Which Stadia alternative cloud gaming service are you using? [Poll]

September 02, 2024

Google Stadia was a large name in the cloud gaming community. With a couple of different subscription models, it hit a sweet spot for a lot of users. With it gone, there are a few potential homes gamers might flock to. With that, we turn it over to our readers to tell us what your favorite cloud gaming alternative is now that Stadia is out of the picture.

Stadia had a unique approach to cloud gaming. For $10/month, users could purchase the Stadia Pro plan. With that, there was a slew of games available to play on the cloud. Stadia kept just about every genre on hand, from action to horror titles. All of those were available to play at the touch of a button, with the cloud platform able to start and run a game in a matter of seconds. But the underlying platform was technically free – buy a game, and there were no further costs for the user. That’s something that doesn’t exist in cloud gaming at this point.

Of the games that were available, users could “claim” select ones to their account. Those claimed games stuck with you even after your Stadia Pro subscription expired. This meant that one month’s purchase of a Pro membership meant you could collect a ton of games, available to play whenever you want. Of course, Stadia also made individual titles available for purchase.

But now that Stadia is gone forever, those who want to find a new cloud gaming alternative will need to decide where to set up base – if they haven’t already. Fortunately, there are a few great options currently out there. Some of our favorites are GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Of those three, GeForce Now differs slightly in how it approaches its membership cost. With Nvidia’s solution, users will pay a flat fee every month. With that, you get access to GeForce Now’s servers and processing power throughout the world. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you get access to a library of games like you would with Xbox Cloud Gaming or Amazon Luna.

GeForce Now requires you to own your own games, whether that’s through Steam, Ubisoft, or The Epic Games Store. While that’s a little pricier than the $10/month entry fee for Luna and $15/month for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, it allows GeForce Now to host free-to-play games like Fortnite or Apex Legends. On top of that, GeForce Now offers an arguably better gaming experience across PC, Android, iOS, and macOS – especially considering the newest RTX 4080 tier for Ultimate members.

Of course, it’s completely a matter of preference. For users who play consistently on mobile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate might be the way to go. For those who love to play on a larger screen – 16:9 and 21:9 – but don’t have the processing power of a $2,000 PC, GeForce Now is the best option. On top of that, Shadow and Boosteroid are also viable options, though they have their quirks as well.

With that, we’ll leave it up to you. After – or even before – Stadia closed its doors, did you find another cloud gaming home as a Stadia alternative? Did you shift over to Xbox or Luna, or did you take a turn toward GeForce Now or Shadow? In either case, it’s undeniable that cloud gaming offers a significant amount of pros for mobile and even desktop gaming.

Everyone is different and has different preferences. Truly, that’s the reason so many cloud gaming services exist and have exploded over the last couple of years. Voting remains open until January 30, 2023.

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