A relatively new addition to the gaming industry, game-streaming services give players remote access to some of the best titles on the market. Each service works a bit differently than the next, but in essence, these services allow users to stream video games to their screen in a manner similar to Netflix or Hulu. That means you won’t need a fancy PC or lots of storage space on your console to play high-fidelity games — instead, you’ll just need a stable internet connection.
Anyone looking for a relatively affordable way to access hundreds of games without upgrading their hardware will find much to love with these services. Although the technology is new, the marketplace is already becoming crowded with companies looking to create the next big thing.
Here are the best game streaming services currently available.
Xbox Game Pass (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC*)
Kicking off the list is arguably the best example of a streaming service: Xbox Game Pass. The other services on our list rely on streaming technology to deliver your games, but Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass works a little differently. For $10 per month, a subscription to Xbox Game Pass gives you access to more than 100 games, and you download them onto your Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S storage device just like you would with any other digital game.
This means you don’t have to worry about your internet speed affecting the quality of your gaming experience, and even if you lose your connection, you’ll still be able to play games, so long as you remain a member.
And the games — the games. Xbox Game Pass has perhaps the best library of free games of any service on our list. From Halo: The Master Chief Collection to Gears 5 and newer titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Xbox Game Pass has plenty of incredible games to enjoy. The service isn’t limited to Microsoft-published games, either, with a variety of third-party games also available.
The kicker, however, is Microsoft’s policy for future Xbox exclusives. All first-party Xbox games going forward are included with an Xbox Game Pass subscription at no extra charge on launch day. That means games like Halo Infinite, the next Forza Motorsport, Gears, and the mega-popular Grounded are all available on day one through Game Pass. Speaking of Grounded, that’s a great example of a game that’s available through Microsoft’s Game Preview program — which allows users to play a game in what is effectively beta form. It’s yet another perk to having Game Pass and is a leading example of a subscription service done right — both from an economic point of view and its superb selection of games.
*Only Xbox Play Anywhere games are also available on PC through Xbox Game Pass.
PlayStation Now (PS4, PS5, PC)
Sony has some of the best first-party video games around, but you previously needed to own one of the company’s consoles to be able to play them. With PlayStation Now, you can play a wide variety of exclusive PlayStation games from your PC or your PlayStation 4.
On PC, all you need is a DualShock 4 controller with either a wireless adapter or USB mini cable (or a DualSense controller), as well as a PlayStation Network account and at least 5Mbps of internet download speed. PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 users need the same internet speed on their game console, and with either a seven-day free trial or a paid subscription, you’re ready to play the best PlayStation exclusives. For PS4 and PS5 players, a PlayStation Now subscription includes full access to multiplayer support, even if you have not subscribed to PlayStation Plus. Your save files will be compatible with both PC, PS5, and PS4.
The service added a feature included with Xbox Game Pass, giving you the ability to download games and play them directly on your system. More than 300 PlayStation 4 games are eligible for download and support DLC and other features you would get in the standard digital versions. It’s likely you’ll never need to download them, but doing so in case your internet goes out will ensure you can still enjoy your favorites.
PlayStation Now features some older PlayStation exclusives, including the first three Uncharted games, Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Last of Us, Until Dawn, God of War III: Remastered, and Bloodborne. The service also supports a number of third-party games, such as Dishonored, the Batman: Arkham games, the BioShock trilogy, and Saints Row IV.
New games are added every month, and the full catalog includes more than 800 titles. PlayStation Now costs $10 for a one-month subscription or $25 for a three-month subscription. A yearly subscription is now $60.
PlayStation Now also looks to be getting a potential upgrade, thanks to a partnership made between parent company Sony and Microsoft. The two companies will work to integrate Microsoft’s Azure cloud technology — the same technology powering Project xCloud — into Sony’s streaming and AI services. The exact impact this will have on PlayStation Now remains unclear now, but Microsoft’s data centers dwarf those used by PlayStation Now at the moment.
