Cloud gaming is less and less the future and more and more the present of video games, but what are the best services? To answer this question, we have reviewed the main platforms that allow you to play in streaming, analyzing their prices, offer and type of subscription.
You can find the result below, in our definitive guide to the best platforms for cloud gaming. But first it is right to explain what we are talking about, for newbies in the gaming world.
What is Cloud Gaming?
By cloud gaming we mean the ability to play video games in streaming, without the need to install the titles on their consoles. To play in cloud gaming it is obviously necessary to have a stable internet connection, as the game will be played over the network. It’s kind of like Netflixwhich allows you to enjoy movies and TV series without having to download them to your device.
Just like streaming movies and TV series though, they exist different platforms that offer the service, each with its own costs and each with its own game catalog. Some, then, are specific to certain platforms. So if you choose the PlayStation cloud gaming service, for example, you won’t be able to play it on Xbox or PC.
Having made this premise, which may be obvious to most, let’s see which are the best cloud gaming services currently on the market.
The best services for cloud gaming – The Ultimate Guide
Game Pass (per console Xbox e PC)
For Microsoft users, Xbox Game Pass it is a real must. The service, in addition to offering access to a vast catalog of games to install (even from day onei.e. at launch), includes access to Xbox Cloud Gamingwith hundreds of games you can stream.
The big advantage of Xbox Cloud Gaming is that this is crossplatform to PC. Subscribers to Game Pass Ultimate they can take advantage of the games catalog from both Xbox consoles and computers, even in the cloud, as well as having access to the catalog EA Play (which we will tell you about later). If, on the other hand, you prefer to subscribe to a specific subscription, you can choose to subscribe only to PC Game Pass o Xbox Game Pass. Below are the prices of Game Pass subscriptions at the time of writing this article.
- Xbox Game Pass (for consoles only): €10.99 per month
- PC Game Pass (for PC only): €9.99 per month
- Game Pass Ultimate (for consoles and PC and access to EA Play): €14.99 per month
It is also possible to subscribe to quarterly or annual plans, obtaining significant discounts on the total.
PlayStation Plus (per console PlayStation)
If Game Pass is the must-have for Xbox, Sony responds well with PlayStation Plus. Similar to the Microsoft service, PlayStation Plus offers access to a very large catalog of games to play solo su PlayStation 5 e PlayStation 4. Plus is divided into three subscription levels: Essential, Extra and Premiumma only the latter gives access to cloud gaming.
PlayStation Plus Premium costa €16.99 per monthwith the option of subscribing to a quarterly (€49.99) or annual (€119.99) plan.
NVIDIA GeForce Now (for PC and mobile)
Among the best Cloud Gaming services for PC and mobile, GeForce NOW, the NVIDIA platform, cannot be missing. GeForce Now grants access to a huge catalog of games directly from Steam, Epic Games and GoG. Nvidia also offers three subscription levels.
The first level is completely free, and allows users to access one-hour game sessions. The second tier is a paid subscription, priced at 9,99€ of meal o 49,99€ for six months. A third level, called Ultimateoffers the equivalent of an RTX 4080 in terms of graphics horsepower and costa 19,99€ of meal o 99,99€ for six months.
How to choose the best Cloud Gaming service?
In this guide of ours we have offered you three different alternatives, the best currently in circulation for cloud gaming, especially after the closure of Google Stadiawhich certainly would not have disfigured in this list.
The first question to ask yourself is therefore: on which platform will I play? If the answer is console, then the choice is practically obligatory: Game Pass per Xbox e PlayStation Plus per PlayStation. If, on the other hand, you prefer to play from PC, then the choice is between Game Pass e NVIDIA GeForce. The first offers an extremely vast catalog of games, while the second is able to guarantee greater graphics power, for those who do not seek compromises.
Another aspect to take into consideration, when choosing to enter cloud gaming, is the strength of your internet connection. To make the most of streaming games, it is iIt is essential to have a stable connection, better if wiredto avoid frame-rate drops or even game crashes.
Finally, in choosing, it is important consider the game catalog offered by the service. Game Pass will exclusively have many of the Xbox Studios titles, but Sony exclusives will only be available on PlayStation (and vice versa). Make sure you always consult the game catalog of the services in question, also because the game libraries are updated on a monthly basis) or even weekly in the case of GeForce NOW).