Image: Asus
Chromebooks are great for productivity, web browsing, and video streaming, and they’re doubly great because they tend to be pretty affordable. With a range of options from Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and more, it’s no surprise that they’re so popular.
But are Chromebooks good enough to play games?
Well, it depends on several factors: what kinds of games you want to play, how you want to play them, and how strong the hardware is in the particular Chromebook model you have.
Here’s what you need to know about gaming on a Chromebook, whether the value-for-money proposition of a Chromebook carries over into gaming, and what kind of gaming experience you can expect.
Related: The best Chromebooks we’ve tested (including gaming Chromebooks)
Local gaming on Chromebooks
Chromebooks are fundamentally different from gaming laptops, so you have to temper your expectations and compromise on certain points.
Perhaps the biggest point of difference is that Chromebooks don’t run Windows as their operating system; instead, they run Google’s own ChromeOS with the Chrome Web Store for apps and games.
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
You can’t just run Windows apps on a Chromebook, and that’s a problem for gamers because most games are made for Windows PCs. As a Chromebook user, you’re mostly limited to whatever games are available in the Chrome Web Store, which tend to be simpler and less graphically demanding than their Windows counterparts.
The Google Play Store is also available on Chromebooks, meaning you can install many Android apps and games. However, not all Android apps work on Chromebooks. It’s a case-by-case thing — and the Android games that do run on Chromebooks tend to be lower-key apps that aren’t excessively taxing on hardware.
In other words, you can think of Chromebook-native gaming as pretty similar to mobile gaming. You won’t be pushing ultra-level graphics with advanced features like ray tracing, but Chromebooks can do a pretty good job of handling native games with modest needs.
Valve Software
Valve Software
Valve Software
That said, Steam — the most popular digital storefront for PC gamers — does have a version for Chromebooks. You’ll need at least an Intel i3 or Ryzen 3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage to install it, though. And the selection of Steam games that are compatible with Chromebooks is just a fraction of all the games on Steam.
More on this: How to play Steam games on a Chromebook
So, as far as local gaming is concerned, Chromebooks aren’t that great. But there’s an alternative gaming method that’s growing in popularity and makes it possible to have a good gaming experience on Chromebooks. Read on to learn more about it.
Cloud gaming on Chromebooks
Cloud gaming is when a game runs on a remote computer (i.e., on the cloud) but the screen is streamed to your computer and your inputs are relayed back to the remote PC to control the gameplay remotely.
The benefit here is clear: you don’t need a powerful PC because the game isn’t actually running on your PC. As long as the remote PC is well-equipped, you can play anything with anything — your Chromebook is simply streaming the game back and forth.
Because of this, cloud gaming has been gaining in popularity over the past several years. But cloud gaming has a few drawbacks:
First, there’s going to be input lag. When you press a key, it takes time for that input to travel over the internet and reach the remote PC, and then it takes more time for the new game state to travel over the internet and reach your Chromebook. The only way to reduce this latency is to shorten the distance between you and the remote PC.
Second, you need a fast internet connection that’s stable. Playing at a higher resolution may require more bandwidth. Intense action games may require more bandwidth. If you have packet loss or your internet cuts out, the experience may be choppy, laggy, or unplayable. And if you have a data cap, you may reach it faster than you’d expect.
Third, (most) cloud PCs aren’t free. You have to pay for a cloud gaming service to essentially rent one of their PCs. Better PCs with stronger specs will often cost you more, and the service may even limit how much time you can spend on a given PC per session.
But if you can live with the above, cloud gaming is great. You can play the latest games on the highest settings even if you have a clunker of a Chromebook, and you can play games that don’t run on Chromebooks (because you don’t install cloud games locally).
Nvidia’s GeForce Now is one of the more popular cloud gaming services, with a constantly expanding list of streamable titles. You’ll need to own the games yourself (via Steam, Epic Games Stores, or Ubisoft) before you can stream them using this platform.
Other cloud gaming services supported by Chromebooks include Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna. Check out our comparison of cloud gaming services to see which one’s right for you.
