Are Chromebooks good for gaming? No… however really additionally sure

Chromebooks are nice for productiveness, net searching, and video streaming, and so they’re doubly nice as a result of they are typically fairly inexpensive. With a variety of choices from Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and extra, it’s no shock that they’re so widespread.

However are Chromebooks ok to play video games?

Nicely, it relies on a number of components: what sorts of video games you wish to play, the way you wish to play them, and the way sturdy the {hardware} is within the explicit Chromebook mannequin you’ve got.

Right here’s what you could find out about gaming on a Chromebook, whether or not the value-for-money proposition of a Chromebook carries over into gaming, and how much gaming expertise you possibly can count on.

Associated: The very best Chromebooks we’ve examined (together with gaming Chromebooks)

Native gaming on Chromebooks

Chromebooks are essentially completely different from gaming laptops, so you must mood your expectations and compromise on sure factors.

Maybe the most important level of distinction is that Chromebooks don’t run Home windows as their working system; as an alternative, they run Google’s personal ChromeOS with the Chrome Internet Retailer for apps and video games.

Thiago Trevisan / IDG

You possibly can’t simply run Home windows apps on a Chromebook, and that’s an issue for players as a result of most video games are made for Home windows PCs. As a Chromebook consumer, you’re largely restricted to no matter video games can be found within the Chrome Internet Retailer, which are typically easier and fewer graphically demanding than their Home windows counterparts.

The Google Play Retailer can also be accessible on Chromebooks, which means you possibly can set up many Android apps and video games. Nevertheless, not all Android apps work on Chromebooks. It’s a case-by-case factor — and the Android video games that do run on Chromebooks are typically lower-key apps that aren’t excessively taxing on {hardware}.

In different phrases, you possibly can consider Chromebook-native gaming as fairly just like cell gaming. You received’t be pushing ultra-level graphics with superior options like ray tracing, however Chromebooks can do a reasonably good job of dealing with native video games with modest wants.

Valve Software program

That stated, Steam — the preferred digital storefront for PC players — does have a model for Chromebooks. You’ll want no less than an Intel i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage to put in it, although. And the number of Steam video games which are appropriate with Chromebooks is only a fraction of all of the video games on Steam.

Extra on this: Learn how to play Steam video games on a Chromebook

So, so far as native gaming is worried, Chromebooks aren’t that nice. However there’s another gaming methodology that’s rising in reputation and makes it potential to have a very good gaming expertise on Chromebooks. Learn on to be taught extra about it.

Cloud gaming on Chromebooks

Cloud gaming is when a sport runs on a distant pc (i.e., on the cloud) however the display is streamed to your pc and your inputs are relayed again to the distant PC to regulate the gameplay remotely.

The profit right here is evident: you don’t want a robust PC as a result of the sport isn’t really working in your PC. So long as the distant PC is well-equipped, you possibly can play something with something — your Chromebook is just streaming the sport backwards and forwards.

Google

Due to this, cloud gaming has been gaining in reputation over the previous a number of years. However cloud gaming has just a few drawbacks:

First, there’s going to be enter lag. Once you press a key, it takes time for that enter to journey over the web and attain the distant PC, after which it takes extra time for the brand new sport state to journey over the web and attain your Chromebook. The one option to scale back this latency is to shorten the gap between you and the distant PC.

Second, you want a quick web connection that’s steady. Taking part in at a better decision might require extra bandwidth. Intense motion video games might require extra bandwidth. In case you have packet loss or your web cuts out, the expertise could also be uneven, laggy, or unplayable. And you probably have a knowledge cap, you might attain it quicker than you’d count on.

Third, (most) cloud PCs aren’t free. You must pay for a cloud gaming service to primarily lease one in all their PCs. Higher PCs with stronger specs will typically value you extra, and the service might even restrict how a lot time you possibly can spend on a given PC per session.

However when you can stay with the above, cloud gaming is nice. You possibly can play the newest video games on the very best settings even you probably have a clunker of a Chromebook, and you’ll play video games that don’t run on Chromebooks (since you don’t set up cloud video games domestically).

Nvidia’s GeForce Now is among the extra widespread cloud gaming companies, with a continually increasing checklist of streamable titles. You’ll have to personal the video games your self (through Steam, Epic Video games Shops, or Ubisoft) earlier than you possibly can stream them utilizing this platform.

