Streaming is quickly becoming the most common way we consume our media, and while it has caught on across film, TV, and music, it still has some catching up to do in the video game space. This is mainly due to availability and the fact that it requires far lower latency than other media to be viable. Playing the best FPS or best multiplayer game with major input delay is just not acceptable.
Still, there are some video game streaming services that have made significant strides toward ubiquity, such as Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and even some on PC. Other services like Google Stadia haven’t garnered the same amount of success, failing to capture an audience before eventually shuttering.
Cloud streaming makes accessing the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, and best PC games easy, but it is not always reliable or affordable. These are the best options in 2025 for streaming games.
Game Pass Ultimate
Microsoft first unveiled its Project xCloud (now known as Xbox Cloud Gaming) service in 2018, and it aims to eliminate the hardware barrier between its library of games and potential players.
Using Microsoft’s 54 Azure data centers, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows users to stream games originally made for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on their device of choice. Everything — including Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, mobile phones, and tablets — is supported, and you are able to access your games wherever you have a network connection. You can use your own Xbox console as a server through Xbox Cloud Gaming without having to pay at all.
Unlike Stadia, which tied your controller via a Wi-Fi connection, Xbox Cloud Gaming does so via Bluetooth, which theoretically will lead to lower latency during gameplay. Xbox One and Series X controllers made after 2016 will be supported on your device of choice, and you will also have access to custom touch control interfaces when gaming on a mobile device.
More than 100 titles are available to stream on an Android phone or tablet, PC, or Xbox console. You can also use it on a Smart TV through the Game Pass app. It has also started to add the ability to stream games that you own rather than just what is available on the service.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is built into the Game Pass Ultimate subscription, meaning it supports cross-platform cloud save data. This means that if you are playing a game on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X and need to leave, you can pick up your mobile device and resume your progress.
The coolest thing about Xbox Cloud Gaming is that it will tie to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $20 a month, and gives you access to all the benefits of Xbox Game Pass Standard and PC. So, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will gain access to Xbox Cloud Gaming at no additional cost — and it’s something Microsoft is aiming to be as ubiquitous as possible, regardless of if you own an Xbox console or not. Microsoft wants there to be fewer boundaries, giving players access to games without needing to fork over hundreds of dollars on a console.
PlayStation Plus Premium
Formerly known as PS Now, Sony has folded its streaming and subscription-based game library into its successful PS Plus platform. This makes it far more approachable, not just from a cost perspective, but in terms of the user experience as well.
Sony has some of the best first-party video games around, but you previously needed to own one of the company’s consoles to be able to play them. With the new PlayStation Plus Premium, you can play a wide variety of the best PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3, PS4, and PS5 games from your PC, as well as PlayStation 5, Playstation Portal, and PlayStation 4 console.
On PC, all you need is a DualShock 4 controller with either a wireless adapter or USB mini cable (or a DualSense controller), as well as a PlayStation Network account and at least 5Mbps of internet download speed. PS4 and PS5 users need the same internet speed on their game console, and with either a seven-day free trial or a paid subscription, you’re ready to play some of the best PlayStation exclusives. For PS4 and PS5 players, a PlayStation Plus subscription includes full access to multiplayer support, along with plenty of other perks. Your save files will be compatible with PC, PS5, and PS4.
The service added a feature included with Xbox Game Pass that give you the ability to download games and play them directly on your system. More than 300 PlayStation games are eligible for download and support DLC and other features you would get in the standard digital versions.
PlayStation Plus features some older PlayStation exclusives, including the first three Uncharted games, Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Last of Us, Until Dawn, God of War III: Remastered, and Bloodborne. The service also supports a number of third-party games, such as Dishonored, the Batman: Arkham games, the BioShock trilogy, and Saints Row IV.
New games are added every month, and the full catalog includes more than 700 titles. PlayStation Plus comes in the form of three different tiers: PS Plus Essential ($10 per month), PS Plus Extra ($15 per month), and PS Plus Premium ($18 per month). Each of these tiers offers various perks you’ll want to be aware of when diving into the service. For instance, the Essential membership simply gives you access to online play and two monthly downloadable games, Extra grants access to a catalog of 400-plus PlayStation games, while Premium gives you older games in addition to the perks from the lower tiers.
While PS Plus still takes a back seat to Xbox Game Pass, it’s nice to see Sony making strides to improve its service.
Nvidia GeForce Now
Own a Mac, Nvidia Shield, or a low-end PC, but want to play the latest AAA games? With GeForce Now, you can play the latest and greatest from major publishers without having to worry about your computer catching fire or, worse, running Bootcamp.
The following support GeForce Now:
- MacOS PC
- Window PC
- Chrome OS
- Shield
- Steamdeck
- Browser
- Android
- iOS Safari
- Android TV
- LG TV
GeForce Now is not a content service like many of the other services on our list. You have to purchase the games you want to play through a digital store, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, or Blizzard’s Battle.net. Once you’ve installed the app on your machine, GeForce’s cloud-based processors will allow you to run the game on any device, independent of their specs.
The service requires a higher internet download speed than you might expect — 15Mbps minimum and 25Mbps are recommended — and you must have MacOS 10.11 or higher or Windows 7 64-bit (though the latest version of Windows 10 is recommended) or later in order to run it.
Either an Ethernet connection or a Wi-Fi connection using a 5GHz router is required, and you can use either a mouse-and-keyboard setup or one of several gamepads. Sessions are capped at between six and eight (depending on membership) hours per player before you have to start a new one. This is to keep the servers available for other players.
GeForce now is compatible with a huge assortment of games, though you do have to buy them to use them with the service. The list includes Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Apex Legends, Control, and No Man’s Sky to name a few. GeForce Now has exited beta testing and is available in three different tiers.
The free version offers standard access with a one-hour play session cap. The $10-per-month Priority option gives priority access at 1080p resolution. The most expensive option is $20 per month, which grants eight-hour play sessions, 4K resolution, and up to 120 frames per second (fps) streaming from an RTX 4080 machine.
Amazon Luna
It seems many companies are trying the gaming subscription business model. In 2020, Amazon launched its own gaming subscription service called Luna, which allows users to stream games from the cloud. Today, Amazon Luna offers around 100 games, many of which are published by Ubisoft, such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and Far Cry 6.
Amazon Luna has a few different price points for various subscriptions usable on Windows PC, Mac, Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, and select Android devices. You can play games on the service with a dedicated Amazon Luna controller or any compatible gamepad, such as an Xbox controller, DualShock 4, DualSense, or even a mouse and keyboard.
You’ll need an internet connection speed of at least 10Mbps to stream games at 1080p or 35Mbps to stream games at 4K. However, the company has implemented an option for 720p, which has a lower internet speed requirement. Therein lies the issue with many streaming services. The premise sounds appealing, but to effectively play many modern games at high resolutions, internet speeds need to be fast, which isn’t a viable option in many areas, even in the U.S.
In terms of price point, there are multiple options, but Luna works differently from other services mentioned so far. There’s Luna+ for $10 per month, which includes a wide variety of modern games; Ubisoft+ for $18 per month, featuring only Ubisoft games; Jackbox Games for $5 per month, featuring a collection of party games; and Prime Gaming, included with Amazon Prime memberships. Check the landing page to see which plan is right for you.
