Is Cloud Gaming Now Worth It In 2025?
January 20, 2025
Despite being pushed for years now, cloud gaming has always felt like nothing more than a niche alternative to the regular gaming experience. There just aren't many situations where cloud streaming games makes sense over running them natively. Most people who love playing video games would much prefer to own actual hardware.
The truth of the matter is that cloud gaming mostly remains a luxury, even now in 2025. GeForce NOW, for example, only lets you play games that you already own, which you would presumably only have because you already have something to play them on. Cloud gaming is very unlikely to be someone's sole way of playing video games. But it can work. And as an additional experience, cloud services actually do have clear value to a number of customers.
Weak Hardware? No Problem. Just Cloud Stream It All
The users who have the most to gain from cloud streaming are the ones that don't have the actual hardware to play the games that they want. This can take various different forms. Perhaps you have a PC that is heavily outdated in terms of its internal specs. Maybe you're on a new Macbook and want to play games that aren't available natively on Apple devices. Even your phone can play games via the cloud. Streaming games to your devices is a valid solution in these cases.
A better gaming experience is just as valuable as greater convenience. Steam Deck users may want to take advantage of a service like GeForce NOW just so that they can actually play more intensive games at 60fps. Starfield on the Steam Deck, for example, can feel like a completely different experience thanks to cloud gaming. Better visuals from cloud streaming are also plenty noticeable, even if your screen can't handle the resolution that the game is being streamed at.
What's The Best Stand-Alone Cloud Gaming Service?
If you're trying to get into cloud gaming, which service should you use? Honestly, it depends on your use case, but two options stand out as the most attractive: GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming. GeForce NOW is, performance-wise, the more impressive of the two. With the Ultimate membership, you can stream at up to a 4K resolution (HDR-optional) @ 240fps with RTX on. The Performance membership is also still plenty good, providing 1440p@60fps with RTX on.
Xbox Cloud Gaming, on the other hand, is capped at 1080p@60fps. It's pretty disappointing. That being said, cloud streaming comes with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so you won't have to pay anything extra to play any games. Everything within GamePass is all at your disposal, as long as the game is compatible for cloud streaming.
If you already own a bunch of games on somewhere like Steam, GeForce NOW is probably the better option for you. It'll definitely be cheaper in the long-term. The Performance membership will cost you $49.99 USD for 6 months. Nvidia even offers free cloud gaming to try the service out. Xbox GamePass Ultimate, meanwhile, is $19.99 USD for just 1 month. If you don't own a console or PC, though, that greater price is definitely justified. It's a valid way to keep up with new games.
Is Cloud Gaming Actually Good?
The biggest problem with cloud gaming is its unreliability. It is wholly dependent on your internet connection. If that goes down frequently or if it spikes a lot, cloud gaming probably isn't a realistic option for you. If your internet is both high-speed and stable, then you should have a fairly smooth experience.
Cloud gaming only really runs into slight problems when it comes to online multiplayer games. Those concerns clearly aren't too heavy, though, because you see games like Marvel Rivals coming to GeForce NOW. Latency can make those games a bit annoying, but you can definitely play through the input delay.
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There really isn't much else to complain about when it comes to cloud streaming. I guess there's the fact that you do have to buy your own controller, if you don't own one. Also, there's a lack of permanence. Cloud gaming is only available via subscriptions. But if you look past those inconveniences, cloud gaming is a more than legitimate way to play games in 2025. As games get even more intensive on hardware, it's hard to take good performance for granted. Cloud gaming can get you there easily.
GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming are really enticing gaming options right now...for a very specific set of people. Cloud gaming simply remains a bit too niche. It won't ever really appeal to the casual gaming audience. As for dedicated gamers, well, most of them already have ways to play their games.
Cloud gaming really just has no way of escaping the awkward spot that it's in. Still, cloud streaming is a nice alternative to have, usable on almost any device these days. Nothing can stop you from playing the games that you want to play.
