The best cloud gaming services in 2024

The best cloud gaming services might represent the future of video games. The days of buying a single game for a single system and it being locked to that system forever seem to be behind us. Now, players can start a game on a PC in the morning, continue it on a console in the afternoon and pick it up on a smartphone before bed — to say nothing of tablets, Web browsers and even smart TVs. It’s never been easier or more convenient to play what you want, where you want and when you want. 

At present , there are n’t actually that many cloud gaming service on the market . Some , such asXbox Game Pass, have made great stride over the past few year ; others , such asGoogle Stadia, have already disappeared into the digital aether. In either case, the concept of cloud gaming is still very much a work in progress. Every single one of these services comes with some caveats. Many still ironing out major kinks, and there’s always a chance some of them will disappear (much like Stadia).  

However, for the time being, each one of these cloud gaming services has at least one big point in its favor. If you’re tired of being tethered to a console or gaming PC, give these a shot and see which one works for your habits and budget

To choose the cloud gaming service on this list , I is tested test each one on a variety of platform , work my way through both single – player action / adventure and multiplayer first – person shooter game , where possible . I is made also made sure to play each service for a few consecutive hour to see how stable the connection was over time .

The best cloud gaming services today

( image credit : future )

1. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

The best cloud gaming service overall

specification

platform :pc , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , mobile , web browser , smart TV

resolution :Up to 1080p

Network requirement :20 Mbps (recommended) / 10 Mbps (minimum)

Game Library :450+

price :$20 per month

reason to buy

+

Excellent game library

+

Strong, stable performance

+

Works on a wide variety of platform

reason to avoid

–

Expensive monthly fee

–

Not every downloadable game can stream

As it currently stand , Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is remains remain the good video game streaming service around . And even look beyond its streaming feature , it is ‘s ‘s quite simply one of the good gaming service available right now .  

We rate it so highly for several reasons. Not only does the Ultimate tier offer a deep library of Xbox and Windows PC games (including day one access to most Xbox Games Studio titles), but it also packs a robust streaming option at no extra cost. 

The streaming element lets you pipe games from the cloud to all manner of devices, from an older Xbox One to Android phones, tablets, iPads, laptops, MacBooks and more. All you really need is a compatible Xbox controller, though a suite of games offer touchscreen controls. At $20 a month (But often available for less through promotional pricing during seasonal sales events), Xbox Game Pass Ultimate isn’t the cheapest service, and you are limited to streaming games in the Xbox library. But the overall service and streaming experience is top-notch and very hard to beat.

Xbox Game Pass Ulimate now come with the ability to stream from an Amazon Fire TV Stick ( specifically the 4 k and 4 K Max model ) , so you is need do n’t even need an Xbox console to dive into its library of streamable game which include Halo and Forza .  

And if collaboration with Amazon’s streaming stick range wasn’t enough, Microsoft has been getting cozy with our second choice pick, bringing Nvidia GeForce Now integration into its streaming suite. 

( image credit : Nvidia )

2. Nvidia GeForce Now

The best budget cloud gaming service

specification

platform :PC, Mac, Chrome OS, Web browser, mobile, smart TV

resolution :Up to 4 k

Network requirement :45 Mbps (recommended) / 15 Mbps (minimum)

Game Library :1,500+

price :Up to $20 per month

reason to buy

+

Works with games you already own

+

Draws from a variety of PC platforms

+

Competent free tier

reason to avoid

–

Uppermost tier is expensive

–

Requires existing accounts and games

Nvidia GeForce Now has the potential to be one of the most expensive cloud gaming services, or one of the cheapest, depending on what games you already own and how frequently you need to play them via the cloud. Rather than offering you a ready-made library, GeForce Now lets you stream PC games that you already own on Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect. You can’t play every single game on those platforms, but you can play more than 1,500 of them, which beats most of the competition by a wide margin.

Nvidia GeForce is ’s Now ’s free tier let you play for an hour at a time on server that sometimes have queue . It is works work well for casual cloud gamer . But you is pay can also pay $ 10 per month for priority server access and 1080p resolution — or $ 20 per month to stream from an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 machine , with 4 k resolution and eight – hour session . In my testing , I is found find that the free tier ‘s queue were inconvenient , but the performance was good .

