The 7 Best Cloud Gaming Services to Stream Video Games

The future of gaming is in the cloud, and platforms like GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming bring that future closer. Here are some of the best cloud gaming platforms.

What Is Cloud Gaming?

Traditionally, gaming requires expensive hardware. With cloud gaming, that expense is no longer required. Instead, the games are streamed to you over the internet, much like a movie is on Netflix. A fast broadband internet connection is required; the faster, the better.

Cloud gaming essentially lets you play games on any device. It might be a phone or tablet, a netbook, or an older laptop or PC. Mac owners can potentially play PC games that aren’t released on their platform.

Cloud gaming services rely on a monthly subscription for access. Typically, you’ll get a few free games. While some require dedicated devices, these are cheaper than a current-gen games console. In most cases, video game streaming services offer mobile apps, meaning you can enjoy AAA games on almost any device.

Here’s our take on the seven best cloud gaming platforms.

GeForce NOW is graphics chip designer Nvidia’s cloud-based gaming service for PCs, smartphones, and tablets—and even Smart TVs. The service supports a fantastic variety of devices, and can even be played through your web browser (so no installation is needed).

You can play your existing library of games on Steam, Origin, and other digital delivery platforms on one of GeForce NOW’s impressive rigs after waiting in a short queue. Once you start playing a game, it is streamed to your device — so the only real constraint you’ll have is your internet speed.

GeForce NOW has servers across the globe, and its regional availability continues to expand. There are three membership levels you can pick from when signing up: Free, Priority, and Ultimate.

• Free members get standard access and one-hour sessions on standard gaming servers. You are required to watch ads while in the queue.
• Priority members pay $9.99/month ($49.99 for six months) for priority server access and extended six-hour sessions with 1080p and 60FPS. You get to stream from “premium rig” servers with RTX support.
• Ultimate members get the highest performance for $19.99/month ($99.99 for six months) with GeForce RTX 3080 rig access, the fastest servers, eight-hour sessions, and 4K resolution at 120FPS.

A massive benefit of GeForce NOW is that you keep the games you’ve bought if you cancel the service. This makes it almost unique among cloud gaming services. And with 1800+ games in the GeForce NOW catalog, you’re unlikely to get bored anytime soon.

Want to play your Sony PlayStation favorites on a PC from the cloud? With PlayStation Plus Premium, you can. While the basic monthly subscription for PlayStation Plus Essential is $9.99, PlayStation Plus Premium makes its higher price tag worthwhile with more features.

It affords access to a huge collection of PlayStation games (current and classic) and costs $17.99/month ($49.99 for three months, $119.99 every 12 months).

With over 400 games, your choices are practically limitless. New titles are added every month. To play PlayStation Plus Premium cloud games on your PC, you can visit the PlayStation Plus app download page.

Over 1480 games across all genres are available with Utomik, a relatively new cloud gaming service. All of these titles can be streamed to your PC, while around 200 of these titles can also be played on your smartphone, tablet, or even your smart TV.

The variety in Utomik’s game library is fantastic, ranging from relaxing simulators to unique indie titles. New games are added every month. With subscription plans starting at $5 per month, Utomik is an ideal choice for gamers on a budget.

Developed by Microsoft as Project xCloud, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) is a fantastic cloud gaming service included as a part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. It can stream Xbox games to consoles, PCs, phones, and tablets, and can even be played in your browser.

Currently, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library includes 450+ games. It isn’t quite as versatile as other platforms because keyboard-and-mouse controls are only supported on select game titles, but Xbox controllers and many third-party controllers can be used instead.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs just $14.99 per month, but some free titles (like Fortnite) can be played at no cost. Support for playing games that you already own through your Xbox account is actively being expanded as of 2024.

Whereas most cloud gaming services offer AAA titles and indie games, Antstream Arcade offers over 1500 retro games. You can play on platforms like Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android for as little as $1 per month if you catch a promotion.

If you want more, Antstream Arcade Premium gives you unlimited play and the ability to save and continue at any point. Antstream Arcade typically costs just $39.99 annually, but sales and other promotions often make Antstream Arcade available at a lower cost.

With titles as diverse as R-Type, Pac-man, and Earthworm Jim, there is plenty to play here. Games, mini-game challenges, tournaments, and a community of retro gamers, are all accessible from any device. If playing old games is your thing, you can do it in the cloud with Antstream Arcade.

Amazon Luna has slotted into the hole left by Google Stadia’s closure and is similarly easy to start with. The Luna+ option is $9.99/month and features over 100 games. You also have the option to pay $17.99/month to play Ubisoft titles in the cloud, or $4.99/month for Jackbox party games.

As you can see, Amazon Luna is quite expensive, although Luna+ does have a 7-day trial. Meanwhile, if you already have an Amazon Prime subscription, some games are free to play.

Fortnite is always available, and four additional free titles for Prime subscribers switch out each month. Games like Fallout: New Vegas and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean have also been available for free as part of ongoing promotions.

Boasting 500 games for $15.99 a month, Blacknut seems like a good deal. It gives you five separate accounts, parental controls, an ad-free experience, no in-game purchases, and the ability to stop playing on one device and continue on another.

Claiming that “any of your screens can be a game console,” Blacknut has no apps. Instead, you play games via your device’s web browser. If your smart TV has a browser, Blacknut is an option, just as it is for mobiles and computers.

With a good mix of AAA and indie titles, Blacknut games are compatible with the Xbox One Bluetooth controller. The Xbox Adaptive Controller is also supported, as are a few others.

No matter what cloud gaming service you choose, you will soon find out why cloud gaming is called the future of gaming. Many of these platforms provide great free options, but if you decide to get subscriptions, you won’t exhaust their fun libraries of games anytime soon.