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Google Testing 'Project Stream' Game-Streaming Service

On Friday, Google starts a public trial of the gaming service, Project Stream, which will stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey to a limited number of participants in the US over Chrome.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Google is testing a game-streaming service, dubbed Project Stream, that'll let you play PC games on Chrome.

A public trial begins Friday; it will involve streaming the upcoming Assassin's Creed Odyssey to a limited number of participants. Interested gamers can apply here.

"We've been working on Project Stream, a technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming," Google product manager Catherine Hsiao wrote in a Monday blog post. "For this test, we're going to push the limits with one of the most demanding applications for streaming—a blockbuster video game."

Google offered a glimpse of what the streaming service will look like in the clip below. It shows Assassin's Creed Odyssey running at 60 frames per second at 1080p with no apparent game lag.

Google isn't saying how far along Project Stream actually is, and whether it'll launch any time soon. But the test is designed to address the challenges of streaming the latest gaming content with little to no latency while maintaining the cutting-edge graphics.

The public test will be open to a limited number of participants based in the US who have access to internet connections capable of 25 megabits per second. Gamers who receive an invite will be able to play the game for free until mid-January

Google's efforts to get into game streaming indicate that the market for them is starting to get crowded. Electronic Arts, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Sony are all developing their own cloud gaming services, too. Google was previously rumored to be developing a subscription-based game streaming service that would be offered over Chromecast or even a Google-made console.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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