It’s also possible PS Now will be integrated into PS Plus, revamping both services overall. This has yet to be announced, but many reports point to something codenamed Spartacus, featuring a new pricing structure and various tiers. Sony will supposedly be revealing this in the spring.
Now that we’re well into the next generation of consoles, Sony also is planning to allow players to use PlayStation Now on more devices, including mobile platforms. Content quality will, according to Sony, reach 1080p and beyond, putting it in line with services such as Nvidia GeForce Now but trailing the capability of Google Stadia and Project xCloud.
Sony has started releasing games day and date on PS Now, much like Microsoft does with its first-party titles on Game Pass. As of March, Sony featured Shadow Warrior 3 on PS Now on launch day, hopefully indicating what to expect from the service going forward.
GeForce Now (PC, Mac, Nvidia Shield)
Own a Mac, Nvidia Shield, or a low-end PC, but want to play the latest AAA games? With GeForce Now, you can play the latest and greatest from major publishers without having to worry about your computer catching fire or, worse, running Bootcamp.
The following devices support GeForce Now:
GeForce Now is not a content service like many of the other services on our list. You have to purchase the games you want to play through a digital store, such as Steam, Uplay, or Blizzard’s Battle.net. Once you’ve installed the app on your machine, GeForce’s cloud-based processors will allow you to run the game on any device, independent of their specs.
The service requires a higher internet download speed than you might expect — 15Mbps minimum and 25Mbps are recommended — and you must have MacOS 10.11 or higher or Windows 7 64-bit (though the latest version of Windows 10 is recommended) or later in order to run it.
Either an Ethernet connection or a Wi-Fi connection using a 5GHz router is required, and you can use either a mouse-and-keyboard setup or one of several gamepads. Sessions are capped at four hours per player before you have to start a new session to keep the servers available for other players.
GeForce now is compatible with a huge assortment of games, though you do have to buy them to use them with the service. The list includes Assassin’s Creed Origins, PUBG Battlegrounds, Injustice 2, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, to name a few. GeForce Now has exited beta testing and is available in three different tiers.
The free version offers standard access with a one-hour play session cap. The $4.99-per-month Founders option gives priority access, extended session lengths, and enables RTX. There’s also a limited-time high-end option that costs $24.95 for six months and offers all the benefits of the Founders version but adds special Hyper Scape perks and exclusive content.
Google Stadia
Google Stadia is Google’s take on a streaming service, boasting the ability to stream games in 4K from a Chrome browser. Available to stream on devices such as Android and iOS, phones, laptops, tablets, and televisions via Chromecast Ultra, Google Stadia effectively replaces the traditional game console. You have access to several of the biggest AAA games on the service, including Mortal Kombat 11, Destiny 2, Borderlands 3, and Darksiders Genesis, and updates are handled on the server-side so you never have to wait before playing your games.
Not all of Stadia’s most impressive features are integrated yet, but Google recently showed off its long-awaited connection to YouTube, allowing you to click a link from within a video’s description to be taken to it on Stadia. Viewers watching a streamer on YouTube will be able to instantly jump into their game to play with them or use a state-sharing system to replicate their save file and play from where the streamer left off. They’ll even be able to start playing games directly from YouTube ads in as little as five seconds, and they can access Google Assistant for tips on how to clear tricky sections of games they’re playing.
Stadia will receive timed exclusive games, with a few hundred titles added to the service overall, and it continues to be updated with new features. However, the service has a long way to go if it wants to compete directly with xCloud or with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. It’s unlikely this will happen, as Google has struggled to retain a steady player base, reaching around 2 million users worldwide.
Stadia is certainly one of the most robust game-streaming services today, but we would still suggest waiting until it receives a better game lineup. Still, if you don’t own a traditional console, it’s a quick way to jump into AAA gaming, and you can cancel your subscription if you decide Google Stadia isn’t for you. You can currently access the free version, which caps its games at 1080p resolution. The Pro option costs $10 a month and allows 4K streaming, along with a library of free games each month and discounts.