Chromebook specs for optimal gaming
Previously, I said that the operating system was the primary reason why Chromebooks aren’t so great for local gaming — but it isn’t the only reason. Many Chromebooks just don’t have the specs for gaming, and this can be an issue with local and cloud gaming.
Consider the latest gaming laptops, which pack powerful hardware like Intel Core i9 14900HX CPUs and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs. They also have ultra-fast screen refresh rates (upwards of 240Hz) for smooth visuals, plus other important features for maximum performance.
Unfortunately, those gaming laptops also come with staggering price tags that can easily clear $3,000 for top-tier machines.
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
On the other hand, Chromebooks are mainly designed for the budget-conscious buyer who prioritizes value over power. That’s why most Chromebooks fall under the $500 price point — and they have to make hardware sacrifices to get there.
That said, Google has been showcasing gaming-ready Chromebooks in recent years, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook.
These gaming-ready Chromebooks strike a balance between affordability and gaming-relevant specs, such as high-refresh rate displays (at least 120Hz) and RGB keyboards with anti-ghosting tech for faster responses.
Sure, these specs may not be as important as the CPU or GPU, but they are important for the overall gaming experience — and if you’re cloud gaming on a Chromebook, you can’t go wrong with a 120Hz refresh rate and more responsive keyboard.
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Take this Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE with gaming specs, for example. With a price point around $549, it’s certainly pricier than your typical Chromebook, yet still way cheaper than most gaming laptops.
And for the price, you get a 2560×1600 IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate, plus an RGB anti-ghosting keyboard for accurate action, along with four force-cancelling speakers. Together with HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6E, it’s surprisingly well-equipped for cloud gaming.
Not to mention the other hardware you’ll find inside: an Intel Core 5 120U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. The GPU is only Intel integrated graphics, which isn’t good for performance-intensive local gaming but fine enough for cloud gaming.
Generally, Chromebook specs pale in comparison to most well-equipped gaming laptops. You’ll notice that discrete GPUs are out of the question here, which makes sense — an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, for example, costs $599 on its own. That’s more than most Chromebooks!
Regardless, these gaming Chromebooks are built with an emphasis on cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now. There’s even a Game Dashboard available that provides a convenient way to record gameplay, take screenshots, and control settings while gaming.
Non-gaming Chromebooks can do well with cloud gaming, too. These Chromebook Plus gaming variants just add extra features that enhance the overall experience for gamers.
HyperX
HyperX
HyperX
Lastly, as far as accessories and peripherals go, you can still load up on gamer gear with Chromebooks. Gaming mice, controllers, and headsets all mostly work out of the box on the platform. (But you should always check compatibility before buying something. Just in case.)
Related: Chromebooks vs. Windows laptops, compared
Yes, you can game on Chromebooks
Google’s Chromebooks are more than just cheap devices for students that putter along and barely get their work done. These days, Chromebooks are extremely good for their price.
Don’t expect to do much local gaming. Chromebooks simply don’t have the necessary OS or hardware to natively play the latest titles at the highest graphics settings. Even Chromebooks with integrated Intel graphics are underpowered for true gaming.
But you can stream games via cloud gaming services and actually have a solid gaming experience, albeit at the mercy of your internet connection. You can also do some light gaming via what’s available in the Chrome Web Store, Google Play Store, and Steam.
If you’re a budget-conscious casual gamer who doesn’t mind a bit of latency and paying for a cloud gaming plan, then a Chromebook can be a fantastic option. Top it off with a 120Hz refresh rate screen and a good anti-ghosting keyboard for an optimal time.
Further reading: The best Chromebooks for your money
Author: Thiago Trevisan, Contributor
Thiago Trevisan is a Mac and PC enthusiast for over 20 years, and has written for PCWorld and Macworld since 2021. He runs the YouTube channel Classical Technology with over 50,000 subscribers, which covers NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, along with Macs such as the 2019 Mac Pro, and also writes about technology for HotHardware. Thiago has a degree in Classical Piano performance from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford.
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