Google's Stadia service doesn't stream movies or TV shows, but video games that run on Google's own servers and are accessible on phones, tablets, Google Chrome, and Chromecast Ultra.
Just plug in or pair a controller with your device of choice to play assorted console and PC-quality games.
Stadia isn't the only service of its kind, though.
The game streaming field began nearly a decade ago with OnLive, and while that no longer exists, there are a few services that let you play your favorite games remotely.
Nvidia's GeForce Now uses the company's servers to run PC games, which are then sent to any compatible Windows PC, Mac, or Nvidia Shield device.
It supports hundreds of games, and can be integrated with your Steam, Battle.net, Epic, and UPlay libraries.
PlayStation Now is Sony's cloud gaming system, and it's understandably very PlayStation-focused.
It works on the PlayStation 4 or any compatible PC, and features hundreds of games from the PS2, PS3, and PS4.
Stadia, GeForce Now, and PlayStation Now are our main contenders, but we also want to mention the Shadow service, available through the Shadow Ghost box.
Instead of simply streaming games, it provides full access to a high-end Windows 10 system, letting you install any games from any compatible digital store to play at your leisure.
It's a powerful service, though at $25 per month it's also much more expensive than the other game streaming services; it's also limited to certain parts of the country.
Streaming Quality
Destiny 2 on Google StadiaHow games look and sound are two of the most important parts of the game-streaming experience (though not the most important part, which I'll explain below).
These services need to take graphics rendered on servers miles away and send them, along with synchronized audio, to your device of choice.
Picture Netflix, but instead of playing a media file it's rendering graphics in real time based on what the game is doing.
All three streaming services offer solid graphics, assuming you have a fast internet connection.
They also can show fuzziness and artifacts if your speed dips for a moment.
If all conditions are ideal, though, Stadia has the edge with support for games at up to 4K resolution, while GeForce Now and PS Now top out at 1080p.
Input Lag
This is the most important part of game streaming.
However your games look, you can't play them if they respond to your inputs seconds after you enter them.
Game streaming services need to be able to accept your controller (or mouse and keyboard) inputs, process them through the game running on their servers, and then send the results back to your screen in only a few milliseconds, or they'll feel muddy at best and unplayable at worst.
All three streaming services have demonstrated excellent input lag, for the most part, and largely feel as responsive as if you were playing on local hardware—with one unfortunate exception.
Playing Stadia on a Google Chromecast Ultra, using the Stadia controller wirelessly, produced input lag in our tests that ranged from awkward to unacceptable.
Stadia is incredibly smooth on phones and in Chrome tabs, but using the Chromecast Ultra made aiming in Destiny 2 and blocking in Mortal Kombat 11 almost impossible.
That might be why Stadia doesn't support wireless controllers in any other use case; even with the Stadia controller on phone or PC, you need to use a wired connection.
Hopefully this can be fixed with an update in the future.
Supported Platforms
Good news for owners of cheap PCs! You can use all three gaming services.
Just plug a compatible controller (the DualShock 4 and Xbox Wireless Controller both work with each service) into your machine and start playing through the associated app or Chrome tab.
If you're a Mac user, you can use Google Stadia or Nvidia GeForce Now, but PlayStation Now doesn't have a Mac-compatible app yet.
For mobile devices, Stadia is the way to go, but surprisingly it's more friendly to iPhones than Android phones.
On Android, Stadia works with the Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4, and the XL versions of each phone.
Support for LG, OnePlus, and Samsung phones is planned.
GeForce Now works with most PCs and Macs, including those with integrated graphics.
It also works on Android devices with Android 5.0 or later and at least 2GB of RAM.
If you want to play streaming games on your TV, each service has its own method.
Google Stadia works with the Chromecast Ultra, which at $70 is the most affordable and smallest way to stream games to your TV.
Unfortunately, the lag means it's also the worst.
Nvidia GeForce Now can be also used with the $150 Nvidia Shield TV, which worked much better in big-screen stream testing than Stadia.
If you have a PlayStation 4 you can play PlayStation Now games on your TV, but at that point you'll have already spent $300 on a device that can play PS4 games without streaming (and download many PS2 and PS3 games without PS Now).
Price
Google Stadia PricingOn a monthly basis, you won't have to spend more than $10 to stream games on any of these services (and in some cases, you might not have to pay anything).
Google Stadia and PlayStation Now are both $9.99 per month.
In Stadia's case, that's the Stadia Pro membership, which supports game streaming up to 4K and promises access to discounts and free games starting with Destiny 2: The Collection.
Stadia will also offer a free Stadia Base membership that can stream games at up to 1080p and won't have free games or discounts.
GeForce Now cuts the price in half, with a $4.99 Founder" tier that supports game sessions of up to six hours and Nvidia's RTX raytracing.
It also offers a 90-day free trial for this tier.
GeForce Now offers a free membership level as well, but it limits you to hour-long play sessions.
Then there's the question of games.
With the exception of Destiny 2, Stadia requires you to buy every game you want to play, apparently at retail price.
GeForce Now includes some free games, and has the added advantage of letting you link your Steam account to play games you already own through the service.
PlayStation Now simply offers access to hundreds of PlayStation games at a flat rate.
Recommended by Our Editors
The game purchasing issue is a potential problem for Google Stadia.
If you spend $20 to $60 on a game, it is reasonable to assume that you then own that game, and will be able to play it as long as you have a device you can play it on.
Since Stadia is a completely streaming-based service, there is no way to download, back up, or preserve a game you buy through it.
This means if Stadia is ever discontinued, your purchases will evaporate.
This is much less of a problem with GeForce Now, which works with Steam, Battle.net, Epic, and UPlay (where you can download games), and PlayStation Now (a Netflix-like subscription that doesn't charge for individual games).
Game Selection
You can't play every PC or PlayStation game through streaming.
A relatively small handful are available on these services, compared with the full range of PC and console games out there.
Stadia's handful is the smallest by far, though it has some notable games like Red Dead Redemption 2.
GeForce Now has several hundred games, mostly a few years old.
There are a few newer standouts, though, like Devil May Cry V and Monster Hunter World, along with several long-running classics like DOTA 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.
PlayStation Now has the biggest collection, but the fewest outright bangers.
There's every God of War game, the first three Uncharted games, five Ratchet and Clank games, nine Resident Evil games, 10 Lego games, and perhaps the weirdest game on the list, mediocre Japan-only Sega arcade fighting game Sonic the Fighters.
It's a lot of games, just not a lot that are less than four years old.
Which Is the Best?
That's a tough question, probably because streaming games as a concept is still relatively new and a bit unpolished.
You need to be in the unique position of being enthusiastic about video games and possessing a fast internet connection, but not already having a solid gaming PC or console on which you would already be playing these games locally.
Google Stadia would be the most powerful service, considering its very wide platform support and excellent performance, but too many limitations hold it back.
Its library is microscopic, it requires a wired controller to work well, and the only way to play it on a TV (without running an HDMI cable from your phone or PC) doesn't work very well.
PlayStation Now is worth a subscription for a month every so often, just to play around with a wide selection of PlayStation games you might not have thought about in a while.
GeForce Now, meanwhile, is the most appealing game service for any PC gamer looking to take their already big library on the go.
It doesn't support every game, but enough big titles are included across enough popular stores that its budget-friendly subscription is worthwhile.
