I’ve spent years exploring different tools to improve how I access and experience my ever-growing library of games. After trying countless platforms and streaming solutions, I’ve landed on what I believe is the most powerful duo in self-hosted gaming: Apollo and Artemis. These two open-source applications have completely transformed my setup, delivering seamless game streaming, personalized control, and a sense of ownership that no off-the-shelf product has come close to offering.

What is a self-hosted app

Let’s start with the big idea behind why self-hosting matters. In a world dominated by closed ecosystems, monthly fees, and ever-changing terms of service, self-hosting gives gamers something we’ve rarely been offered: freedom. When you self-host your own game streaming solution, you remove the middleman. There’s no one between you and your content. You decide how things run, what’s visible, how much performance is allocated, and what privacy standards are upheld. It’s not just about tinkering for the sake of it. It’s about creating a gaming experience that's reliable, fast, and tailored to your needs.

Getting Started with Apollo

The ultimate game streaming host

This is where Apollo and Artemis come in. Apollo is the backbone of the system, serving as its host. It's a fork of Sunshine, a well-known self-hosted game streaming server. It runs on your gaming PC and turns it into a streaming machine, letting you broadcast games to nearly any handheld device you want. Think of it as your personal cloud gaming server, minus the cloud, and with no subscription fees. Apollo supports hardware-accelerated encoding across AMD and Nvidia GPUs, meaning you can enjoy buttery-smooth game streaming without melting your CPU. What impressed me most was how well it handles demanding titles. Whether I’m playing Elden Ring or Assassin's Creed Shadows, Apollo ensures low-latency performance that feels local, even when I'm away from my desk.

The way Apollo handles virtual displays is another game-changer. It can create a virtual monitor that matches the resolution and refresh rate of your streaming device. For someone who uses a handheld like the Steam Deck or an Android tablet, this means no fussing with scaling or odd aspect ratios. When I launch a stream, the resolution just works. I don’t have to unplug the monitor or mirror displays; it’s seamless. It also has smart power-saving features. When I connect to a device, Apollo can automatically turn off my physical monitors, reducing power draw and ensuring my desktop doesn’t stay lit up for no reason. When I disconnect, everything returns to normal. It’s small touches like this that make the software feel incredibly polished.

Exploring the Artemis Client

Your own personal client for handheld devices

Pairing with Apollo is Artemis, the client app that connects to your streaming server. Artemis is a refined fork of Moonlight, the well-known open-source Nvidia GameStream client. While Moonlight is already excellent, Artemis offers several unique advantages. First, it’s designed to be more flexible, working well with virtual displays and advanced features like controller remapping, clipboard syncing, and customizable overlays. Second, it focuses on creating a comprehensive ecosystem experience with Apollo. The two work together in a way that feels more integrated and seamless than their original counterparts.

One of the aspects I love most about using Artemis is the smooth input response. Thanks to the low-latency video pipeline and optimized encoding settings on Apollo, playing fast-paced games like DOOM Eternal or Street Fighter feels incredibly responsive. You can tune Artemis for your device, setting custom resolutions, frame rates, and bitrates to suit your network and screen. On my home Wi-Fi, I can stream at 1080p 120Hz with nearly no perceptible delay. Even over the internet, with some extra setup, the experience holds up surprisingly well.

Another major benefit is the way Apollo and Artemis handle device management. On Apollo’s interface, I can set permissions per device; some can launch games, others can only view, or send input. This kind of granularity is rare and extremely useful. For example, I have a device profile for my Steam Deck that allows it to launch games and control the desktop. But for my TV box, I’ve restricted input, so only a paired controller can be used, preventing accidental inputs from messing with the desktop.

Why Apollo and Artemis Are Better Together

What makes the Apollo and Artemis combo truly shine is the feeling that everything is under your command. I’m no longer relying on a streaming service that might be deprecated next year or a launcher that forces me to update before I can play. I can stream when I want, how I want, to whatever device I choose. The performance consistently outperforms commercial cloud gaming services, particularly in terms of input lag, visual fidelity, and reliability.

Customization is another area where this setup stands above the rest. You can theme both applications with different front-ends, add custom launchers, modify input profiles, and script behaviors for specific games or devices. Want a different resolution profile when streaming to your TV versus your tablet? No problem. Need controller layout changes for one game but not others? Handled. This level of user control is liberating and makes each part of your setup feel purpose-built.

It's fairly easy to set up and requires minimal maintenance

While some might be intimidated by the idea of setting up a self-hosted game streaming system, I found the actual process surprisingly smooth. And once it’s running, maintenance is minimal. Updates are easy to manage, and thanks to an active open-source community, improvements and fixes come regularly. You also have the benefit of knowing your system won’t be randomly changed or broken by a forced update, something many of us have experienced with commercial platforms.

In the end, Apollo and Artemis are more than just tools; they’re a gateway to a better gaming experience. They’ve helped me cut through the noise of bloated launchers, subscription models, and expensive services. Now, I have a fast, clean, and private environment tailored exactly to my needs. Whether I’m playing from the couch, in the backyard, or halfway across the country, my games come with me fully under my control. If you’re serious about gaming and crave the kind of experience that values performance, privacy, and customization, I can’t recommend Apollo and Artemis enough. They’ve completely reshaped how I game, and I’m never going back.