The XDA piece on streaming a NAS-hosted retro library to old phones leaned heavily on Moonlight, and rightly so. Moonlight paired with Sunshine on the host is the gold standard for streaming a PC game library to an Android phone or tablet for free. The catch is that not every setup fits Moonlight neatly. NVIDIA GameStream support was retired, console gamers want PSN remote play, cloud-only households do not want to keep a gaming PC running, and corporate-managed Android devices block GameStream-style direct connections.
We compared 7 Moonlight alternatives for Android in 2026. The picks below cover Valve’s first-party Steam streaming, peer-to-peer game streaming services, the major cloud-gaming subscriptions, generic remote-desktop apps that double as game streamers, and the open-source PSN remote play project. Every entry runs on Android, six are free or freemium, and all support gamepad input.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Source | Free plan | Latency typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Link | First-party Steam streaming | Your PC | Yes | 10 to 30 ms LAN |
| Parsec | Peer-to-peer game streaming | Your PC or friend’s | Yes | 15 to 40 ms |
| GeForce NOW | Cloud GeForce-powered PC | NVIDIA cloud | Yes (60-min sessions) | 30 to 60 ms |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming | Game Pass cloud library | Microsoft cloud | Game Pass Ultimate | 40 to 80 ms |
| AnyDesk | Generic remote desktop | Your PC | Free for personal | 30 to 80 ms |
| Splashtop Personal | Remote desktop with HD gaming | Your PC | Free LAN-only | 20 to 50 ms LAN |
| Chiaki Ng | PSN remote play | Your PS4 or PS5 | Open source, free | 30 to 80 ms |
Why Moonlight has friction
Moonlight needs a Sunshine host to be installed and configured on the PC, and Sunshine sometimes fails on locked-down Windows builds where Apollo (a Sunshine fork) might also stumble. The pairing step occasionally fails behind enterprise NAT, and the official Moonlight docs still mention NVIDIA GameStream as a host option even though NVIDIA killed it years ago.
The second reason is that Moonlight only streams from a PC that you own. Cloud-gaming households who do not own a gaming PC, or who specifically want to lean on Game Pass Ultimate’s cloud library, are not served by Moonlight at all.
The third reason is console. PlayStation owners who want to stream their PS5 library to Android use either Sony’s official PS Remote Play or the open-source Chiaki Ng project. Moonlight does not target the PS5.
The 7 best Moonlight alternatives for Android
Steam Link — first-party Steam streaming
Steam Link is Valve’s official Steam-to-anywhere streaming client. The setup is simpler than Moonlight, install on Android, pair with the Steam client on the host, and it just works. Built-in support for Steam Input, a clean interface, and stability that has improved every year since the 2018 launch.
Where it falls short: Streams only your Steam library, not arbitrary PC apps. Sunshine plus Moonlight can stream anything; Steam Link can only stream Steam-launched games. The latency is generally a touch higher than Moonlight on the same LAN.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes
- Paid: None
Download: Aptoide, Google Play, App Store
Bottom line: If your library is exclusively Steam, this is the simpler path.
Parsec — peer-to-peer game streaming
Parsec is the peer-to-peer game streaming service Unity acquired in 2021. The Android client supports gamepad input, low-latency streaming over the internet (not just LAN), and the killer feature is multi-user couch co-op over the internet. Two friends can play a local multiplayer game from different continents, which Moonlight cannot do.
Where it falls short: The free tier caps out at 1080p60 with H.264 encoding. The Warp subscription unlocks 4K and HEVC, but the price has climbed in recent years. Some games’ anti-cheat blocks Parsec input.
Pricing:
- Free: 1080p60, H.264
- Paid: $9.99/month Parsec Warp
- vs Moonlight: Better internet streaming, paid for full quality, kills couch co-op gap
Download: Aptoide, Google Play
Bottom line: The pick when streaming over the internet (not just LAN) is the primary use case.
GeForce NOW — cloud GeForce-powered PC
GeForce NOW is NVIDIA’s cloud-gaming service, where the GPU lives in a data centre and you stream the gameplay to Android. It supports your existing Steam, Epic, GOG, and Xbox libraries, with no need to own a gaming PC at home. The Ultimate tier streams at 4K HDR with 240 fps modes, the headline feature for premium subscribers.
Where it falls short: Library coverage is decided per game, not per platform, so individual publishers can opt out. The free tier sessions cap at 60 minutes and queue you behind paying subscribers.
Pricing:
- Free: 60-minute sessions, basic rig
- Paid: $9.99/mo Performance, $19.99/mo Ultimate
- vs Moonlight: No PC needed at home, cloud-bound, library subset
Download: Aptoide, Google Play
Bottom line: The pick when you do not own (or want to leave on) a gaming PC at home.
Xbox Cloud Gaming — Game Pass cloud library
Xbox Cloud Gaming is the streaming half of Game Pass Ultimate. Hundreds of games available on the Game Pass catalogue stream directly to Android, including most first-party Xbox titles, dozens of EA Play games, and a rotating cast of third-party releases. The Android app supports Bluetooth controllers and touch controls for a small subset of games.