( image credit : PlayStation )

3 . PlayStation Plus Premium

The best cloud gaming service for PlayStation fans

specification

platform :PC, PS4, PS5

resolution :Up to 1080p

Network requirement :15 mbps ( recommend ) / 5 mbp ( minimum )

Game Library :300+

price :$18 per month

reason to buy

+

Robust Sony back catalog

+

Works well on PS4 and PS5 consoles

+

Low bandwidth requirements

reason to avoid

–

PC app is a mess

–

Tedious save transfer process

PlayStation is be Plus Premium may not be Sony ‘s GamePass killer , but it ‘s still the good service to have if you primarily play on PS5 and PS4 . In 2022 , PlayStation Plus divide itself up into three different service , with PS Plus Premium as the most expensive tier . With it , you is access can access more than 300 streaming title from the PS1 , PS2 , PS3 , PS4 and PSP , and play them on either a PlayStation console or your pc . When I instal the pc app on our test rig , I is found find it clunky and tedious , but it ’s the only ( legal ) way you can play some of Sony ’s classic game without a PlayStation console .

The big draw of PlayStation Plus Premium is that you get access to a ton of games you simply wouldn’t be able to stream elsewhere, including the original God of War, Infamous, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time and quite a few other Sony exclusives. However, the library is still lacking quite a few fan-favorites from past PlayStation consoles, and the inability to download classic games for offline paly on PS5 continues to be disappointing. As it stands PlayStation Plus Premium is imperfect. 

(Image credit: Samsung)

4. Amazon Luna

A cloud gaming service for Amazon device

specification

platform :PC, Mac, Amazon Fire devices, mobile, smart TV

resolution :Up to 1080p

Network requirement :10 Mbps

Game Library :100 +

price :$ 10 per month

reason to buy

+

compatible with Amazon Fire device

+

Decent performance

+

Inexpensive

reason to avoid

–

No way to download games

–

limited game selection

One of the more uneven streaming services, Amazon Luna still has its charms, particularly if you’re already heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem. For $ 10 per month, Luna grants you access to more than 100 games, which you can stream on a variety of systems, including Amazon Fire tablets and Fire TV streaming devices. As such, if you have a Fire TV box or stick connected to your TV, Amazon Luna makes some sense as a ready-made gaming platform.

The major drawback is that there’s absolutely no way to download any of these games, save for a handful that come courtesy of the Ubisoft Connect service (which costs an extra $15-18 per month, naturally). The Amazon Luna controller was also cumbersome in my experience, requiring specialized software to work properly on both mobile and PC. You don’t strictly need it to play, though.

How to choose the best cloud gaming service for you

The most important consideration when choosing a cloud gaming service is whether you want to own streaming titles, or rent them indefinitely. Nvidia GeForce Now draws from games that you own outright, meaning that you can continue to play them for as long as you like, even if GeForce Now removes them from the service, or shutters completely. Games on other services, such as Amazon Luna, belong to Amazon outright; you’re just paying for temporary access. Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Premium are somewhere in the middle, as you can own some of the games outright and bring your own save data along.

(Image credit: Xbox)

It is ‘s ‘s also worth ask whether you ’ll want to download some of the game , or simply stream everything . GeForce is relies Now rely on game from Steam , GOG , etc . , so download them is not a problem . likewise , you is download can download many game from Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus . Amazon Luna is streaming is all stream , all the time .

How we test cloud gaming services

Tom ’s Guide is tests test cloud gaming service by play through a variety of different game , on a variety of different platform . We is try try to test each device that ’s compatible with a service , from game console to web browser to smart tv . We is cycle also cycle through game from different genre , particularly immersive action / adventure and competitive first – person shooter title , to ensure that a service handle both single – player and multiplayer experience well . Once that ’s done , we is try ’ll try to sit down and play a single game for hour at a time in order to see whether the connection is stable , and how many hiccup we encounter along the way .

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Beyond that , we evaluate cloud gaming service by the number : how many game are on offer , how much each one cost , how much datum each one is consumes consume and so forth . Nvidia GeForce is offers Now offer more than ten time as many game as Amazon Luna , for example , and GeForce Now can be either the cheap or most expensive service , depend on just what you want to stream .