Cloud Gaming: What It Is and How to Get Started
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1. What is cloud gaming and how does it work
Cloud Gaming is a technology that allows you to run modern video games without the need for a powerful computer or console. Instead of installing the gaming on your device, the customer connects to a remote server where it is already running and receives a video stream in real time. To put it simply, it is almost like a YouTube broadcast, only the player does not passively watch the screen, but takes an active part in what is happening.
How does this work?
The player connects to the cloud service via a special application, web browser or smart TV client. A powerful server on the provider's side takes over the processing of the gaming's graphics and physics, and then transmits the finished image to the customer's device screen. The video stream goes one way, and commands - keystrokes or gamepad movements - are sent back to the server with minimal delay.
Benefits of Cloud Gaming
One of the main advantages of such services is their multiplatform nature. Theoretically, you can play from any device that has a screen and controller support: be it a smartphone, tablet, old laptop or smart TV. Another advantage is saving on equipment. An annual subscription to a cloud service is often cheaper than assembling even an average gaming PC.
The main problem
The main drawback in most cases is one - dependence on the quality of the Internet. For a comfortable gaming, you need a stable and fairly fast communication channel, otherwise delays and lags are inevitable. This is especially critical at a resolution higher than 1080p or in dynamic online shooters like Call of Duty, where high input lag can seriously affect control and enjoyment of the process.
The most popular cloud services
Cloud gaming has become widespread thanks to GeForce Now and similar services, especially during the pandemic, when the demand for home entertainment has increased significantly. GeForce Now and its analogues work on similar principles, differing only in details. In this article, we will consider several of the most interesting services in our opinion - GeForce Now, Boosteroid, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Shadow PC. Amazon Luna did not make the list due to its focus on the US market, and PS Cloud Gaming is still in its early stages of development and is intended primarily for owners of Sony PlayStation 5 and PS Portal.
2. GeForce Now
NVIDIA's GeForce Now can be called the pioneer or father of cloud gaming, which still sets standards on the market. According to many players, Now is the most flexible and convenient service with optimal connectivity, support for the most popular stores, a convenient ecosystem and a wide range of tariff plans. Perhaps the main disadvantage of the service is that not all games from the Steam library will be available in GeForce Now. For one reason or another, many publishers did not want to go to the NVIDIA platform, so GeForce Now is completely absent or presented in a limited form of the Call of Duty, FIFA and GTA series, as well as many single AAA hits of recent years, including Elden Ring, RDR2, God of War and many other projects from Sony, EA, Rockstar and Bandai Namco.
GeForce Now Benefits:
- The huge library of games already contains more than 2000 titles, including new releases like Avowed.
- Flexible pricing plans: from a free trial to a standard “Performance” plan for about $10 per month and an advanced “Ultimate” plan for $20 per month. Subscriptions can be made for just a few days, a week, or a year.
- Support for various graphics settings: from basic 1080p and 60Hz, to 4K with support for 240Hz, HDR and ray tracing.
- The service works on PC, Mac, Android, iOS (via browser), Samsung/LG TVs and Steam Deck portable consoles.
- High communication quality: According to many players, Now has the best image quality with minimal input lag.
Disadvantages of GeForce Now:
- All games must be purchased, there is no built-in library like Xbox Game Pass.
- Many popular titles are unavailable due to publisher restrictions.
- Play time for paid plans is limited to 100 hours per month. If you exceed this limit, you will have to buy additional hours.
- Queues for the free plan can be long, especially during peak hours.
3. Xbox Cloud
Xbox Cloud Gaming is a cloud gaming service from Microsoft that allows users to play games from the Xbox Game Pass library on different devices without having to install or download them. In simple terms, it’s a combination of Game Pass and GeForce Now, as performed by Microsoft. The service provides access to more than 200 games, including popular titles such as Forza Horizon 4, The Outer Worlds, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. At the same time, Microsoft doesn’t limit itself to old games mixed with indie projects, adding long-awaited new releases to the subscription on the day of release, as was the case with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, STALKER 2, and Avowed. This approach is hard to beat. In 2025, Microsoft expanded the geography of available servers, but many users complain about instability with a bad communication and sometimes return or switch to GeForce Now.
Benefits of Xbox Cloud Gaming:
- There is no need to purchase games separately - everything is included in the subscription.
- Access to hundreds of games in the catalog, including Microsoft exclusives (Starfield, Halo) and new releases like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the day of release.
- Supports a wide range of devices: PCs, Xbox consoles, smartphones and smart TVs.
- Regular discounts and promotional monthly subscriptions for tech who want to test the service without extra costs.
Disadvantages of Xbox Cloud Gaming:
- Graphics quality is lower than GeForce Now Ultimate (usually 1080p, 60 FPS max, no RTX).
- Limited library compared to GeForce Now — only games from Game Pass. In 2025, Microsoft promises to expand support and add the ability to play pre-purchased games.
- Noticeable delays with weak internet (20 Mbit recommended).
- Inconsistent communication quality depending on the region.
- One of the most expensive tariffs among cloud services is about $20 per month.
4. Boosteroid
Boosteroid is a European cloud gaming service with Ukrainian roots (software and other technical development takes place in Kiev) that is expanding at an unprecedented rate. Most recently, they announced that they are working on improving their cloud architecture with Huawei, and in 2024, they entered into a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to integrate the service into cars with the MBUX system. Users praise it for its simplicity and accessibility, but note that the streaming quality is sometimes inferior to GeForce Now at high settings.
