- 9 hours ago
In this video, Paul breaks down the best cloud gaming services you can use right now to stream your favorite games without needing a powerful PC or console. From Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now to PlayStation Plus Premium and Amazon Luna, he compares their performance, value, game libraries, and supported devices to help you figure out which one fits your setup best.
You’ll learn which services deliver the best graphics, which ones give you the biggest game libraries, and how they all stack up when it comes to pricing, latency, and accessibility. Whether you’re streaming from a TV, laptop, or phone, this video covers everything you need to know to get the best cloud gaming experience today.
You’ll learn which services deliver the best graphics, which ones give you the biggest game libraries, and how they all stack up when it comes to pricing, latency, and accessibility. Whether you’re streaming from a TV, laptop, or phone, this video covers everything you need to know to get the best cloud gaming experience today.
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TechTranscript
00:00Do you really need a powerful gaming PC or console to play demanding AAA games?
00:06Cloud gaming lets you access powerful gaming rigs and stream top-tier games from almost any device.
00:12In some cases, cloud gaming can even deliver higher frame rates and resolutions than your own setup with no expensive
00:19hardware required.
00:20In this episode of Setup Essentials, I'll take you through everything that you need to know to get started with
00:25cloud gaming.
00:25From tips to improving performance to the best cloud gaming services out there, let's get into it.
00:32If you already know what cloud gaming is and just want to see which services are best right now, you
00:36can skip ahead to that chapter.
00:38But for everyone else, here's a quick overview.
00:40Cloud gaming lets you play games that you either already own or that are part of that services library.
00:45Think of it like Netflix, except instead of streaming a movie, you're streaming a game from a remote server directly
00:52to your device.
00:53Whether that's your console, PC, phone, streaming stick, or even right to your TV.
00:58Cloud gaming has actually been around for more than a decade.
01:01Remember OnLive back in 2010?
01:03It was a cool glimpse at the future, but it suffered from heavy video compression, high latency, and was definitely
01:08ahead of its time.
01:09Things changed in 2020 with the full release of Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now.
01:14And that's when a lot of people, myself included, started to see the real potential of these services as a
01:20serious way to game without needing to drop thousands on a gaming PC or a next-gen console every few
01:26years.
01:26Now, in 2025, I'd argue that cloud gaming services can match or even be local performance, so long as you
01:34keep a few things in mind.
01:36So let's talk about what you need to get the best cloud gaming experience.
01:39First, no matter what cloud gaming service you go with, you'll need a strong and stable internet connection the entire
01:45time that you're playing.
01:46If your internet goes down, so does your game.
01:49There is no offline playing at all.
01:51How fast your internet connection needs to be depends on the quality that you're streaming at.
01:55For smooth 1080p gameplay, you'll want at least 25 megabits per second.
01:59For 4K, 120 FPS, aim for around 45.
02:02And if you're going all the way up to 5K at 120 FPS, about 65 megabits per second is ideal.
02:08Can you get by with less?
02:09Sometimes.
02:10But you'll probably notice pixelation, lag, and buffering that can quickly pull you out of that gaming experience.
02:16You'll also want at least 5 to 10 megabits per second of upload speed, especially for your multiplayer games, to
02:22keep your inputs feeling snappy and responsive.
02:25Latency, also known as ping, is just as important as speed.
02:29You want to stay under 40 milliseconds if possible.
02:32That number measures how long it takes your device to talk to the game server and then get a response
02:37back.
02:38High ping causes lag, delayed actions, or that annoying teleporting effect where your character randomly ends up on the other
02:44side of the map,
02:45or your shots miss, even though they probably shouldn't.
02:48I'm not talking about bad aim here.
02:50And seriously, use a wired connection if you can.
02:54Even with fast internet speeds, Wi-Fi can introduce random lag and slowdowns.
02:58An ethernet cable helps keep your connection stable and your ping low.
03:02Of course, a wired connection isn't always going to be realistic, especially if you're gaming on your phone or handheld.
03:08If you are on Wi-Fi, stay as close to the router as possible and use a 5 gigahertz network
03:13or faster for lower latency and higher speeds compared to older 2.4 gigahertz networks.
03:19If you do need an upgrade, I'll link our guide to picking the best gaming routers in the description.
03:24Not sure how fast your internet is?
03:27I know an easy way to check.
03:28I like using fast.com on all my devices.
03:31It shows download speeds first, and if you tap show more, it'll show your latency and your upload speed.
03:37That should give you a solid baseline for what your internet connection can actually handle.
