoles.
• Fairly limited library of games to purchase and play via the cloud.

Shadow provides a full Windows 10 PC in the cloud, allowing you to install and play any game or software that is available on PCs. It’s like your big gaming PC with you everywhere you go.

Maximum Fidelity: 8K x 60 FPS (For Desktop, Game performance will be less. RTX 3070 used for Power Tier.)

Number of Games: >10,000

Device Availability: PC, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Web Browsers, Smart TV OSes (Android TV)

Cost: Starts at $29.99 per month

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately.

Regions: US, Canada, UK, Europe

Pros:

• Full Windows 10 experience.
• High performance and customization.
• Supports every PC game available
• Supports a wide range of other applications.

Cons:

• Higher cost compared to other services.
• Need to manage game installs and updates yourself.
• A Cloud PC interface is a sub-optimal UX for many use-cases.
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox PC Store etc.).

airgpu provides cloud gaming through customizable virtual machines for gaming and other high-performance tasks. As a Cloud PC solution similar to Shadow PC, you can play any and every game available on Windows. It uses Parsec and Moonlight under the hood to stream games.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 120 FPS

Number of Games: >10,000

Device Availability: Via Parsed: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Web Browsers, Android. Via Moonlight: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Web Browsers, Android, iOS, Xbox, AppleTV, FireTV

Cost: Pay-as-you-go pricing; starts at $0.65 per hour.

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately.

Regions: Available Globally. Servers in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, N. Virginia, Ohio, N. California, Oregon, Central Canada, Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Bahrain, Cape Town

Pros:

• Pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Full Windows 10 experience.
• High performance and customization.
• Supports every PC game available
• Supports a wide range of other applications.

Cons:

• Pay-as-you-go pricing can get expensive quickly.
• A Cloud PC interface is a sub-optimal UX for many use-cases.
• Need to manage games installs and updates.
• Requires some technical knowledge to set up.
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox PC Store etc.).

CloudDeck is a Steam OS (Linux based) cloud gaming service. It supports all the sames games that a Steam Deck handheld would support – I.e. games with native Linux ports of games that work via Proton. It uses Moonlight under the hood to stream games.

Maximum Fidelity: 1080p x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >15,000

Device Availability: Via Moonlight: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Web Browsers, Android, iOS, Xbox, AppleTV, FireTV

Cost: $19.99 a month

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately from Steam and other PC stores.

Regions: UK, Europe

Pros:

• SteamOS interface matches that Steam Deck handhelds.
• Supports every PC game available on Linux natively or via Proton.
• Use of Linux on server reduces cost (in principle).

Cons:

• $19.99 a month is still expensive
• Limited availability in early access
• Need to manage game installs and updates yourself.
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on Steam

Blacknut is a family-friendly cloud gaming service with a focus on accessibility and ease of use. A single subscription allows multiple user accounts. There are a wide number of games included (from AAA to indie) in the base subscription plus the ability to expand the collection further with add-ons.

Maximum Fidelity: 720p x 60FPS

Number of Games: >700 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Mac, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, Web Browsers, Smart TV OSes (Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS, Android TV)

Cost: $15.99 per month.

Games Included in Cost? Yes. Additional subscription offered for some Focus Entertainment titles.

Regions: US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, Europe, South East Asia

Pros:

• Strong library of games included with a variety of titles
• Subscription shared with multiple user accounts
• Add on subscriptions available to enhance library (Focus Entertainment Pass)
• Individual game trials available on some Smart TVs (LG)

Cons:

• Library may feel limited for hardcore gamers with fewer AAA games available

Antstream Arcade specializes in retro games, offering a large library of over 1,000 classic titles from Atari consoles, NES, SNES, SEGA, PlayStation and more! It is created by a group of people with a real passion for retro gaming.

Maximum Fidelity: 720p x 60 FPS (maintain resolution and framework of original retro game)

Number of Games: >1,000 – View All

Device Availability: PC, Mac, ChromeOS Android, iOS, Web Browser, Xbox, Smart TV Oses (Samsung Tizen)

Cost: Free Tier option, $29.99 a Year or $79.99 lifetime

Games Included in Cost? Yes

Regions: Full Support in USA, UK, Europe, South East Asia and Australia. Partial Support Available Globally

Pros:

• Over a 1,000 games included
• Cheap subscription options

Cons:

• Limited to retro games

Utomik is a PC game subscription that also allows you to play a number of your games in the cloud on mobile, Smart TVs and PCs coming soon. Like Blacknut, there is a plan offered that supports multiple users.