Different cloud gaming companies supported by Chromebooks embrace Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna. Try our comparability of cloud gaming companies to see which one’s best for you.

Chromebook specs for optimum gaming

Beforehand, I stated that the working system was the first motive why Chromebooks aren’t so nice for native gaming — nevertheless it isn’t the solely motive. Many Chromebooks simply don’t have the specs for gaming, and this may be a difficulty with native and cloud gaming.

Take into account the newest gaming laptops, which pack highly effective {hardware} like Intel Core i9 14900HX CPUs and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs. In addition they have ultra-fast display refresh charges (upwards of 240Hz) for easy visuals, plus different vital options for optimum efficiency.

Sadly, these gaming laptops additionally include staggering value tags that may simply clear $3,000 for top-tier machines.

Thiago Trevisan / IDG

Then again, Chromebooks are primarily designed for the budget-conscious purchaser who prioritizes worth over energy. That’s why most Chromebooks fall underneath the $500 value level — and so they must make {hardware} sacrifices to get there.

That stated, Google has been showcasing gaming-ready Chromebooks lately, such because the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook.

These gaming-ready Chromebooks strike a stability between affordability and gaming-relevant specs, comparable to high-refresh fee shows (no less than 120Hz) and RGB keyboards with anti-ghosting tech for quicker responses.

Positive, these specs might not be as vital because the CPU or GPU, however they are vital for the general gaming expertise — and when you’re cloud gaming on a Chromebook, you possibly can’t go mistaken with a 120Hz refresh fee and extra responsive keyboard.

Thiago Trevisan / IDG

Take this Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE with gaming specs, for instance. With a value level round $549, it’s actually pricier than your typical Chromebook, but nonetheless means cheaper than most gaming laptops.

And for the value, you get a 2560×1600 IPS show with 120Hz refresh fee, plus an RGB anti-ghosting keyboard for correct motion, together with 4 force-cancelling audio system. Along with HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6E, it’s surprisingly well-equipped for cloud gaming.

To not point out the opposite {hardware} you’ll discover inside: an Intel Core 5 120U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. The GPU is simply Intel built-in graphics, which isn’t good for performance-intensive native gaming however high-quality sufficient for cloud gaming.

Usually, Chromebook specs pale compared to most well-equipped gaming laptops. You’ll discover that discrete GPUs are out of the query right here, which is sensible — an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, for instance, prices $599 by itself. That’s greater than most Chromebooks!

Regardless, these gaming Chromebooks are constructed with an emphasis on cloud gaming companies like Nvidia GeForce Now. There’s even a Recreation Dashboard accessible that gives a handy option to document gameplay, take screenshots, and management settings whereas gaming.

Non-gaming Chromebooks can do nicely with cloud gaming, too. These Chromebook Plus gaming variants simply add additional options that improve the general expertise for players.

HyperX

Lastly, so far as equipment and peripherals go, you possibly can nonetheless load up on gamer gear with Chromebooks. Gaming mice, controllers, and headsets all largely work out of the field on the platform. (However it is best to at all times examine compatibility earlier than shopping for one thing. Simply in case.)

Associated: Chromebooks vs. Home windows laptops, in contrast

Sure, you possibly can sport on Chromebooks

Google’s Chromebooks are extra than simply low cost units for college students that putter alongside and barely get their work performed. Nowadays, Chromebooks are extraordinarily good for his or her value.

Don’t count on to do a lot native gaming. Chromebooks merely don’t have the required OS or {hardware} to natively play the newest titles on the highest graphics settings. Even Chromebooks with built-in Intel graphics are underpowered for true gaming.

However you possibly can stream video games through cloud gaming companies and truly have a strong gaming expertise, albeit on the mercy of your web connection. You can too do some gentle gaming through what’s accessible within the Chrome Internet Retailer, Google Play Retailer, and Steam.

Should you’re a budget-conscious informal gamer who doesn’t thoughts a little bit of latency and paying for a cloud gaming plan, then a Chromebook generally is a implausible possibility. High it off with a 120Hz refresh fee display and a very good anti-ghosting keyboard for an optimum time.

Additional studying: The very best Chromebooks on your cash