The best game streaming software, according to hackers
22 game streaming software were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 5 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended game streaming software with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Low lag on local network
Free client for streaming PC games to other devices; works well on a LAN, though some report lag and input delay.
Low latency and good image quality
Free host that streams your PC's games and desktop to devices running Moonlight, with low latency and good image quality. Common caveat: setup takes fiddling, especially on Linux.
Smooth performance, better than RDP
Free software that streams a PC's games and desktop to other devices, often smoother than RDP. Most common caveat: setup takes tinkering and breaks at times.
All 22 game streaming software, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moonlight | 68 | 10 | 87% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Sunshine | 55 | 16 | 77% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 3 | RustDesk | 32 | 20 | 62% | 8 | — | — |
| 4 | Sunshine and Moonlight | 18 | 6 | 75% | 7 | 3 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| 5 | Parsec | 16 | 3 | 84% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 6 | Windows RDP | 15 | 3 | 83% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 7 | Microsoft Remote Desktop | 10 | 10 | 50% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | VNC | 10 | 19 | 34% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Steam Remote Play | 10 | 10 | 50% | 5 | — | — |
| 10 | Xpra | 9 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | xrdp | 7 | 1 | 88% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | TeamViewer | 7 | 6 | 54% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Citrix Workspace | 7 | 12 | 37% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | X2Go | 6 | 2 | 75% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Apache Guacamole | 6 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | GNOME Remote Desktop | 6 | 2 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Wolf game streaming server | 5 | 2 | 71% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | WayVNC | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | TigerVNC | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Remmina | 5 | 2 | 71% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Jump Desktop | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 17 | Games on Whales | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same game streaming software in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to game streaming software that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.