03:42And remember, everything on your home network shares bandwidth.
03:45If your game starts to stutter or drop frames, pause other downloads and background streaming.
03:51Finally, the distance between your home network and the cloud gaming servers also make a big difference.
03:57Even if you have fast internet, being far away from a cloud gaming server can hurt your performance.
04:03Most of these services list their supported regions and their data centers online, so it's definitely worth checking out before
04:09you subscribe to any of them.
04:10Okay, now that your internet connection is ready, let's get into the best cloud gaming services that you can play
04:16on right now.
04:17First up, Xbox Cloud Gaming.
04:20It's easily the most popular choice right now.
04:23Xbox Cloud Gaming is included with all Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, so you might already have access to one of
04:29the best cloud gaming services.
04:31Game Pass works like Netflix or Disney Plus with a library of games that you can download and play at
04:37no extra cost.
04:39Microsoft expanded it to include game streaming as well, with no downloads required.
04:44Most newer and first-party Game Pass titles also support cloud streaming.
04:49And Microsoft has also been adding support for other games outside of Game Pass that you may already own if
04:55you bought them through the Xbox Digital Store.
04:57It runs on pretty much everything.
04:59Xbox consoles, Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and even the MetaQuest 3.
05:05I'm here for the Everything is an Xbox push, and you can even play it directly on many newer LGs,
05:11Samsung, and Fire TVs.
05:12All you really need is a compatible controller, and your progress and achievements are carried over.
05:17Xbox Game Pass starts at $10 a month for the Essential tier, which caps your streaming resolution at 1080p and
05:23sometimes has longer queues.
05:25The $30 Game Pass Ultimate tier streams games at up to 1440p resolution, which looks noticeably sharper in my experience,
05:32and queue times are usually only a few seconds.
05:35Ultimate also includes over 500 Xbox and PC Game Pass titles that you can download and play locally.
05:41And yes, I know we're discussing cloud gaming here, but this is still a really great option if you already
05:47own an Xbox or a gaming PC and you still want to play some of those games offline.
05:52It also unlocks a huge advantage when paired with the next service that I'm about to cover, NVIDIA GeForce Now,
05:58and I'll explain why in just a minute.
06:00No other service really matches Game Pass when it comes to both game selection and device support.
06:05And if you really care about day one Xbox releases like Call of Duty or Outer Worlds, Xbox Game Pass
06:10Ultimate is one of the best and most versatile ways to play a massive library of games across almost every
06:16device that you own.
06:19Alternatively, if you want the closest thing to a real gaming PC with higher quality graphics, it has to be
06:25NVIDIA GeForce Now.
06:27The first time that I streamed Black Ops 6 to my 5K ultra-wide display on maxed-out settings at
06:33over 120 frames per second, I knew that this would change how I game forever.
06:37Unlike most other subscriptions, GeForce Now lets you play games that you already own, along with popular free-to-play
06:44titles like Overwatch 2 and Fortnite.
06:46You just sync your game libraries from platforms like Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Battle.net.
06:52You can even stream select Xbox Game Pass titles if you're subscribed there, which is why I was saying that
06:58higher Game Pass Ultimate tier becomes even more valuable when you pair it with GeForce Now, as you get a
07:03much better graphical experience here.
07:06But not every game that you own is going to be compatible, since publishers actually have to opt in for
07:12their titles to appear on GeForce Now.
07:15Luckily, NVIDIA's site makes it easy to check which of your games are supported before you start and subscribe.
07:21Just like Xbox Cloud Gaming, you can stream games on almost anything.
07:25There are native apps for Windows, Mac OS, Android, Android TV, Google TV, and newer Sony, LG, and Samsung TVs.
07:31You can even play through a browser on most other devices, including the MetaQuest and even the Apple Vision Pro
07:37just by visiting play.geforce.com.
07:40The ad-supported free tier is going to be a great way to try out the service, but you will
07:45be limited to one-hour gaming sessions before you need to restart.
07:48There are no daily cap limits on how many times you can reconnect, but you are also limited to 1080p
07:54at 60 frames per second and will likely wait longer to get into your games.
07:58Still, this is a surprisingly solid experience if you don't have a gaming PC already.
08:03The performance tier costs $10 a month and bumps things up to 1440p at 60 frames per second with ray
08:09tracing support, ultra-wide monitor support, and six-hour session limits.
08:14Then there's the $20 monthly tier, which pushes things to a whole other level with up to 4K at 240
08:20frames per second, powered by the RTX 4080 GPU.