Maximum Fidelity: 1080p x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >350 – View All

Device Availability: Android, Smart TV OSes (Samung Tizen, LG Web OS). PC (local install now cloud gaming coming soon)

Cost: $8.99 Personal Cloud Plan. $12.99 Family Cloud Plan (4 Users)

Games Included in Cost? Yes

Regions: United States, Canada, Europe

Pros:

• Very affordable.
• Family plan available.
• Achievement system.
• Ability to download/install games on Windows PCs.

Cons:

• Game library is hit and miss.
• No Web Browser support means Mac, Linux and ChromeOS are left out.

Ubitus is an enabler of cloud gaming. The company provides cloud gaming solutions for various other platforms. They are responsible for a number of the cloud games available on the Nintendo Switch. They also partner with service providers (e.g. telecoms) in different regions to release partner-branded cloud gaming services. Finally, they appear to run their own GameNow cloud gaming service – but we, honestly, couldn’t figure out how to use it.

Maximum Fidelity: 1080p x 60FPS

Number of Games: >800

Device Availability: Nintendo Switch (they are the team behind cloud-gaming releases from Square Enix). Unsure for GameNow.

Cost: Unsure for GameNow.

Games Included in Cost? Unsure for GameNow.

Regions: Switch games available globally.

Maximum Settings is a cloud gaming service that offers high-performance gaming PCs in the cloud. It uses Linux Mint on the server and Moonlight under the hood to stream games.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 120 FPS with Ray Tracing Supported

Number of Games: >15,000

Device Availability: Via Moonlight: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Web Browsers, Android, iOS, Xbox, AppleTV, FireTV

Cost: Starts at $0.50 per hour or $9.95 a month.

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately from Steam and other PC stores.

Regions: Available Globally. Single data center is located in Toronto.

Pros:

• High performance and customization.
• Pay-as-you-go and Monthly pricing options.
• Use of Linux on server reduces cost (in principle).

Cons:

• Pay-as-you-go pricing can get expensive quickly.
• A Cloud PC interface is a sub-optimal UX for many use-cases.
• Need to manage games installs and updates.
• Requires some technical knowledge to set up.
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam, Epic, GOG, Xbox PC Store etc.).

Netflix’s cloud gaming service allows subscribers to stream games on their desktop or TV, using their smartphone as a controller. It is currently in beta and offers only a very limited selection of games.

Maximum Fidelity: 720p x 60 FPS

Number of Games: >10 – View all

Device Availability: PC, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS. Web Browsers. Smart TV OSes (Fire TV, Android TV, LG WebOS, Samsung Tizen, Roku, Xumo)

Cost: Free to Netflix subscribers.

Games Included in Cost? Yes

Regions: Available to select subscribers in the UK, US, and Canada.

Pros:

• No additional cost for Netflix subscribers.
• Easy access through the existing Netflix app.
• Expanding Library of Games

Cons:

• Limited availability and game selection during beta.

Highscore is a cloud gaming services that is coming soon. It will let you play your entire Steam game collection and will offer unique cloud features like virtual couch multiplayer and cloud based suspend and resume. It will be rolling out in beta during the fall of 2024 in the United States and expanding to other territories afterwards.

Maximum Fidelity: 4K x 120FPS

Number of Games: >100,000

Device Availability: PC, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS. Web Browsers. Smart TV OSes (Fire TV, Android TV, LG WebOS, Samsung Tizen)

Cost:

Games Included in Cost? No. Games must be purchased separately from Steam and other PC stores.

Regions: US First and then Rolling Out In Europe

Pros:

• Supports every Steam game available
• High fidelity gameplay and stream
• Unique cloud features like virtual coach multiplayer
• Quick game suspend / resume in cloud

Cons:

• Not yet available
• Requires purchase/ownership of games on supported platforms (Steam)