Pros:
- The service works through a browser (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Safari), providing the widest coverage of compatible devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets.
- Large library: Boosteroid is not dependent on strict publisher agreements and allows you to run almost any gaming from the Steam, Epic and other platforms' libraries, as long as it is technically compatible with their servers. That's why you can play Elden Ring and Helldivers 2 on Boosteroid, for example, but not on GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud.
- Flexible tariff plans for users with different requirements.
- Supports various graphics presets, including 4K + 120Hz.
- A wide network of servers in Europe, the USA, Canada and Latin America provides a wide and stable communication almost anywhere in the world (naturally, with a stable and fast Internet communication).
- There is no limit on the duration of a gaming session.
Cons:
- Games need to be purchased separately, the subscription only gives access to the cloud.
- Game restrictions: Some Microsoft titles (Minecraft, Age of Empires) are not available due to publisher policies.
- There is no trial plan.
- Higher sensitivity to communication speed: at speeds below 15 Mbit, there may be lags or a drop in quality.
5. Shadow PC
Unlike other cloud services, Shadow PC is not designed exclusively for gaming. The service offers a fairly flexible system in which, depending on the current budget and needs, the customer can create a virtual PC with the desired hardware configuration and use it not only for gaming, but also for work. What is convenient is that all customer data is stored on a dedicated virtual disk and is not erased immediately after the end of the tariff plan, so that the customer does not lose important work. In general, this is a more suitable option for people who value flexibility and are willing to pay for a full-fledged cloud computer, and not just a gaming streaming service.
Advantages of Shadow PC:
- Full control over the system, installation of any programs, storage and exchange of files.
- A wide range of hardware configurations, including moderately powerful gaming PCs and high-end workstations with RTX A4500 graphics cards and AMD EPYC processors.
- Your own cloud for storing files and managing them from different devices.
- Advanced personalization and customization options.
- Possibility to connect a car steering wheel, aircraft yoke and peripherals using USB-over-IP.
Disadvantages of Shadow PC:
- Higher pricing plans than competitors: $20 to $30 per month on average, depending on PC configuration.
- There is no built-in gaming catalog - everything is purchased separately.
- Higher communication speed requirements than competitors (from 30 Mbit).
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we have covered the main features of popular cloud services, let's look at the questions that arise in the process.
What speed do you need?
Requirements regarding internet channel speed vary slightly from service to service, but if you average it out, you get something like this:
- 720p: minimum 5 Mbit, ideally 15+ Mbit
- 1080p: minimum 15 Mbit, ideally 20+ Mbit
- 1440p: minimum 35 Mbit, ideally 40+ Mbit
- 2160p: minimum 35 Mbit, ideally 50+ Mbit
In addition to the speed requirements, it is desirable that the router is not overloaded with other connected devices, and that a 5 Hz wireless channel is used for data transmission, not 2.4 Hz. And even better - a direct LAN communication. Well, the speed and responsiveness of the stream largely depends on which server the customer is connected to. You should not expect a stable and high-quality communication when connecting from, say, Latvia to a server in Canada.
What to play on?
The best option in all cases would be a multi-platform gamepad that can be connected to a TV, a smartphone, or a laptop. In the case of streaming to mobile devices, you can use a virtual on-screen gamepad, but, frankly, it’s not very convenient to play like that. But the keyboard and mouse are not supported everywhere and not always in full mode - for example, Xbox Cloud only began to implement this function in 2024, and the number of games with keyboard and mouse support is still limited.
What kind of hardware do you need?
Since almost all the heavy lifting happens in the background in the cloud, even not very powerful hardware of a conventional smart TV will be suitable for communication. For example, a powerful virtual PC from Shadow PC works without problems on an inexpensive tablet with 8 GB of RAM and a Celeron N4120 processor. The main thing is that there is enough power to process the streaming signal.
What is more profitable - a subscription or your own PC/console?
But this is perhaps the most controversial issue and depends on the customer's habits and needs. On the one hand, a conditional $10-12 per month is $150 per year, with such a monthly fee you will have to collect 8-10 years for a decent gaming PC. On the other hand, the cloud experience is a story from the category of "as luck would have it." For example, the communication may start to lag and it is hard to understand whether the problem is related to the router or whether the bad communication with the data center should be blamed. GeForce Now may unexpectedly run out of time available under the tariff. Or the publisher may unexpectedly remove from the subscription the very gaming you planned to play on the weekend. In general, there are plenty of pitfalls here.
7. Conclusion
Overall, cloud gaming is an interesting alternative to stationary hardware with its own advantages and disadvantages. Whether it will suit you depends on your habits, free time and budget. In our opinion, the cloud will be more convenient for casual gamers to play something new every now and then in the evening. For a more hardcore audience, their own console or PC looks preferable, especially in terms of long-term prospects.
As for the services themselves, GeForce Now and Boosteroid look like the best solution for gamers with their own gaming library. Xbox Cloud Gaming looks more preferable if you have a Microsoft console or a Game Pass subscription on PC. Well, Shadow PC is suitable for tech who want maximum freedom or do not plan to limit themselves to just games.
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