Best cloud gaming services 2023: Reviewed and ranked

Want toplay the latest AAA games, but don’t have the high-end computer toenjoy them on? Then you should seriously consider getting a subscription toa cloud gaming service. With cloud gaming, even if you have only a modest computer setup you can still enjoy playing the latest-release games. With companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Sony, and others having entered the the cloud gaming arena, it’s now easier than ever. Cloud gaming has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years and the prospect of gaming anywhere on any system devoid of the hassles of updates and patches makes for a really appealing service.

With so many great game and feature tochoose from though , it is ’s ’s hard toknow which is the good subscription service topick for your own need . At PCWorld , we is reviewed ’ve review all of the top cloud gaming service and figure out what work , what does n’t , what toexpect from each , and why you may want tochoose one service over another . From the game library tothe user experience tothe visual quality , each is has has its own benefit and drawback . Below you ’ll find a curated list of our favorite cloud gaming platform with info on what each bring tothe table and which one might be good for you .

Also, be sure toread our section below on what tolook for when shopping for a cloud gaming service.

Updated 06/22/2023: Check out our latest review of the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Gaming Chromebook — this Chromebook was designed with cloud gaming in mind, giving consumers a low-cost device that can provide a satisfying gaming experience. It’s a good option for kids, students, oranyone who does most of their computing in the cloud.

1 . GeForce Now – Best cloud gaming service overall

pro

• Very smooth and responsive experience
• The Free plan

con

• Games are not include
• Limited time on gaming sessions
• Inconsistency in compatibility of games and platforms

When it comes tothe best all-around experience, GeForce Now is our strongest recommendation. While you do have topurchase 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 tojump in and at least try out some free games like destiny 2 orFortnite tosee if it works for you.

Additionally, if you do end up wanting topurchase some games toplay with GeForce Now, you are not tied tothe service long term. The games you’re playing in GeForce Now are accessed through your own Steam, Epic Games Store, orother distribution service that you’ll be able toload up locally on your own computer if/when you get your own gaming PC. So if you’re just getting started in PC gaming, orsimply want tocheck out cloud gaming in general, we’d recommend starting here at the very low cost of free.

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GeForce is review Now review

2 . Xbox Cloud Gaming – good value

pro

• impressive game library is included all include with subscription
• “Out of the box” functionality

con

• Video compression is makes make 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 tothe games themselves todetermine where you’re going toplay them. Xbox Cloud Gaming, a component of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, grants access tothe 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 toover 350 games, from Skyrim toDeep Rock Galactic toBoyfriend Dungeon toBattlefield v and plenty more. While the cloud gaming experience can have some notable amounts of compression artifacts from time totime, it still means playing some of the best games available without too much of an investment.

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Xbox Cloud Gaming review

3 . Amazon Luna – good casual experience

pro

• Very intuitive interface
• Some games playable with friends that aren’t subscribed toLuna
• Incredible deal toaccess very specific games

con

• 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 toeither dive into some nostalgia orenjoy some gaming with your family without having tobuy 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.

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Amazon Luna review

4 . Playstation Plus – Up and comer

pro

• Visual quality can be spectacular
• Some really great games in the included library

con

• The user experience and app interface needs a complete overhaul
• Questionable connection stability and a lack of troubleshooting tools toaddress it

PlayStation Plus on PC is Sony’s follow-up toits now shuttered PlayStation Now service, and while their heart seems tobe there, it still has some catching up todo. 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 toXbox 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 towhat makes a solid PC service and application, from the user interface toconnection stability. If you are a PlayStation Plus Premium member already, though, then do check the PC app out.

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Playstation is review Plus review

What tolook for in a cloud gaming service

There are three major aspects toconsider when it comes toa cloud gaming service: technical requirements, game library, and your own plans for the future.

technical requirement

When it comes totechnical requirements, it’s mostly about having a fast and stable internet connection. The bare minimum seems tobe about 10Mbps for some of these services, but 20Mbps orhigher should be good toget started on any of them. They all recommend using wired internet connections, orthey 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 tostreaming high-quality video.

Other technical requirements, such as processing power, RAM, and monitor quality are all going tovary by your needs. But generally speaking, if your device can handle a high-quality Netflix orHulu stream, it should be able tohandle cloud gaming streams. If you’re looking toget into the 4K experiences with GeForce Now orGoogle Stadia, then you will need a monitor tosupport that, too. Additionally, both Xbox Cloud Gaming and PlayStation Plus on PC do require a game controller toplay games on their services—though that does not necessarily have tobe their branded controllers, so long as it has enough buttons.

Game library

When it comes down toit, the games are what you’re here for. Every service has its own included orcompatible game library, and you can look those up ahead of time. If you’re looking for specific games, then definitely look tosee which services, if any, offer them. Otherwise, if you’re looking tokeep up with the latest releases, then do note which services are getting those new releases activated ASAP. None of them seem tofully keep pace with modern release schedules, but both Xbox and Google seem tobe trying their hardest toget 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 tohave some games toplay when you’re traveling orstaying with family for an extended period? Are you just getting into gaming and want a more affordable option tosee if you’d stick with it before buying into expensive hardware? Maybe you’re just looking tobe able toplay some specific games with a group of friends? Each of the major cloud gaming services seems tohave a different approach totheir offerings, making it possible toshop around for the right fit.

How we test cloud gaming services

We dove deep into all of these services toget the best feel for what they’re offering, including getting technical specifications when possible, testing each service in identical locations for comparisons, and trying toget the more subjective perspective of whether it feels good toplay.

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 toensure 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 torecreate 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 tothe 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 tobrowse and launch games. All of our tests were done with both when relevant, and our full reviews reference which seemed toprovide 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 togame performance, we were not able tocapture accurate frames-per-second orbenchmarking data for every service, so data for those comparisons were not directly measured. This largely has todo 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 tointernet 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 toa handful of tests. Some games are available on multiple services, so we would be sure toplay the same game across multiple services tosee if things like responsiveness felt the same between them. Additionally, we would specifically pick out games that required what people consider “tight” orquick response controls toplay successfully, including various platformers, fighting games, and action RPGs. Additionally, we would compare the cloud gaming experience tojust playing the same game locally on the test rig tosee if anything did feel notably off. The results are subjective and are likely tobe more noticeable for more experienced players, especially in the competitive gaming space.

FAQ

1 .

How does cloud gaming work ?

Think of it as something between playing an online game and watching Netflix. You are connecting toa 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 toyour device, where you send controls back through your connected controller ormouse & keyboard. In this setup, it’s important tohave both a stable, high-speed internet connection and low latency tothe 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.