From powerful handheld gaming PCs capable of running graphically intensive games to VR headsets that let you immerse yourself in your favorite game worlds, the gaming sector has witnessed tons of innovations over the past decade. And that includes cloud gaming, a technology that lets you play games even if you don’t own a beast of a PC.

In theory, cloud gaming could replace PC hardware the same way video streaming platforms have rendered Blu-ray players a thing of the past. Sadly, cloud gaming platforms are plagued by several limitations that can dampen your gaming experience, and here are four reasons why this technology is still not a good substitute for PCs in 2023.

1 You’ll need ultra-fast internet to get playable FPS

Otherwise, it’ll be a complete lag-fest

One of the biggest problems with cloud gaming is that it’s connection-dependent, and you’ll need a lot of bandwidth to process the humongous amount of data being sent to and from the remote server. Even for 720p gaming, you’d want to get at least 10Mbps worth of bandwidth just to get playable frame rates.

Likewise, you’ll require at least 25mbps if you intend to game at 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. In other words, the bandwidth and speed requirements scale with your target resolution and frame rate. While it’s possible to go higher than 50mbps in your home Wi-Fi setup, it’s an entirely different issue if you want to game on the move.

2 Cloud gaming has geographic limitations

And the latency goes up the farther you live from the server

Cloud gaming platforms are typically region-locked. So, depending on your location, it’s highly plausible that you won’t even be able to set it up, let alone game at playable frame rates. The only workaround to this issue is to use a premium VPN, but doing so will increase the latency since the data packets will now be routed through a VPN server.

Even if the cloud gaming platform of your choice is available in your nation, distance from the server is as important as your internet speed. If your geographical location is far from the server, you’ll end up with a higher ping, which, in turn, will cause a myriad of unwanted issues, including poor visual quality, artifacts, and latency.

3 Cloud gaming platforms have a limited catalog of games

Good luck trying to run your entire game library on a cloud PC

Although most cloud gaming service providers allow you to import your game library from Steam, Epic Game Store, and other digital game distribution platforms, you won’t be able to run emulators or other applications that aren’t available on Steam and need to be manually set up on a PC. Plus, the repertoire of games is quite limited on most platforms, and aside from popular games by triple-A developers, you’re unlikely to find a huge selection of games to play on a cloud PC.

4 Owning a PC isn’t all that expensive in the long run

And handheld PCs are a cheaper alternative to cloud services

Cloud gaming providers share the subscription-based service model of movie streaming platforms, and the fees charged by most platforms remain fairly inexpensive… at least, on the surface. Most platforms charge between $10-30 per month for their standard plans, which may not sound like a lot, but it can add up over time.

Meanwhile, a PC can last you at least 5 years as long as you take proper care of it. A cloud gaming subscription will cost you at least $500 for that duration, and that’s without including the price of a high-speed internet connection. At that price, a Steam Deck is a significantly better purchase as it’s not only free from the network requirements and geographical limitations of cloud gaming, but it can also run plenty of modern-day PC games.

If you time your purchases right, you could even build a decent PC for less than $750. Then, you can use a remote desktop service like Moonlight to stream games from your newly assembled system to another device, though you’ll have to deal with the same bandwidth requirements of cloud gaming.

It will take a while before cloud gaming goes mainstream

Although the practical implementation of cloud gaming has a host of problems, most of the issues will likely be resolved with advancements in technology. That said, cloud gaming is still in its infancy stage, and it will take a few years before it can become a worthwhile alternative to PC gaming.