Thankfully, Stadia’s library has grown to nearly 300 games, a far cry from the limited selection it had at launch. Still, this is a tough sell when competing with entire libraries of thousands of games across PlayStation and Xbox. It is comparable to those platform’s services, though — PS Now and Xbox Game Pass — at least in terms of price.
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Google isn’t the only company that wants you to be able to play console-quality games regardless of your location. Microsoft first unveiled its Project xCloud (now known as Xbox Cloud Gaming) service back in 2018, and it aims to eliminate the hardware barrier between its library of games and potential players.
Using Microsoft’s 54 Azure data centers, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows users to stream games originally made for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, or PC on their device of choice. Everything from the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC themselves to mobile phones and tablets will be supported eventually, and you will be able to access your games wherever you have a network connection. You will also be able to use your own Xbox console as a server through Xbox Cloud Gaming without having to pay at all.
Unlike Stadia, which ties your controller of choice to your Wi-Fi connection, Xbox Cloud Gaming does so via Bluetooth, which theoretically will lead to lower latency during gameplay. Xbox One and Series X controllers made after 2016 will be supported on your device of choice, and you will also have access to custom touch control interfaces when gaming on a mobile device.
More than 100 titles are available to stream on an Android phone or tablet, PC, or Xbox console. You can also use it on a Smart TV through the Game Pass app. And as of 2021, Microsoft announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming will run on Xbox Series X hardware, leading to 1080p resolution at up to 60 frames per second.
Because Xbox Cloud Gaming is built on the same backbone as Xbox Live Gold and the Xbox Play Anywhere program, it supports cross-platform cloud save data. This means that if you are playing a game on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X and need to leave, you can pick up your mobile device and resume your progress.
The coolest thing about Xbox Cloud Gaming is that it will tie to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $15 a month but gives you access to all the benefits of Xbox Game Pass and Games With Gold (as well as a Gold subscription to play online with others). So, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will gain access to Xbox Cloud Gaming at no additional cost — and it’s something Microsoft is aiming to be as ubiquitous as possible, regardless of if you own an Xbox console or not.
Amazon Luna
It seems many companies are trying the gaming subscription business model. In 2020, Amazon launched its own gaming subscription service called Luna, which allows users to stream games via the cloud. Amazon Luna offers around 80 games, many of which are published by Ubisoft, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and Far Cry 6.
Amazon Luna has an introductory price of $6 per month, and Luna is usable on Windows PC, Mac, Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, and select Android devices. You can play games on the service with a dedicated Amazon Luna controller or any compatible gamepad, such as an Xbox controller, DualShock 4, DualSense, or even a mouse and keyboard.
You’ll need an internet connection speed of at least 10Mbps to stream games at 1080p or 35Mbps to stream games at 4K. However, the company has implemented an option for 720p, which has a lower internet speed requirement. Therein lies the issue with many streaming services. The premise sounds appealing, but to effectively play many modern games at high resolutions, internet speeds need to be fast, which isn’t a viable option in many areas, even in the United States.
Since Luna is in early access right now, you must request an invitation to join. There are many subscription options, so be sure to visit the landing page to see which one suits you best.
Nintendo Switch Online
Finally, let’s briefly touch on Nintendo Switch Online. This isn’t technically a streaming service, but the premise is similar enough to Xbox Game Pass and PS Now, so we wanted to mention it. For $20 per year, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers gain access to online play for Switch games, just like Xbox Live. But beyond that, Nintendo grants subscribers with an ever-expanding library of NES and SNES games, some of which have been updated to include online play.
While the list of playable games is arguably lackluster, the fact that it’s so much less expensive than its competitors is an easier pill to swallow. At the end of 2021, Nintendo announced Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, giving players access to a list of N64 and Sega Genesis games, along with Nintendo Switch DLC expansions for $50 per year. This was a welcome inclusion, though many believed its price was too expensive. Still, it’s a good deal if you’re someone who likes to play Nintendo Switch DLC such as the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise, or the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack.
