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Buying Guide: The Best Game Streaming Services for 2026
What Is a Game Streaming Service?
Game streaming lets you remotely access hardware on the service's servers. You use a client to log into a powerful PC over the internet, and the games you play run on that PC instead of your own hardware. The client simply provides a live feed of the video and audio coming from the server hardware, and sends all of your inputs to that server to translate into gaming commands. Essentially, you're controlling a computer that isn't in front of you, and seeing everything that computer displays.
What Do You Need to Stream Games?
As you can imagine, you need a fast network connection for these services to be useful. If your internet is slow or inconsistent, the inputs you send won't come through properly, and you'll experience gameplay lag and glitches. More than a fraction of a second of lag between your commands and the responding system can make a game unplayable.
Depending on the game streaming service, you'll need an internet connection with speeds that are at least 5Mbps to 20Mbps. You don't need a wired hookup, but it helps, as does 5GHz Wi-Fi. You don't want to skimp on your router for these services, and you should seriously consider a fiber connection if it's available in your area.
With a fast and consistent connection, gameplay can feel instantaneous, with input lag of milliseconds. This makes most games perfectly playable, though it might still be too slow for competitive gaming. If you're controlling a multiplayer shooter or fighting game, every frame can make a difference, and you might not want to rely on a streaming service in those cases.
Where Can You Stream Games?
Every publicly released game streaming service is available on Windows in some form, either as a dedicated app or in a web browser. This effectively lets you turn even a cheap work laptop into a high-end gaming PC. Computer clients have the added benefit of supporting even faster, more stable Ethernet connections, in addition to Wi-Fi.
You can also use a smartphone to play games on many streaming services. Every service except PlayStation Plus has an Android app. But the iOS game streaming ecosystem is a bit shakier, with some services like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate using a browser app as a workaround. Just remember you'll be playing console and PC games on a smaller smartphone or tablet screen, which can feel awkward.
Several services also offer straight-to-TV options, either via a smart TV platform or with extra hardware like a media streamer. Amazon Luna works with Amazon Fire TV devices. Nvidia GeForce Now works on Google TV devices, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate works on Fire TV devices; both can run on certain LG and Samsung TVs. PlayStation Plus only works on PC, PS4, PS5, and PlayStation Portal.
How Do You Play Games on Streaming Services?
You almost certainly need a gamepad. Amazon Luna works with some Bluetooth gamepads, but the Luna Controller is the best way to play over that service. Nvidia GeForce Now works best with an Xbox Wireless Controller, but you can also use any XInput-compatible wireless gamepad. PlayStation Plus is compatible with DualShock 4, DualSense, and Xbox controllers.
Ready to Play? Start Here
If you're looking for specific games to play through these services, check out The Best PC Games, The Best PlayStation 5 Games, and The Best Xbox Games. Curious about owning your hardware? Take a look at The Best Gaming PCs.