As the size of mobile games becomes larger and larger, many players are discouraged by the 5GB and 10GB installation packages. Especially for users with limited storage space, downloading large games is no longer a “click to play” process, but a painful process of “clearing cache, deleting software, and waiting for loading”. But now, all this is being quietly subverted by “cloud game” technology.
In 2025, many domestic and foreign cloud game platforms such as GeForce NOW, NetEase Cloud Games, Tencent START, Boosteroid, etc. have successively launched exclusive mobile game channels, so that players no longer need to download and install the game completely, and can “click to play” high-quality masterpieces.
Cloud games open a new door for “large-volume mobile games”
Take “Genshin Impact“, “Honkai Impact: Star Railway“, and “Assassin’s Creed: Phantasm” mobile terminals as examples. The traditional installation method often exceeds 10GB, which is not only time-consuming to download and update frequently, but also prone to problems such as resource loss and installation failure.
On the cloud gaming platform, users only need to click the “Start Game” button, and the server will run the game in the cloud and transmit the screen to the user’s mobile phone in real time in the form of video.
In other words, the mobile phone does not need high configuration, nor does it need to download resources. A mid-range Android phone can also play “3A mobile game masterpieces”.
Scenario change: from “play anytime” to “play anywhere”
Cloud gaming brings not only technical convenience, but also a complete change in usage scenarios:
- Temporary experience: Want to see the new version of “Fantasy Tower”, but don’t want to update 8GB for a task? Cloud games can be tried directly;
- Cross-device: Play a copy on a tablet at home, and continue on your mobile phone when you go out, and the data is synchronized in real time;
- Capacity release: 32GB mobile phone users can finally keep WeChat and games at the same time, and no longer delete or occupy each other.
Especially on the bus, in a cafe, and on the road, no downloading, no installation, no updating, just open and play. This smooth experience is the core of the appeal of cloud gaming.
The rise of cloud gaming platforms: Who is laying out the mobile terminal?
In 2025, cloud gaming platforms have laid out “mobile entrances”:
GeForce NOW Mobile: Supports more than 100 PC/console ported mobile games for overseas markets, including “Cyberpunk 2077” and “The Witcher 3”;
NetEase Cloud Game App: Domestic version, deeply adapted to “Naraka: Bladepoint” and “Knives Out”;
Tencent START Mobile Game Zone: Based on Tencent’s ecosystem, directly embedded in QQ and mini-programs, it can truly “play with one click”.
In addition, some game platforms have begun to provide targeted bandwidth optimization and per-minute billing models, which further lowers the threshold for cloud gaming, and even traffic users can easily experience it.
User feedback: the transition from trying to use daily
Initially, users had many concerns about cloud gaming: freezes, delays, high traffic consumption, etc. But in 2025, with the popularization of 5G networks, the upgrade of Wi-Fi 6 home routers, and the improvement of cloud GPU rendering efficiency, all of this is gradually improving.
A list of real user reviews:
“In the past, I had to clear a bunch of apps to play Genshin Impact, but now I can open it directly in the cloud, and I don’t even have to update it.”
“Running ‘God of War’ on an old Android phone is stress-free, and it even loads faster than a physical phone.”
“Compared with native installation, mobile cloud games consume less power and generate less heat, making them suitable for long-term idle games.”
At the same time, cloud games provide a new paradigm for “trial play + conversion”: first use the cloud platform to experience it, and then download the local full version after you are satisfied. This model greatly reduces the situation where users “regret downloading”.
Issues that still need to be solved: balance between experience and cost
Although cloud games have broad prospects, there are still several challenges:
High traffic consumption: high-quality cloud games can reach more than 1GB of traffic per hour, and it is recommended to use them under Wi-Fi;
High server costs: the platform needs to continuously optimize the load and improve concurrent processing capabilities;
Copyright restrictions: Some mobile games cannot be put on the cloud and require authorization from developers or publishers.
However, these issues are being continuously optimized. It is expected that in 2026, with the development of cloud-edge collaborative processing technology and the further reduction of computing power costs, cloud gaming will become a new choice for mainstream mobile game distribution.
Conclusion: Cloud gaming is not a “substitute”, but a future supplementary form of mobile games
Cloud gaming may not completely replace the traditional installation method, but it is undoubtedly a new form, providing a new solution for “heavy mobile game users”, “light storage users” , and “early adopters”.
The next time you see a game with a size of up to 12GB, don’t give up in a hurry. Maybe you can open the cloud gaming platform and enjoy all its charm without a burden.
