Amazon GameLift Streams enables game developers to create streaming games with ease
Amazon has launched the GameLift Streams game streaming service for developers. The service reduces piracy, eliminates the hassles of large game installs, and enables gamers to play titles that have heavy system requirements on low-end devices.
Gamers are forced to wait for large downloads before installing modern games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which weighs in at over 100 GB. System requirements keep increasing as well, so gamers are forced to buy expensive, faster graphics cards often.
Game streaming eliminates these factors by shifting them to the cloud hosting provider, so gamers only need a low-end computer or smart TV. Popular cloud game services include Valve Steam, Nvidia GeForce Now, PlayStation Now, and Xbox Game Pass.
Developers can now upload Windows games, Windows games already set up for Proton (Valve Steam), and Linux games to GameLift servers. Once basic game server configuration has been completed, uploaded games can be streamed worldwide to gamers using any WebRTC-compatible web browser at up to 1080p and 60 fps. No code modifications are required, thus simplifying the process.
Games run on the Nvidia T4 or A10G Tensor GPU. The developer is charged by each hour of use and total storage used. An Amazon estimate suggests that hosting 2,000 gamers playing a lightweight game half an hour each day will cost approximately $20k per month.
GameLift Streams is currently offered in the AWS Regions of US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), and Europe (Frankfurt). Players near these data centers will experience lower latency while those farther away will likely experience unacceptable latency.
Announcing Amazon GameLift Streams
Posted on: Mar 6, 2025
Amazon GameLift Streams is a new managed capability that allows developers to stream games at up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second to any device with a WebRTC-enabled browser. In just a few clicks, you can upload games built with a variety of 3D engines with little to no modification, provision streaming capacity in specific AWS Regions, and immediately start test streaming. Players can start playing AAA, AA, and Indie games over the internet in just a few seconds on their PCs, phones, tablets, and smart TVs without waiting hours for a download.
With Amazon GameLift Streams, you can create new direct-to-player distribution channels, launch instant-play game demos, conduct secure playtesting, and expand monetization opportunities. With support for Windows, Linux, and Proton runtimes, Amazon GameLift Streams helps you avoid the expense and complexity of modifying and rebuilding game code for streaming. You can flexibly scale streaming up or down based on player demand, and only provision and pay for the capacity you need. You can choose from six AWS Regions to deliver low-latency game play closer to players around the world. This new capability opens opportunities for you to expand the reach, engagement, and sales of your games while maintaining full control over the player relationship, experience, branding, and business model.
Amazon GameLift Streams is a new capability of Amazon GameLift, a fully managed service on AWS empowering developers to build and deliver the world’s most demanding games. The new capability is available in the following AWS Regions: US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), Europe (Frankfurt), and Europe (Ireland).
To learn more, visit the Amazon GameLift Streams website, read the Developer Guide, or explore the AWS News Blog post.
