Sunshine review
A free, open-source host for streaming games and desktops from your own hardware.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Sunshine is a free, open-source, self-hosted game and desktop streaming host from LizardByte. It is designed for people who want to stream games from their own Windows, macOS, or Linux computer instead of using a cloud gaming subscription. Sunshine captures games or the desktop, encodes the video, and sends it to Moonlight clients. It also supports remote keyboard, mouse, and controller input, making it suitable for gaming and broader remote desktop access.
Its strongest fit is the combination of host platform coverage and encoding options. Sunshine supports hardware encoding for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs, along with Apple and software video encoding. The web-based configuration interface handles setup and client pairing, while virtual gamepad emulation helps connect remote controller input to the host. HDR streaming is supported on compatible hosts. Moonlight is the key ecosystem connection, with client platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The published capability range reaches 4K resolution and 120 frames per second, subject to host hardware, client capability, and configuration.
Sunshine’s free, open-source model makes it a practical choice for users who prefer self-hosting and already have suitable gaming hardware. It is less suitable for anyone seeking an all-in-one service with its own complete client experience, because Sunshine is primarily the host and relies on Moonlight for client access. Buyers should also treat maximum resolution and frame-rate support as configuration-dependent rather than guaranteed across every setup. Choose Sunshine when control over the host, broad operating-system support, and flexible encoding matter most; choose an alternative when a packaged client-and-host product is the priority.
Sunshine pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free, open-source hosting across Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Supports AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, Apple, and software video encoding
- Includes HDR, virtual gamepads, and remote keyboard and mouse input
- Where it doesn't
- Primarily a host rather than a complete client experience
- Requires Moonlight for client-side streaming
- 4K and 120-frame streaming depend on hardware and configuration
Sunshine fact sheet, pricing and score →
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