Is it time you jump into the world of cloud gaming? The market is exploding and growing all the time. There is a huge choice of games, platforms, and services that can be used to play your favorite games. But which one is best for you? That’s what we’re here to help you with.
There are a lot of cloud gaming services out there and In this post, I will be outlining 6 of the best ones.
Do remember that cloud gaming is still in development and none of the services can guarantee you 100% uptime and playable latency all the time.
What is cloud gaming?
Before we get on the list, let me clarify everything about cloud gaming.
Cloud gaming is a term used to describe the delivery of PC games over the internet. This can be done through the use of cloud computing, which involves storing data in the cloud rather than on a local computer. For example, instead of storing all your games on your laptop or desktop computer, you could instead store them in the cloud and have access to them from anywhere.
The beauty of cloud gaming is that it allows you to play any game even the AAA titles on any device including your mobile without having to download it first because the game technically runs on the server and not your device. The only limitation is that you need an internet connection to use this type of service.
Cloud gaming has become increasingly popular over recent years due to its convenience and flexibility but it is a new, relatively unexplored area of gaming. It’s still in the early stages, with many things still up in the air regarding what exactly it is and how it will be implemented to improve the experience.
1. Google Stadia
Google stadia is Google’s own cloud gaming service that offers a variety of games to stream from your device. The platform uses Google’s cloud server infrastructure to stream gameplay to your devices over the internet.
The platform can be accessed from a PC through the chrome browser. For mobile devices such as Andriod and iPhone, there is a dedicated app to get the service right to your palm.
There are a lot of popular titles available on stadia such as Assasins creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, and more.
The Stadia has dedicated controllers that enhance the gameplay of a user.
Bandwidth requirements
- 720P – 10 Mbps or above
- 1080P – 20 Mbps or above
- 4K – 35 Mbps or above
These are minimum requirements to stream the gameplay, however, it’s recommended to have speeds more than this to enjoy gameplay without buffer and lag.
2. Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox cloud gaming is another best cloud gaming service available to use. Just like Stadia from Google, this one is from Microsoft, which obviously runs on its own services called Azure.
The service is currently in beta and supports a variety of titles to play such as Halo, Rainbow six siege, Forza Horizon 5, Fortnite, and more.
Yeah, you can play Fortnite on Xbox cloud gaming. If you are someone who likes PC battle royale games like Fortnite but can’t afford the required PC to play, then Xbox Cloud Gaming should be your choice. More battle royale games might be added in the future.
Since this cloud gaming service is directly from Microsoft, it integrates tightly with the Xbox game pass which unlocks game pass games to your cloud library.
Bandwidth requirements
- 20 Mbps or above
Microsoft hasn’t officially given a clear internet connection requirement for its cloud gaming service yet.
3. NVIDIA GeForce Now
Nvidia GeForce now is one of the best cloud gaming platforms with extremely low lag across the gameplay. The games are powered by Nvidia’s own GPU RTX 3080 which can give you a resolution of up to 1440p at 120FPS with minimal input latency. That’s actually insane for cloud gaming.
Unlike other platforms, that allow everyone to purchase games through their own store, Nvidia Geforce now allows you to buy games from other popular stores such as steam and epic. However, not all the games on those stores will be available to play through Geforce now.
The Geforce now is available on PC, Mac, and Chrome OS via chrome browser, and a dedicated app for Andriod, PC, Mac, Andriod TV, and Smart TV. However, for iPhone, there is no iOS app at present but the safari browser can be used.
Bandwidth requirements
- 720P – 15 Mbps or above
- 1080P – 25 Mbps or above
- 1440P – 35 Mbps or above
- 2160P – 40 Mbps or above
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4. PlayStation Now
If you’re more into the PlayStation games like me, then PlayStation now is a must-have service to take your gaming to the cloud level. I love PlayStation, not because of that fancy controller but for those exclusive titles the platform holds such as God Of War, Uncharted, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and more.
With PlayStation now, you can get your hands on those games via the cloud.
The PlayStation Now is not available as a standalone service but is integrated with PlayStation plus plans. However, it is only available on the highest tier plan which is “Premium”. So if you’re using PS plus premium plan, then you already have PlayStation Now enabled.
Like I said before, with PlayStation Now, you can unlock a wide variety of popular PlayStation titles, that can either be played on your PlayStation itself or you can stream to play via the cloud.
Like others, it requires a strong internet connection.
Bandwidth requirements
- 5 Mbps or above
5. Shadow
Shadow is quite different from other cloud gaming services. Instead of allocating a resource on a PC, Shadow provides you with a complete computer dedicated just for yourself. Interestingly, you can control the entire PC allocated for you from your own PC. It’s pretty much like Anydesk but with a new powerful computer with very low latency.
The base subscription plan includes GTX 1080 and Intel XEON™ 3.5 GHz with 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (which can be upgradable). On the higher tier, you get RTX 3070 and AMD EPYC™ 7543P (WIP) 2.8 GHz with 16GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage (which can be upgradable).
Shadow play is basically not just for gaming, it’s for everything from work to play. The only downside of the service is the pricing which is also at a higher tier.
Bandwidth requirements
- 15 Mbps or above
6. Blacknut
Blacknut is another cloud gaming service that gets the job done. It doesn’t really provide high-end AAA games but offers medium to low graphic games at an affordable price.
Blacknut is one of the best cloud gaming services available at a much lower price compared to others.
It is available with a dedicated app for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Andriod TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast.
Bandwidth requirements
- 6Mbps or above
Conclusion
These are some of the best cloud gaming services that you could try. Cloud gaming is still in development and doesn’t expect to work as you would normally play on your local PC. A lot of factors will affect the gaming experience such as internet speed, internet latency, and more.
Perfecting these things will take time and hopefully, soon cloud gaming will take the gaming industry to the next level.
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