airgpu

airgpu

airgpu Cloud Gaming Preview
Type: Full-Access-Cloud-PC
4434
Games available
4K@60 FPS
Graphic up to
$0,65 / hour
Starts from

One of cloud gamingโ€™s biggest strengths is to provide you with access to high-resolution and max-performance gaming without the need for an expensive rig. Airgpu cloud gaming aims to stand out from the crowd by providing one of the most flexible services on the market by providing you full access to a powerful gaming server.

airgpu Cloud Gaming Preview
Available on:

Desktop

Tablet

Smartphone

TV

Console

Ultimate Guide

airgpu Cloud Gaming

Dive into how airgpu Cloud Gaming works, its pricing, game offerings, device compatibility, how and where you can use it.

Last updated on 12. October 2023

What is airgpu cloud gaming?

Airgpu is a cloud service that gives you access to powerful hardware for gaming in the cloud. What makes airgpu special is that it doesnโ€™t just allow you to play games from a predetermined catalog. Instead, you get full access to a windows machine. You can install any gaming platform and software you want – if it runs on Windows, it runs on airgpu. 

Airgpu is billed hourly, which makes it very attractive to the more casual gamer that doesnโ€™t plan to play for multiple hours everyday. There are many different hardware options to choose from, which makes airgpu a great choice no matter what games you want to play. Keep reading to find out more about the different options available.

What ist airgpu Cloud Gaming?

How does airgpu cloud gaming work?

Airgpu provides you with a cloud-based gaming machine where you can install and run your favorite games. To connect your local device to the server, it makes use of Parsec, a highly-praised free remote connection tool specifically designed for gaming.

After creating an account, you start by setting up your cloud machine on their website. During this setup, you can choose between around 20 data center locations all around the world. Make sure to pick the location closest to you, as a small distance can significantly improve your ping and experience while playing. 

In the next step, you can select your hardware setup. Airgpu offers a wide variety of GPUs and CPUs. The more powerful the hardware, the higher your hourly charge. 

Whatโ€™s really cool is that you can change your settings on the fly, even after creating your machine – this allows you to save money when playing less demanding games, while still getting the best performance when you need it.

After setting up your machine, you can boot it up via the website. When first connecting to your cloud PC, you have to connect with Windows Remote Desktop. As thatโ€™s not ideal for gaming, the first thing you should do after connecting is to download Parsec, both on your local device and on your cloud gaming rig.

What is Parsec? Parsec is a free remote desktop application that was specifically designed for remote gaming, which allows you to stream in much higher quality and framerate.  

After completing this initial setup, you connect to your airgpu server with Parsec. Once connected, the experience of using airgpu is similar to a local windows PC, meaning you can install Steam, battle.net or any other gaming platform. From there, you simply install your favorite games and start playing.

How does airgpu work?

How much is airgpu and how does the pricing work?

Airgpuโ€™s pricing model is different from most other cloud gaming services. Instead of a monthly or annual subscription, you buy credits. These can then be used on any of the hardware spec options on offer. Youโ€™re only charged while your machine is running, but thereโ€™s also a monthly fee of $3.50 for every 50 GB of SSD cloud storage.

The hourly price you pay varies greatly depending on your hardware setup. At the cheapest, you can play on airgpu for under a dollar per hour.

How much is airgpu?

GPUs without Raytracing

Airgpuโ€™s non-raytracing options are available across all regions. You can choose from the following:

Nvidia Tesla T4, starting at $0.85/hour

  • Hardware equivalent to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080
  • 4 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM

AMD Radeon Pro V520, starting at $0.85/hour

  • Hardware equivalent to AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
  • 4 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM

Nvidia A10G, starting at $1.15/hour

  • Hardware equivalent to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
  • 8 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM
airgpu pricing

GPUs with Raytracing

The GPUs with raytracing capabilities offered on airgpu are currently only available in the North American region. There are three options to choose from:

Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000, starting at $0.65/hour

  • Hardware equivalent to GeForce RTX 2070 cards
  • 8 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM

Nvidia RTX A4000, starting at $1.10 per hour

  • Hardware equivalent to GeForce RTX 3070 cards
  • 8 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM

Nvidia RTX A5000, starting at 1.55$ per hour

  • Hardware equivalent to GeForce RTX 3080 cards
  • 8 vCPUs
  • 16 GB of RAM

CPU upgrades

In many of the data centers, you can also choose to upgrade your CPU and RAM. For example, you can get double the amount of vCPUs and RAM (8 vCPUs and 32GB of RAM) for an additional 30ct per hour for all GPUs without raytracing. This can be a very attractive option for games that are typically limited by CPU power, rather than GPU. 

Streaming quality

The base prices mentioned above are for the lowest max quality of video streaming, which is 720p at 60ps. For an additional surcharge, you can upgrade the quality up to 4K. 

Spare capacity

To save money, you can choose to run your airgpu machines in โ€œspare capacityโ€ mode. With this setting, you agree to be kicked from your gaming session if the data center runs out of capacity. In exchange, you get about a 50% discount per hour. During our tests, we have yet to be kicked from our sessions, making this an interesting cost-saving option, especially if you play outside the peak gaming hours. 

airgpu specs

On which devices can airgpu be used?