Where it falls short: Cloud-only, no way to stream your own library. Game Pass Ultimate is the only subscription that includes it, and the price has been climbing.
Pricing:
- Free: None for cloud
- Paid: $19.99/month Game Pass Ultimate
- vs Moonlight: Different model, Game Pass library only, no PC required
Download: Aptoide, Google Play
Bottom line: If you are already paying for Game Pass Ultimate, the Android app is the simplest way to stream.
AnyDesk — generic remote desktop
AnyDesk is the German remote-desktop tool that doubles as a passable game streamer at low refresh rates. The Android client supports H.264 and H.265 decoding, gamepad pass-through, and audio streaming, which makes it usable for slower-paced games and emulators where 60+ fps is not critical.
Where it falls short: Not built for fast-paced game streaming. Latency is higher than Moonlight, frame pacing is uneven, and gamepad mapping is fiddly. The free tier is restricted to personal use.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, personal use
- Paid: From $14.90/user/mo Standard
- vs Moonlight: Worse for action games, better for slower-paced games and emulators
Download: Aptoide, Google Play
Bottom line: Pick this if you already have AnyDesk installed for remote support and only occasionally use it for games.
Splashtop Personal — remote desktop with HD gaming
Splashtop Personal is the consumer tier of the Splashtop remote desktop suite. The free tier supports LAN-only streaming with HD video and audio, which makes it a viable Moonlight alternative for users who want a less-technical setup. Splashtop is unusual in that its low-latency video stack is licensed by other services, so the underlying tech is mature.
Where it falls short: The free tier is LAN-only. WAN streaming requires a paid Splashtop Business or Personal Plus subscription. Gamepad input mapping is less flexible than Moonlight.
Pricing:
- Free: LAN-only Personal tier
- Paid: $24.99/year Personal Plus, $5/user/mo Business
- vs Moonlight: Easier setup, LAN-only free, weaker gamepad support
Download: Aptoide, Google Play
Bottom line: The pick when Moonlight’s setup is too much and the use case is LAN-only.
Chiaki Ng — PSN remote play
Chiaki Ng is the actively maintained fork of Chiaki, the open-source PlayStation remote play client for non-Sony platforms. It connects to a PS4 or PS5 and streams the console to your Android device with full DualSense gamepad support. The project is GPL licensed and distributed through F-Droid.
Where it falls short: Not available on Google Play or Aptoide, F-Droid only. Pairing with a PSN account is more fiddly than Sony’s first-party PS Remote Play. Stream quality on internet WAN is unpredictable.
Pricing:
- Free: Open source
- Paid: None
- vs Moonlight: Different source (PlayStation, not PC), open source
Download: F-Droid (open source)
Bottom line: The pick when the source is a PlayStation rather than a PC.
How to choose
Pick Steam Link if your library is exclusively on Steam and you want the simplest setup. No Sunshine install, no pairing fight, just login.
Pick Parsec if you want to stream over the internet rather than your LAN, or you want to play local multiplayer games with a friend on another continent.
Pick GeForce NOW if you do not own a gaming PC, do not want to leave one running, and want a hardware-equivalent experience over a cloud connection.
Pick Xbox Cloud Gaming if you already pay for Game Pass Ultimate. No Sunshine, no pairing, just sign in.
Pick AnyDesk only when you already have it installed for remote support and the games are slow-paced or emulator-based.
Pick Splashtop Personal when Moonlight’s pairing keeps failing and the use case is LAN-only.
Pick Chiaki Ng when the source is a PlayStation rather than a PC.
Stay on Moonlight if your setup is already working. Sunshine plus Moonlight remains the gold-standard free PC-to-Android stream and most of the alternatives above do not match it on raw latency or cost.
FAQ
Is Steam Link better than Moonlight?
For Steam-only libraries, Steam Link is easier to set up and only marginally slower. Moonlight via Sunshine handles non-Steam apps and emulators, which Steam Link cannot. Most home users with a mixed library land on Moonlight; Steam Link wins for simplicity.
Can I run Moonlight without NVIDIA hardware?
Yes, via Sunshine on the host. NVIDIA GameStream was retired in 2023 and Sunshine is the replacement host. It runs on AMD and Intel GPUs and supports any modern Windows, macOS, or Linux machine.
What is the cheapest cloud gaming service in 2026?
GeForce NOW Performance at $9.99/month is the cheapest cloud-gaming subscription that streams your existing Steam library. Xbox Cloud Gaming is bundled inside Game Pass Ultimate at $19.99, which is more expensive but includes the Game Pass library.
Will Chiaki Ng work with PS5 Pro?
Yes. Chiaki Ng supports PS4, PS5, and PS5 Pro consoles. The PS5 Pro’s higher resolution targets stream at 1080p or 4K depending on your network and the Chiaki Ng decoder settings.
Can I play Steam Deck games on my Android phone over the internet?
Yes. Sunshine runs on Steam Deck’s SteamOS layer and Moonlight on Android handles the client side. The pattern is popular for handheld owners who also have an old Android phone they want to use as a second screen.
