Cloud gaming, or games as a service

Do you play games? And do you keep them saved on your computer's hard drive, on an external drive or on DVD, or do you play on servers? If you prefer the latter, you will surely be familiar with the term cloud gaming. Cloud gaming – sometimes called “gaming-as-a-service” – refers to a type of online games that run on remote servers and are streamed directly to the user's devices, both computers and consoles. The player plays the game from cloud storage, which saves a great deal of memory space on their device. 

Latency is key

Instead of the game being stored on the disk of your computer, it sits on the provider's specialised hardware, from where it is streamed over the internet via dedicated software right into your living room. The software instantly processes the inputs from your side – that is, the way you handle the controller or keyboard – which are sent back to the server, where they show up in the game. The advantages of cloud gaming are clear – players do not have to worry about installing a game or freeing up storage space, and this way of playing often lets you enjoy appealing titles even on hardware that would not normally be compatible with newer games. 

That does not mean, however, that cloud gaming gets by entirely without requirements – quite the opposite. This way of playing requires sophisticated, specific infrastructure, starting with data centres and extensive server equipment on the provider's side and ending with a high-quality, high-speed internet connection with very low latency (which, in the case of cloud gaming, plays a really significant role) on the user's side. It is precisely because of the high demands on the quality and speed of the internet connection that cloud gaming cannot be used in some countries around the world, while some players may run into data caps set by their internet provider.  

A bit of history

TIP: Also read the article 10 cult games you played in the nineties.

The phenomenon of cloud gaming was first presented at the E3 gaming fair at the beginning of this millennium. Originally, it meant the option of playing over a Wi-Fi connection on handheld consoles. The game developer Crytek began research into a cloud gaming system in 2005, but shelved it two years later. As internet connections improved, cloud gaming continued to develop and spread. In March 2010 the OnLive service was officially launched; five years later Sony Interactive Entertainment bought it and later used it to offer gaming services to owners of its PlayStation console. Nvidia also came up with a cloud gaming service, in its case GeForce Now. It was originally part of the offer for the Nvidia Shield Android TV, but in 2017 it was extended to personal computers too. Electronic Arts, Google and Microsoft have not been left behind either. 

The future of cloud gaming

A lot of processes are currently taking place in the cloud. You can back up your data there, store and play media files, or collaborate remotely on various documents. The move of the gaming industry into the cloud therefore seems like the next logical step in this evolution. Investment in hardware, which used to be so important for players, could in the future turn into investment in a good-quality network connection, together with payments for the service itself. Cloud gaming may also seem like a win-win solution – for players, who no longer have to worry about hardware at all, and for providers, for whom regular monthly service fees provide a steady and sustainable income, which they use to cover all their costs. The negatives of cloud gaming as such cannot yet be discussed, but the success of the whole system depends very strongly on the quality of internet connections, without which users simply cannot play.

Do you play FPS games? Then ping (response time) is what matters most to you. Read the article The future of gigabit internet.

Games and services

Cloud gaming services and games are constantly increasing in number. Which of them can you try out at the moment? In 2024, the market leader is above all Nvidia GeForce Now, but you can also try Project XCloud and Google Stadia

Updated 15 March 2024