How does cloud gaming work?

Cloud gaming is a way to play video games without needing a powerful gaming console or computer. Instead of storing games on your device, they are stored and run on powerful servers in data centres, often referred to as “the cloud.”

1. Streaming Games: When you want to play a game, you connect to a cloud gaming service through the internet. You don’t need to download or install the game on your device. Instead, the game is streamed to your device in real-time, just like watching a video on YouTube or Netflix.

2. Remote Processing: The heavy lifting of running the game, including graphics processing and calculations, is done on the cloud servers rather than on your device. This allows you to play even the most demanding games on devices that may not have the hardware capabilities to run them locally.

3. Input and Output: Your device sends your commands, like pressing buttons or moving a joystick, to the cloud server. The server processes these inputs and sends back the corresponding visuals and sounds, creating a seamless gaming experience.

4. Low Latency: Latency, or the delay between your input and the game’s response, is a crucial factor in cloud gaming. To ensure smooth gameplay, cloud gaming services strive to minimize latency by using advanced networking technologies and placing servers closer to players.

5. Subscription or Pay-Per-Play: Cloud gaming services typically offer games through subscription plans or pay-per-play models. Subscribers gain access to a library of games they can play anytime, while pay-per-play allows users to rent or purchase individual games for a specific duration.

Cloud Gaming: Cloud gaming lets you play video games without needing to download them to a PC or console. Instead, the games are hosted on remote servers in data centers. To play, you only need a stable internet connection that can stream the game data to an app or browser on your device. The game itself is run and processed on the server far away, but you see and control the game locally on your own device as if it were installed there.

Cloud gaming has revolutionized the way people play video games by leveraging remote servers to process and stream games directly to players’ devices. Unlike traditional gaming consoles or PCs, cloud gaming allows players to access high-quality gaming experiences without the need for expensive hardware upgrades. With the global cloud gaming market projected to reach $7.24 billion by 2027, its popularity is skyrocketing.