For years, you played video games at home on your consoles or computer—and interruptions were the worst. If you were in a heated game of Golden Eye 007, and it was time for work, dinner, or school, you had to pause the game on a device or turn it off and start over.
Now, imagine if you could play any game on any device, whenever, wherever—so long as you have a subscription and a reliable internet connection. Thanks to a promising technology, you can.
It’s called cloud gaming, and it’s changing the video game industry and becoming a big business. In 2022, 31.7 million people spent $2.4 billion on cloud games and services, according to Newzoo, a gaming analytics firm. And those numbers are set to soar to 86.9 million users and $8.2 in revenue by 2025.
Challenging the Norm
Gaming is another frontier which is experiencing its foundations shaking as a result of the inroads made by cloud tech. Cloud-based services are behind the rise of the new business model – the subscription-based model. Major industries are moving to the subscription model, and gaming is no exception — such significant transformations taking place promise to turn this industry on its head.
Most games did not allow you to save every few minutes so when you died, you had to restart the chapter or even the entire game. Let’s take Super Mario on the old NES for example. You were only allowed a limited amount of lives and once you ran out of them you were forced to restart. It was quite literally: Game Over.
Do I need any specific equipment for cloud gaming?
A cloud streaming service requires a high-speed internet connection, a compatible controller or mouse and keyboard, and video streaming devices like a tablet, laptop, or smart TV.
What cloud gaming services are available today?
Cloud gaming is new, and the services are constantly changing and improving. Here are a few of the leading cloud gaming services, their subscription fees, and what they offer.
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Xbox Cloud Gaming is compatible with most devices and platforms. With a free Microsoft account, you can play Fortnite, but a Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription ($14.99 a month) gives you access to hundreds of games, plus Xbox adds new ones every month.
PlayStation Plus Premium
On the Sony cloud game streaming, you have to buy the top-tier membership, Premium, for access to cloud streaming ($17.99 a month, $49.99 every three months, or $119.99 annually). This includes hundreds of classic PlayStation games in addition to free, time-limited trials of new ones. The only potential issue: PlayStation Plus Premium is only available on PlayStation consoles and Windows PCs.
Luna
Amazon Luna® may be one of the easiest cloud gaming platforms since it’s free to Amazon Prime® subscribers at no extra cost. Amazon splits up its library into “channels,” or bundles, and limits free games to the Prime Gaming® channel, but you can also subscribe to others, including all Jackbox Games® ($4.99 a month), Luna+ ($9.99 a month), and Ubisoft® ($17.99 a month).
GeForce Now
With a huge library of compatible games, GeForce NOW™ links to your existing libraries on digital stores, lets you buy new games, and play free ones too. But unlike the other services, it doesn’t sell games. Instead, you buy them from digital PC game stores, like Epic, Ubisoft, and Steam®.
GeForce NOW runs on pretty much every platform, and if you ever stop using it, you can keep all of your games. There are three tiers: Free, Priority ($9.99 a month), and Ultimate ($19.99 a month).