Gaming > Game Play > Discover the Top 5 Cloud Gaming Services Every Gamer Should Know Choose from Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, and other cloud subscriptions By Mandy Carr Mandy Carr Associate Editor University of Tampa University of Sunderland Mandy is an Associate Editor for Lifewire, where she makes sure the content is up to date with the latest information and writes other product articles. She's well-versed in TV, smartphones, and startups. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on October 29, 2024 Westend61 / Getty Images Close With cloud gaming subscriptions, you can play on your console and other compatible devices. You can even start playing at home but then pick up where you stopped on the go on your phone or tablet, just like you do with video streaming services. Several cloud gaming subscriptions are available, and they come with different perks and features. Use this guide to help you decide which is the best cloud gaming service for you. 01 of 05 Xbox Game Pass What We Like Ultimate offers EA Play membership with no extra cost. Large game selection to choose from. What We Don't Like Only Ultimate offers cloud gaming. If you love Xbox games, the Xbox Game Pass should be your go-to option. Unfortunately, the Ultimate subscription is the only tier that offers cloud gaming, but it's a great option considering the huge library you can access. The Ultimate subscription even includes an EA Play membership at no extra cost. You can also play on the cloud on Windows, on the app on tablets and mobile devices, on Fire TVs, and with Samsung sets from 2020 and newer. You'll need a network bandwidth of 10 Mbps on mobile devices and 20 Mbps on consoles, and depending on your device, you can stream up to 4K resolution. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate lets you choose from fan-favorite series like Minecraft, Madden NFL, Forza Horizon, MLB The Show, and Halo. Play Games on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 02 of 05 PlayStation Plus What We Like You get access to games you can’t stream anywhere else. Premium subscribers have access to Classic Catalog. Large selection to choose from. What We Don't Like The Classic Catalog is missing fan-favorite titles. PC app doesn't offer a smooth experience. If you spend more time playing PlayStation consoles, PlayStation Plus is the perfect cloud gaming service for you. While the Premium subscription is the only tier offering cloud gaming, Essential and Extra offer cloud storage. You can stream the games on your PS4 and PS5 consoles and PC, but the PC app isn't the best quality. Your network will need to be 5 Mbps or faster, and you can stream up to 1080p resolution. PlayStation offers a catalog of 600+ games, including ones that you can't stream anywhere else. Premium subscribers also have access to the Classic Catalog. Choose from series such as Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts. Play games on PlayStation Plus 03 of 05 Nvidia GeForce Now What We Like Offers a free service. Compatible with many devices. Day Pass available. What We Don't Like You must own or purchase the games. Nvidia GeForce Now offers the biggest selection of games to stream, but you must already own or purchase the titles to play them. This cloud service is the best for gamers who want high-performance gameplay. Nvidia GeForce Now works by connecting you to digital PC game stores, including Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft, Xbox, Electronic Arts, and gog.com. With 1800 + options available, you're bound to find something you own or want to purchase. A great plus to Nvidia GeForce Now is that it offers a free subscription. It's ad-supported and only allows you an hour of gameplay at a time, but it's great for casual sessions. The next tier has access to premium services, no ads, 1080p resolution, and six hours of gameplay at a time. The top subscription, Ultimate, gives you access to the RTX 4080 Servers, eight hours of gameplay at a time, and 4K resolution with no ads. Your network bandwidth must be between 15 and 45 Mbps, depending on your device. A perk of this cloud service is that it supports many devices, including laptops, desktops, Macs, Chromebooks, select Samsung and LG TVs, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. You can also buy a day pass to test this service out. Play games with Nvidia GeForce Now 04 of 05 Amazon Luna What We Like Affordable gaming option. Can play on a lot of different devices. Prime members get access to some of the games. What We Don't Like You can't download. Smaller library than other subscriptions. Amazon Luna is one of the more affordable game streaming services, but it offers fewer titles than other options. A Luna+ subscription offers 100+ games, including Fallout 3, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Fortnite, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Resident Evil 2. The downside of this service is you can't download any of the games, but you have many options for devices to play on. Luna+ is compatible with PC, Mac, Fire TV, Fire tablet, Chromebook devices, and web apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Depending on your device, you can get up to 4K resolution. If you are a Prime member, you can even play a selection of games without a Luna+ membership, but they take longer to load. Play games on Luna+ 05 of 05 Shadow What We Like Can play on many operating systems. Can play games from many different streaming platforms. What We Don't Like The service is expensive. Shadow offers you three different tiers. The top tier is for the most advanced gamers, and the two top tiers offer 4K resolution. Shadow turns your device into a gaming PC and gives you access to various platforms, including Steam, Epic, Battle.net, Origin, GOG, and Xbox Game Pass for PC. The software works on many operating systems, such as Windows, MacOS, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi, Browser, iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, and Meta Quest. Play games with Shadow Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit