Best Cloud Gaming Platforms to Play Starfield 

Starfield might be the most anticipated and played game in 2023. There are many people who want to play the game in ways other than on PC or on the Xbox. Playing Starfield on the cloud will solve these problems since playing on the cloud allows you to run the game on various devices including your mobile device and even Chromebooks. We have reviewed multiple cloud gaming platforms that run Starfield. Here are our results of all the platforms we tried Starfield on.

STARFIELD on XBOX Cloud Gaming

Starfield has finally arrived on the Xbox Game Pass and is now playable through the cloud with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier. This means you can get started playing Starfield right now on just about any device granted you have a decent internet connection. Ready to blast off? Let’s set our course and engage.

Getting Started

You can play Xbox Cloud through a couple of methods on the Windows PC or laptop. This includes the Xbox app or with the browser. Chromebooks can get access through the browser as well. You do need a Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription so if you don’t have one, we made a tutorial for you to get started below.

We found the easiest and most universal way to play is through the Edge browser so that’s what we’ll be playing with. I also recommend the Clarity Boost option with the Edge browser to make visuals sharper.

Gameplay

Starfield is a demanding game so the game only plays at 30 FPS at 1080p while playing through Xbox Cloud. Thankfully, this game was designed specifically for Xbox hardware so gameplay including ground and ship combat perform quite well on the cloud. This isn’t one of those games where pinpoint latency is needed since this is single player RPG but it is nice to know Xbox Cloud responds so well.

I am happy to say this game plays very well on mobile! Players with an Android or iOS device can easily use Xbox Cloud to play Starfield on the go. You will need a controller since the game doesn’t support touch controls yet. We recommend a mobile controller like a Backbone for iPhone or a Razer Kishi for Android. Both links are in the description. We also recommend playing on a 5Ghz WIFI connection for the best results.

Overall, playing Starfield on Xbox Cloud might be one of the fastest and easiest ways to play the game on just about any device without needing an Xbox! Remember to signup with the link here. We also have a link to see if the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform is available in your region.

STARFIELD on GeForce NOW on ALL Tiers

The most anticipated game of the year meets the best cloud gaming platform to date. Starfield is finally on GeForce Now. This means you’ll be able to discover the entire galaxy’s wonderful mysteries in the most Bethesda way possible on just about any device including your PC, laptop, Chromebook, and Xbox – for free! Granted you have purchased a copy of the game on Steam, the Microsoft Store, or as a member of Xbox Game Pass. The question is ‘How do things play and what should I expect from every tier of GeForce Now?’ Well, get that grav drive charged because playing Starfield on GeForce Now will take you out of this world and we’ll start with the Free tier.

Starfield on GeForce Now Free tier

The free tier is obviously going to be the tier where most are going to be playing on the service. But will the free tier be worth your time and can you play well? Right now it’s up in the air or floating in space.

The biggest problems you’ll have with the Free tier will be the queue times and most importantly, the hour time session. Since GeForce Now has increased its userbase by 10 million in the past year, queue wait times have been crazy! And since this game is one of the most requested games to come to Geforce Now, expect this number to climb. Also, managing where you are in the game and saving accordingly is crucial to your progression of the game. You do not want to go the full hour and have not saved and quit the game properly. Thankfully there are autosaves. But remember, if you don’t quit the game properly, you might have cloud save issues – especially Steam users. This goes for every tier.

Overall, I actually do not recommend the Free tier for this game at all. It is a pretty demanding game. You’ll get limited bandwidth and we’ve had several game loading issues so if you are experiencing the same, you are not alone in this galaxy. This goes for the Steam version and the Xbox version.

I highly suggest moving to the paid tiers to even play the game effectively. Is the Priority tier worth it?

Starfield on GeForce Now Priority tier

As I can actually get the game to play on this tier because of the additional power and bandwidth, you need to know before you get into your game is the version of the game. GeForce Now supports the Steam version and the standalone Microsoft Store version or the PC Game Pass version. The Microsoft Store and Game Pass version will use the Xbox game selection. Be aware that each version has cloud saves. If you are coming from a Microsoft version, you’ll be able to pick-up right where you left off. If you get an error with syncing, just hit Try Again and you should be good.

Don’t forget this game also has shaders. Don’t worry this isn’t Modern Warfare. They only take 30 sec to a min on all tiers. Performance on the Priority tier is sub par for a decent gaming PC but better than playing on the Xbox at 30 FPS. If it’s the only way to play the game for you then do it. GeForce Now sets us up at medium settings at 1080p max.

I’m sorry to say that the FPS is up and down and mostly down for most parts of the galaxy. In space and on deserted planets, I get an average of about 45 FPS. 60 FPS was never a constant. In the most demanding areas like the MAST District or Akila City, I was hitting mid 20s.

This game is just too demanding for the Priority tier. This is why the Free tier had so many issues just running the game on the 1060 configuration. It just couldn’t handle it.

Xbox

We had similar results while playing on Xbox. Yes, you can play the game on Xbox with GeForce Now. Things were good at 1080p in a ship or outpost but more popular areas were dragging.

Mobile

Also, expect similar performance on mobile but remember, this is better than 30 FPS for almost every device so credit where credit is due.

Starfield on GeForce Now Ultimate tier

Starfield’s real test will be on the Ultimate tier. Can this tier designed for 120 FPS at 4K handle a game like this? I’ve covered the game before on similar hardware with a ton of various results. Nvidia just released a GPU drivers update specifically for Starfield and this has improved things but not a ton. Let me show you.

GeForce Now has the Ultimate tier set at Ultra settings with FSR on for this game which is awesome. Can I hit 120 FPS at 4K? Yes and No. In close quarter areas like outposts and caves, hitting a very high FPS close to 120 is very possible and the game plays phenomenally. It’s when you hit those certain points like the MAST District once again. Here I get as low as 40 FPS on 4K Ultra. Here’s the thing, I changed the settings to Low and I only get a 10 FPS increase. Crazy. The same happens in Akila City. It hover around 45 FPS in the center of town.

If you are playing in Ultrawide, you’ll encounter very similar performance. Minus those certain areas, the game looks amazing when it runs well. Ultrawide players should be very happy with this.

1080p players get a similar experience shockingly. For open planets and outposts, FPS is a bit better than 4K, but overall, 120 FPS let alone 240 FPS is basically non-existent.

The game generally hovers between 60-80 FPS at 4K and around 70-100 FPS at 1080p on most planets and in space so you really only have to worry about certain high traffic areas. This is really a game optimization problem overall. I guarantee we’ll get plenty of updates to the game including DLSS which should work significantly better on Nvidia hardware than FSR. Hopefully this should include frame generation. Now saying all this, the Ultimate is EASILY the best way to play the game in ALL resolutions – period. Maybe I was right about that Cyberpunk comparison.

Now if you are ready to try out 1440p or 4K yourself and you have the Ultimate tier, make sure to set the correct settings for your resolution and monitor refresh rate. Also know that if you want to go to 4K, you will need at least a Pascal grade video card (GTX 1000 series) to handle the 4K video decoding process. You can also use the Nvidia SHILED TV Pro, a qualified Mini PC, and the SAMSUNG Gaming Hub on select 2022 models or higher to stream in 4K on your TV. If not, you’ll have to settle for 1440p resolution even if you have a 4K monitor. This is also a requirement for Ultrawide monitors.

Internet Requirements

Last thing, make sure you have decent internet. I would have a minimum download speed 50mbps for Priority members and 100 mbps for the Ultimate tier for maximum bitrate streams especially if you live with others using the internet.

We’ll be continuing to watch the updates for Starfield on the platform as time goes on.

STARFIELD on Shadow PC

Starfield is finally here and we were dumb enough to buy the Premium edition to get early access instead of just waiting to play it on our Game Pass subscription on full release. We do this for you guys. Anyway, we tested the game out on both gaming Shadow tiers. Do you need the Power Upgrade for a successful launch or can you limp by on without a grav jump on the Base tier? Suit up and make sure your helmet is on so you can get all the O2 you can for this one.

Base Tier 4K

I’m going to start with the base tier first because I just have to know how optimized this game really is. Since the base tier has a GPU that’s equivalent to the GTX 1080, I’m not expecting much. Please note that Starfield has SHADERS. But don’t be alarmed by that big number. These only take about a minute or two. Let’s start at 4K and check the graphics. As expected – everything set to Low with FSR on. We’ll just run with this.

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So, I’m not gonna lie, I was expecting worse. I averaged around 30-40 frames in space and on world. Granted, the graphics look pretty bad on Low especially since FSR is on. The first mission is where the trailer that we all saw with pirates took place. I got up to 50 fps in certain spaces but for the most part, about 40 FPS was the average while I was on this planet fighting in and outside of this building. It could have been a lot worse.

Base Tier 1080p

So reducing the resolution down to 1080p should be even better right? Right? That’s what they want you to believe. I went back to the same building in 1080p to see how big the frame increases were.

Same settings, Low with FSR on. I think I hit 60 several times when I was scavenging stuff in corners. But traversing the hallways, I was getting around 45-50 FPS. I guess that’s not horrible. This also included space travel. Outside on planet, I got around 40 FPS. Remember that FSR works better at higher resolutions. You can probably just leave it off.

There is still a ton game to play here. I arrived at New Atlantis and the frames were much worse so this isn’t looking to good for the base tier going forward. I think we got lucky in the beginning. BUT it’s still better than console AM I RIGHT?! Eh, maybe.

Shadow Power Upgrade 4K

If you are planning to get Shadow to play Starfield, Is the Power Upgrade really worth the upgrade? Let’s see. First and foremost, don’t expect to go Ultra on the Power Upgrade at 4K. It’s just not going to happen. Medium settings here at 4K with FSR on. This really is the sweet spot. I’m hovering around mid 50s to above 60s while I am on world and in this facility. I get 60 FPS in space. This is not a bad deal. It’s not Ultra or High but it’s not a bad deal.

Why not High settings you say? Because just as New Atlantis was killer for the Base tier, the same thing goes here. I dropped to the 40s. Unpleasant. I expect more planets like this in the future. Some good, some more demanding ones like this.

Shadow Power Upgrade 1080p

Now 1080p was quite nice because it allowed me to go above 60 FPS on the exact same settings to utilize this 144Hz monitor I have. There were many times I hit above 80 even to triple digits but that was very rare. I highly recommend the same settings because FSR has zero I repeat zero effect for you here. Actually, it might benefit you to turn it off entirely. I’ve noticed better frames and visuals with it off. Weird right? Yea, FSR truly does work better with higher resolutions.

Get 10% off on BOTH Tiers

Overall, Starfield doesn’t run as bad as I initially thought it would. A 4080 SuperPod would be nice though you know what I saying. But I would suggest you get the Power Upgrade if you playing the game in full on the cloud. It’s not the best but it should suit your Starfield needs better than the Base tier. I’m sure more optimizations will come in time especially with FSR 3 to increase the frame rate.

If you are looking to get started with Shadow, you can get 10% off the both Shadow tiers for the first month with the link here.

STARFIELD on Boosteroid

Starfield has finally made it to Boosteroid. Unfortunately, it’s just the Steam version for now. They were right when they confirmed it. I just didn’t think they would be last on the list. I mean, Starfield is a perfect game for a platform called Boosteroid with the starship premise. But, can the game run on the platform? Well, time to get spooled up and make the jump.

Graphics

I actually think it was pretty smart for Boosteroid to wait a bit for various game updates for the game to play on the platform. They are running a Quadro RTX 6000 and well, you know how Nvidia cards held up in the beginning of the game launch. Does it hold up well now?

Before we get into anything, do forget that there are shaders. Thankfully, these took under 30 secs. Boosteroid has the graphic settings set to Medium at 1080p with FSR on. This seems like the most standard graphic settings for most platforms now. I did turn off Vsync so I could test how high the framerate went. I don’t recommend this for you though. You never know what could crash this game.

Gameplay

I believe we are at a good point with the game updates where it is stable enough to be played on almost any platform. I didn’t have any crashes during my gameplay and FPS was well above 40 most of the time. On planets, I got around 50-60 FPS. In caves or outposts, I got 60 or higher. This was nice to see. In space I was pulling from 45 to 60 FPS.

What about our most infamous spots – The MAST District and Akila City? I’m actually surprised Boosteroid did quite well with these areas. Of course it’s no better than really any other platform, but I managed to hit mid 30s, low 40s for both areas. I did hit the 20s a couple of times but it was rare. This is very acceptable. If their plan was to wait to avoid backlash from bad performance, they nailed it.

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Overall, Boosteroid plays the game quite well. They do need to add the Microsoft Store to the platform. Game Pass members would benefit with the Microsoft Store version on the platform. They are behind on this and I hope to get a status update on this soon.

STARFIELD on AirGPU Cloud Gaming PCs

Starfield is here and we got early access to showcase the game on as many cloud platforms as we can. We recently released gameplay footage on the newest AirGPU tier in Amsterdam – the AMD W6800 and performance was good. But since only few people can access those machines, the question is, how does the game perform on the REST of AirGPU – specifically the AWS tiers and the RTX Series. Make sure your shields are charged because we’re about to take massive incoming fire.

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Before we start, I suggest going to watch my latest video on my experience with Starfield on various cloud platforms. I talked about the W6800 tier and how I never had a problem with it. Maybe it was due to AMD hardware running the whole thing. Since this game is backed by AMD, that would make sense. I also said the A10G tier ran well. I might have to take that one back. I’ll show you why later.

Nvidia T4

First up, the Nvidia T4 tier. Let me tell you this. If you play this game on this tier, make sure you choose the 8 vCPU option. It is just right. Also, play at 1080p. Don’t even try to go higher. Here’s what the 4 vCPU option look like on the lowest settings with FSR2 on. It’s terrible and blurry thanks to FSR. Look at these characters. The 8 vCPU is better choice. I was able to overtake this whole outpost and traverse planets with general ease. Granted, settings were still at low and at 1080p but no skipping or game crashes. But, If you do go the 4 core route, don’t say I didn’t warn you over the performance issues.

Nvidia A10G

On to the A10G which is equivalent to an RTX 3080. This tier is a 4K bound tier so if you are looking to play at 4K this would be it – of course you will pay for it. And yes, Windows Server does run the game. With this tier, I would recommend uncapping the FPS through the Nvidia Control Panel and updating the GPU drivers. Please note that Starfield also has shaders but they only take a minute or so.

Now this tier is completely capable of running this game but this game is terrible unoptimized. I set the graphics to Medium and visuals are fine but that’s not the issue. As I mentioned in the Starfield experience video, higher end PCs have a skipping issue as you can see here. We’re thinking it is a problem loading textures for cloud SSDs as one subscriber has mentioned. Whatever the issue is, this was a massive hindrance. I also had audio syncing problems. And yes, the problems got worse as I went up to the 16 core tier. Again, the game is just terribly unoptimized.

RTX Series

On to the RTX Series. The thing about these machines is that they run the game okay. The problem is that these machines crash the game all the time – especially in ship combat. High settings, low settings, 4K, 1080p – it doesn’t matter. I have tried every tier in this category and each have crashed multiple times.

I got so sick of it I shut these machines down and loaded up the new AMD Radeon Pro W6800 again and played the game on this machine just to avoid crashing. But this all makes sense why this would work now because AMD is an exclusive partner for Starfield. Their cards seem like they are working the best on Starfield, at least in this scenario. Too back the AWS tiers lost the AMD V520s. This might have been a good tier for the game. Oh well.

Overall, this game is a very mixed bag for all these tiers of AirGPU for running Starfield. Seem like you might want to wait until Starfield has various updates and patches before playing the games on different tiers of AirGPU. I also noticed that things worked better for all tiers if Vsync is enabled. Just my 2 cents.

STARFIELD on Joyark Cloud Gaming

So I’ve been scouring all the available cloud gaming platforms to see what’s new. And lo and behold, Joyark has Starfield available to play instantly on their platform. And yes, if you have JoyArk hours or a subscription, they offer the Steam version of Starfield for free…with a catch. Here are the details and my experience.

JoyArk has added Starfield to the platform when no other platform other than Microsoft has on day one. 10 year deal platforms said “Well I we don’t if we can add it yet” and JoyArk says “We don’t give a damn”. So they have my respect.

Mobile Gameplay

I initially played the game on my iPad Mini and as long as you have a subscription or hours to play on JoyArk, you can get access to the game. This is the Steam version of the game but I didn’t have to login so it seems like you’ll be using their global Steam account to play the game. Now this is cool and all, but I own the game on Steam and I actually want to login to my Steam account to get access and you can’t do that. Looks like JoyArk is trying to be their own ecosystem like Blacknut or Utomik, just with AAA games. I wonder if this is legal.

Anyway, graphics were set to Medium but of course I’m set at a 1600×900 resolution which is standard for their mobile setup. You can use their in game touch controls but I recommend connecting with a mobile or Bluetooth controller as I did here.

As you might know JoyArk uses the NVIDIA Tesla T4 which mimics the graphical output of the RTX 3060. And to be honest, the game plays pretty well. I really didn’t have too many issues. Maybe a little bit of input lag and the game had skipping when I tried to fire fully auto or when there was an explosion of some sort but the game performed pretty well overall.

Desktop Gameplay

I saved the game and I tried the game on desktop instead. Did I have to start all over again? Thankfully, I didn’t. It looks like JoyArk has account saves. Not sure how but they do. I was able to pick up right where I left off.

Since playing on the Desktop, JoyArk doesn’t allow you to use controller so I used mouse and keyboard instead. The resolution also increases 1080p. Actually it’s more like 1200p. I get bars on the sides even when I switch to 1080. Gameplay went pretty much the same as mobile except that it was a tad worse due to the higher resolution. Their setup is truly made for mobile. But that’s not stopping me from kicking some Spacer butt. Or they might be kicking my butt. However you want to see it, I actually recommend Starfield on JoyArk. And they get kudos for getting the game up and running so quickly. You will have to play the whole game on the platform and only on this platform if you want to keep your saves, but at least it is available and you didn’t pay for it.