Cloud Gaming Services

The hosted, "play AAA games on a Chromebook" services. For self-hosted streaming from your own GPU (the FOSS preference) see Self-host streaming (Sunshine + Moonlight). For broader subscriptions / DRM-free stores see DRM-free stores & subscriptions. For VPN tricks to reach regional Cloud catalogs see your favorite mesh / VPN provider; honest flag: ToS varies. For network protocol detail (RTMP / SRT / WebRTC) the analogous landscape lives in Real-time Video on the building-blocks side.

The 2024–26 reality: GeForce Now leads on price/perf and is the only major service that lets you stream games you already own on Steam / Epic / GOG / Ubisoft. Xbox Cloud Gaming ships free with Game Pass Ultimate. PS Plus Premium Cloud is improving. Amazon Luna has been retreating in some regions. Shadow PC is the only "actual full Windows desktop" option. Stadia is dead (shut 2023).

The major players

• ★ NVIDIA GeForce Now — paid (free + paid tiers); Win/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android/TV/browser. Stream games you already own on Steam, Epic, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, Xbox PC. Free tier (1-hour sessions, basic rigs, queue), Priority ($10/mo, 6-hour sessions, 1080p60), Ultimate ($20/mo, 8-hour sessions, RTX 4080-class GPU, 4K120, ultrawide, ray tracing). The best price/perf in the category. Per-game support varies — check NVIDIA's supported games list.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) — paid bundled with Game Pass Ultimate (~$20/mo); Win/iOS/Android/TV/browser. Stream the Game Pass catalog + selected games you own. Quality varies; Xbox-controller-first.
• PlayStation Plus Premium (Cloud) — paid (~$18/mo); Sony's catalog including PS3 streaming. Improving but still trails GeForce Now / xCloud on perf.
• Boosteroid — paid (~$8-15/mo). Bring-your-own-library cloud gaming similar to GeForce Now. Smaller game catalog, smaller geographic footprint, often cheaper.
• Shadow PC — paid (~$30-45/mo); Win/Mac/Linux/iOS/Android. A full dedicated Windows VM with a GPU. Install whatever you want (Steam, mods, non-Steam games, work software). Higher latency than NV-tuned services but unparalleled flexibility.
• Blacknut — paid family-friendly cloud gaming; smaller catalog, often bundled with ISPs.
• Antstream Arcade — paid (~$4-10/mo); cloud retro-arcade. Legally licensed retro games, leaderboards, social.
• Vortex — paid; legacy.

Sunset / shrinking

• Amazon Luna — paid; honest flag: regional retreats / discontinuations through 2024. Verify availability in your region before buying.
• Google Stadia — dead (2023). Refunds were issued.
• OnLive — long dead.

Considerations

• Latency: cloud gaming is fundamentally bound by the network. Wired Ethernet + a server within ~30ms is the line. 5GHz Wi-Fi is acceptable; 2.4GHz / hotel Wi-Fi is usually not.
• Bandwidth: 25 Mbps for 1080p60, 50+ Mbps for 4K. Plus a steady connection — burstiness kills it.
• Game ownership: GeForce Now and Boosteroid stream games you own elsewhere. xCloud / PS Plus / Antstream are catalog-streaming. Shadow PC streams a whole desktop, you bring everything.
• Anti-cheat: cloud-side anti-cheat varies; some online games are blocked from cloud play.
• ToS / regional VPN: spoofing region to access another country's catalog is common but typically a ToS violation. Don't expect support.

Pick this if…

• Best perf for the price: GeForce Now Ultimate.
• Already paying for Game Pass Ultimate: Xbox Cloud Gaming.
• PS-loyal / want to stream PS3 games: PS Plus Premium.
• Want a real Windows VM, not just a game-stream: Shadow PC.
• Retro arcade, legally: Antstream.
• You own the gaming PC, want to play it from another room or a Deck: skip cloud, go to Self-host streaming.