Airgpu can be used on any machine that can run Parsec or Moonlight, another remote desktop software designed for gaming.

Here are the devices and browsers you can run each app on:

Parsec

  • Windows 10+
  • macOS 10.14+
  • Android phones
  • Raspberry Pi 3
  • Linux Ubuntu 18.04
  • Google Chrome

Moonlight

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Raspberry Pi 4
  • iOS
  • AppleTV
  • Android
  • Google Chrome
  • Amazon Fire OS
  • PlayStation Vita (Homebrew only)
  • Nintendo Wii U (Homebrew only)
  • LG Web OS TV (Homebrew only)

What do I need to play on airgpu?

To play on airgpu, youโ€™ll need the following:

  • One of the supported devices and apps mentioned in the previous section
  • A stable and fast internet connection. Depending on your chosen streaming quality, airgpu recommends at least 5 Mbit/s download speeds for 720p up to 40 Mbit/s for 4K.
  • You’ll also need a controller if you want to play on your phone or TV. On a PC, you can use either a controller or a keyboard and mouse.

Is airgpu cloud gaming worth It?

Airgpu aims to provide a flexible service that gives you plenty of choice in both pricing and game streaming quality.

Pros

The primary advantage of airgpu, compared to other cloud gaming services, is that it allows you to stream your complete library of games. Youโ€™re not bound to a specific list of titles nor do you need to be concerned about games leaving the service. 

A few online games, such as Valorant and Escape from Tarkov, canโ€™t be played on airgpu as they canโ€™t be run on virtual machines (VMs). 

Another great thing about airgpu is that you can install mods and 3rd party software. For games like Skyrim and Rimworld, the community-made content adds hours of additional content. Traditional cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now donโ€™t allow you to install mods, but with airgpu, you get full control over what you want to install. This also includes third-party apps and tools like trade assistants for Path of Exile and card trackers for Hearthstone.

The serviceโ€™s pricing model is built around giving you maximum control over your spending. Apart from storage, youโ€™re only charged for the time you spend playing instead of paying a flat fee every month.

Finally, airgpu gives you plenty of options for specs. You can spend less money to run less intensive games, while still having the option to upgrade to the best gaming hardware on the market.

Cons

Airgpu doesnโ€™t provide any games within its pricing. You need to bring your own library by installing a platform on a virtual machine. This means that you need to bear the cost of the titles you want to play on top of paying for credits. However, if you already own the games, this isnโ€™t an issue – you donโ€™t have to buy them again to play on airgpu.

Furthermore, airgpu requires a bit of fiddling to get started. When compared to other services that provide you with an ready-to-launch experience, having to remote into a cloud machine can be a little intimidating for the less tech-savvy.

Depending on how much you want to play, airgpu can also be rather expensive, especially compared with cheaper options like Boosteroid.

Conclusion

Airgpu is a viable option for cloud gaming if youโ€™re short on time and canโ€™t justify paying a monthly subscription. Its pay-as-you-go model is perfect for busy gamers whoโ€™d like to step up the quality of their games. Itโ€™s also a great option to play games that arenโ€™t available on other services or if you want to play modded games.

One cool use case for airgpu is to use it side-by-side with a cheaper option like Boosteroid. The hourly billing is perfect for only using it when you need the added flexibility. This allows you to save money while still having the freedom to play any game you want in the cloud.

Where is airgpu cloud gaming available?

The service doesnโ€™t restrict you from using it based on your region. However, if you want to have the lowest possible latency, youโ€™ll need to be located close to its servers.

Airgpu currently has data centers in the following locales:

North America

  • New York
  • Chicago
  • Las Vegas
  • N. Virginia
  • Ohio
  • N. California
  • Oregon
  • Central Canada

Europe

  • Dublin
  • Frankfurt
  • London
  • Paris
  • Stockholm

Asia Pacific

  • Mumbai
  • Seoul
  • Singapore
  • Sydney
  • Tokyo

Middle East

  • Bahrain

What are the alternatives to airgpu cloud gaming?

Airgpu is most similar to Shadow, which also gives you access to an online virtual PC. The main difference is that Shadow cloud gaming is priced monthly at $30-45 which is equivalent to roughly 30 hours of gameplay on airgpu, depending on specs. 

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can run free-to-play games on airgpu. Discover our favorite f2p games in our list of free airgpu games.

Yes, airgpu behaves like a regular gaming rig with an internet connection so you can play multiplayer games.

While you can connect to airgpu while using a VPN, itโ€™s possible that your connection quality suffers. If you experience any problems, try to connect without an active VPN to check.

Yes, airgpuโ€™s hardware specs are all above Steamโ€™s recommended specs for SteamVR.

Yes, airgpu specifically recommends using Parsec. The website also lists Moonlight as an alternative.

Yes, you can use any controller that can be connected to your local device while playing on airgpu.

No, airgpu doesnโ€™t include any games in your subscription. However, as mentioned above, free to play games are available to play.

Yes, airgpu allows you to install digital storefronts like Steam so you can download and play your own games without paying extra.

Airgpu allows you to run any gaming platforms that work on Windows, including Steam, battle.net, Epic and GOG.

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