Introduction

Chromebooks have become popular due to their affordable pricing, relatively cheaper maintenance, better battery life, and ease of usage. They have become the perfect partner for work and light browsing since they can undertake almost all the everyday tasks one expects from a laptop.

Their popularity has increased multi-fold especially after the global pandemic, when companies truly embraced the concept of remote and hybrid working. However, what about gaming? Are Chromebooks any good at gaming? Can you expect good gaming performance from the relatively underpowered hardware? Well, the answer is ’Yes’.

While a Chromebook may not be able to run AAA titles like Call of Duty or Need For Speed, they are perfect for casual gamers who play either browser-based games or Android games. Similarly, if you are a gamer on the move, you can also get a cloud gaming subscription and play the AAA titles mentioned above, and more.

So, is the Chromebook good for gaming? Will you require additional hardware to play games on a Chromebook? Are there any challenges to playing games on these devices? Are Chromebooks good for games like Call of Duty or Need For Speed? We will be answering these queries with this article. So, let us begin.

What is a Chromebook?

Let us begin with the most basic question, what is a Chromebook? Chromebooks are basic laptops which run on Google’s Chrome Operating System. Since Chrome OS is a mobile-friendly platform, Chrome OS provides the basic framework of helping you run the hardware, while it expects you to run most of the software via browser and online applications.

As a result, Chromebooks are generally provided with basic hardware which is enough to run the most basic of tasks on a laptop. While it may seem like a disadvantage, it enhances the device’s capabilities as a mobile OS. The lower specifications of the system ensure a better battery life than most normal laptops. On the other hand, individuals who prefer Chrome OS appreciate the lightweight nature of the system that can handle almost all everyday tasks with relative ease.

Advantages of a Chromebook

If you are buying a laptop with a heavy-duty task in mind such as video or photo editing, number-crunching, heavy research, or any other specialized tasks which require more processing power, then a Chromebook may not be the ideal choice for you.

On the other hand, there are various advantages to getting a Chromebook, especially if you are simply looking for the best way to access the internet and accomplish your tasks online. Some of the common advantages of a Chromebook are:

  • They provide good battery life since they have basic hardware which does not drain the battery as much as a full-fledged laptop.
  • Since they are developed with portability in mind, they also have a lightweight construction.
  • They are also relatively cheaper than a laptop since they have basic specifications.
  • The lightweight Chrome OS also ensures that they are easy on the basic hardware.
  • They are also regularly updated by Google, ensuring the latest security patches and enhancements.
  • Since they are built with portability in mind, they are also easily accessible for even basic users.

Gaming on Chromebooks

Now that you have a robust idea about Chromebooks and its basic functionalities, let us understand how we can game on a Chromebook. While gaming natively on a Chromebook might be a stretch, there are multiple options available, which can provide a comparable gaming experience even on a Chromebook.

Some of the most common options of gaming on a Chromebook include:

Cloud Gaming

Thanks to the penetration of high-speed internet connectivity throughout the world, we can finally observe the dawn of cloud gaming. Cloud gaming is a concept where you stream your favourite games from a cloud network onto your gaming device. Hence, you are watching the display and providing input, while the heavy-duty tasks such as running the game engine and rendering the graphics are undertaken by the super-computers which run on the cloud.

The benefit of cloud gaming is that you can stream AAA titles – which run only on the best gaming laptop normally – onto any device. Hence, Chromebooks are ideal for such kind of streaming since the basic hardware can easily handle the required internet bandwidth, while the lightweight OS ensures a smooth experience.

Nowadays, there are multiple cloud gaming services available to choose from. Some of the common ones are Nvidia GeForce Now, Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Sony PlayStation Plus Premium, and Amazon Luna Plus, among other lesser-known ones.

Android Gaming

Another popular option for gaming on a Chromebook is Android games. Since Chromebooks can run any app from the Google Play Store, they can run games downloaded from the Google Play Store easily. Additionally, most Chromebooks also come with a touchscreen display which ensures a smooth experience when playing games which are primarily meant to be played on our Android touchscreen phones.

While most of the games play directly with the touchscreen display, some even support custom controllers such as Player Unknown Battle Grounds, Call of Duty: Mobile, Asphalt 9: Legends, Riptide GP 2, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Vice City, Max Payne, Roblox, Stardew Valley, and more.

Additionally, downloading games from the Google Play Store will also provide you with Google Play Games support. Google Play Games will enhance your gaming experience by enabling multiple options to enhance the gaming experience, such as new game discovery, profile management, finding friends from contacts, tracking achievements, etc.

Browser Gaming

Another popular option to play games on a Chromebook is through browser-based games. Since these games are casual, most of them do not require a high-end laptop and are light enough to run on a browser’s interface. If you search online, you can find heaps of games starting from the simple Solitaire to advanced Indie games.

Google provide a simple games arcade named GameSnacks, which provides multiple titles for different game genres. All these games can be played directly on the Chrome browser, which is the default browser available on Chromebooks.

An additional advantage of browser-based games is that they require no downloading or installation, making it easier to enjoy the game. Anyone who has played a modern AAA game on a desktop or console knows how much time is wasted simply to download and install these games. Additionally, the constant barrage of downloads also makes gaming a chore.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is quite easy to use Chromebooks for gaming. While the hardware specifications of Chromebooks do not necessarily inspire confidence in gaming, there are multiple other options available for playing games on a Chromebook. The most common way of using gaming Chromebooks is via cloud gaming, browser-based gaming or downloading Android games.

Whichever option you choose, Chromebooks provide a cost-effective way to get into gaming, especially if you are a casual gamer and do not wish to spend your budget on a dedicated gaming laptop. You can even try AAA games on your Chromebook using popular cloud gaming services and choose to buy a dedicated gaming laptop if you find it appealing.