Cloud gaming on a Mac

Cloud gaming runs the game on someone else's PC and streams the picture to your Mac. That makes it the one route that does not care what Mac you have, or whether the game has a Mac version: Intel or Apple Silicon, and anti-cheat that blocks Macs, stop mattering. GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Boosteroid and Shadow work on a Mac; PlayStation Plus Premium does not. The trade-offs are a subscription, a good connection, and a little input delay.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeCloud onlyDead by DaylightCloud onlyDestiny 2Cloud onlyDayZCloud onlySea of Thieves: 2026 EditionCloud onlyPaladinsCloud only

The services, side by side

GeForce NOW: the default choice

NVIDIA's service streams games you already own to its Mac app (macOS 10.15 or later) or a browser. It has the biggest library (5,920 games on Steam alone, per NVIDIA's live list) and the best picture. There is a free tier, which shows ads while you queue and has shorter sessions; paid memberships come as Performance (up to 1440p) and Ultimate (up to 5K at 120fps), about $9.99 a month for Performance and $19.99 for Ultimate in the US, as reported (NVIDIA shows exact prices in its app), each with 100 hours of play a month. Some games are "Install-to-Play": NVIDIA does not keep them installed, so you install them into your session, which needs a paid tier. NVIDIA asks for at least 15 Mbps for 720p or 25 Mbps for 1080p, ideally over Ethernet or 5GHz Wi-Fi.

Black SquadInstall-to-PlayDread HungerInstall-to-PlayFallen Enchantress: Legendary HeroesInstall-to-Play

Xbox Cloud Gaming: best if you have Game Pass

Microsoft streams the Game Pass library to the browser (Safari, Chrome or Edge at xbox.com/play); no Mac app. The cloud is included in Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate (Game Pass Essential $9.99 / £6.99, Premium $14.99 / £10.99, Ultimate $22.99 / £16.99 a month; PC Game Pass does not include cloud). Free-to-play games such as Fortnite need only a free Microsoft account. The catch arriving next month: from November 2026, monthly streaming hours are capped by tier (Ultimate 15, Premium 10, Essential 5), with extra hours for sale. Microsoft recommends at least 10 Mbps, 20 Mbps recommended on computers, 5GHz Wi-Fi recommended.

Boosteroid: the budget option

Boosteroid streams games you own (games you own on Steam, Epic or EA; free-to-play games are free) to Mac apps for Apple Silicon (macOS 11+) and Intel (labelled beta), plus a browser version. It is from about €7.49 a month on an annual plan (prices shown in euros); no free trial; no session time limits. It asks for at least 15 Mbps; 35 Mbps recommended for 1080p at 60fps.

Shadow: a whole Windows PC

Shadow rents you a Windows PC in the cloud, and you install any games you own, from any store, through a Mac app (macOS 10.15+, Intel or Apple Silicon) and a browser version. It is the only cloud route that runs anything Windows runs, and the most expensive: from $29.99 / £25.99 a month (Neo Lite, up to 120 hours a month); full plans from $37.99 / £32.99. It recommends 15 Mbps recommended, over Ethernet or 5GHz Wi-Fi.

Amazon Luna and PlayStation Plus Premium

Amazon Luna plays in the browser only (Chrome or Edge reported; Safari unconfirmed), but only its own library: a library that comes with the subscription: Luna Standard is included with Prime (60+ games), Luna Premium is $9.99 a month in the US; since June 2026 games you buy or own elsewhere no longer stream. PlayStation Plus Premium has no Mac route at all: cloud streaming works on PS5, PlayStation Portal and the Windows PC app only (the Mac Remote Play app streams from your own console, not the cloud).

Cloud or CrossOver?

• Use the cloud when a game has no Mac route at all, when its anti-cheat blocks Macs, when you are on an Intel Mac or a base-model Apple Silicon Mac, or when you do not want to tune anything.
• Run it locally (native, Rosetta 2 or CrossOver) when it runs well, when you play competitive games where delay matters, when your connection is slow or capped, or when monthly hour limits would get in the way.

Counter-Strike 2CrossOver + cloudBlack Myth: WukongCrossOver + cloudLeft 4 Dead 2CrossOver + cloud

On every game page we list the local routes first and add a "cloud gaming" section when the game is on GeForce NOW, so you can compare for the game you care about.