08:24Nvidia has also been steadily upgrading many of its data centers to RTX 5080s, which can handle up to 5K
08:30and 360 frames per second.
08:33Think of it this way.
08:34You're basically renting access to a top-tier gaming PC with like a $1,000 GPU for only $20 a
08:40month, and Nvidia keeps upgrading their hardware every year so you don't have to.
08:45For the closest experience to a high-end gaming PC without actually needing to own one, Nvidia GeForce Now delivers.
08:52Now, what if you're team Sony?
08:54PlayStation Plus Premium is Sony's answer to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
08:59For $18 per month, you get access to roughly 1,000 games that you can download and play, with around
09:04300 of those available to stream.
09:07The library includes major AAA hits like God of War Ragnarok and The Last of Us, plus classics including Infamous,
09:14Ratchet & Clank, and the original God of War series.
09:16Before Sony started porting its exclusives to PC, this was the only legitimate way to play many of these games
09:23without actually owning a PlayStation console.
09:26But now you can stream them directly to your PS4, PS5, PC, and, most recently, the PlayStation Portal.
09:34If you're already in the PlayStation ecosystem, this is the best cloud gaming option for you.
09:40In addition to some PS5 titles, it supports a lot of classics dating back to the PS1 and even PSP.
09:47And just like Xbox Cloud Gaming, this has been a really great way for me to discover and try new
09:52games that I normally wouldn't have bothered downloading.
09:55Something to note on PC, though, streaming runs through Sony's app, which only officially supports DualShock 4 controllers.
10:03No DualSense, mouse, or keyboard support yet.
10:06Though, between us, I have had some luck with a few third-party controllers.
10:11And even though it's not compatible with as many devices, it's a no-brainer for Sony gamers.
10:17Did you know if you're already an Amazon Prime subscriber, you already have access to a solid cloud gaming service?
10:23Amazon's Luna platform is still considered a newcomer, but it's gotten a big overhaul.
10:28The standard tier, which is included with Prime, gives you a rotating library of around 70 games.
10:34And at the time of this video, that lineup includes Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Kingdom
10:39Come Deliverance 2.
10:40They also recently added a Game Night collection focused on family-friendly party games that you can play using your
10:46smartphone instead of controllers, with some supporting over eight players.
10:51It includes classics like Clue, Taboo, Ticket to Ride, and fun hits like Jackbox Party 9.
10:57Another feature I really love is Luna Couch, which lets one paying subscriber invite their friends to play local co
11:03-op or multiplayer games, even if those friends don't have a Luna subscription.
11:07You just send them the code to join with their Amazon account, and they're in.
11:12Luna Premium costs around $9.99 per month, and that expands the library to bigger titles like Death Stranding, Control,
11:18FC25, as well as a mix of really solid indie games.
11:22Luna works on all Fire devices and TVs running Fire OS 5 or later, as well as many newer Samsung
11:29LG TVs where you can play it directly.
11:32There's also website support for other devices.
11:34Luna may not have the biggest game library out right now, but between its free access with Prime, the mix
11:40of party titles, and Luna Couch, it's the most accessible and best options for families, younger players, or anyone who
11:46wants to host a fun game night.
11:50While those are the four biggest cloud gaming streaming services, there are other options out there.
11:56Boostroid is similar to GeForce Now, letting you stream the games that you already own, and Shadow actually lets you
12:03use the cloud, like a personal computer, for graphics-attentive projects like video editing and 3D modeling.
12:09The thing is, these services tend to not have as many servers nationwide or internationally, making their performance definitely not
12:17as reliable for fast-paced games, but they are consistently getting better, so I'd keep an eye on them.
12:23But do you have a favorite cloud streamer that I didn't get to in this video?
12:27Be sure to leave it in the comments and let me know which ones I should check out for next
12:31time.
12:32Again, one of the best parts of cloud gaming is that you don't actually need to invest in expensive gaming
12:37PC or console hardware to get great performance.
12:40But if you still want an excellent experience, it's still worth investing in controllers, peripherals, Wi-Fi routers, and maybe
12:47even upgrading to a better monitor or TV.
12:50So, I've made a collection on Amazon Storefront with my favorite deals that you can find linked down below.
12:58All right, those have been my top cloud gaming services to choose from, but I don't think you'll be disappointed
13:02with any of these picks.
13:04Let me know which one you're eyeing, or if you think there are any that I should try out for
13:07next time.
13:07If this video helped you out, be sure to subscribe for more Setup Essentials, and you can follow me to
13:12see what other cool tech I'm reviewing.
13:13And until the next one, I'll catch you later.
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