Chromebook Gaming: Best Games & How to Play Them

Can You Play PC Games on a Chromebook?

Yes, you can play PC games on a Chromebook, but there are some limitations and specifications. Chrombooks are primarily designed for web applications and lightweight tasks, but you can still play hard games with some configuration and tools.

1. Google Play Store

   • Android Games: Many Chromebooks support Android apps through the Google Play Store. You can download and play a wide variety of Android games directly on your Chromebook.
   • Game Availability: Not all Android games are optimized for Chromebooks, so performance and compatibility can vary.

2. Cloud Gaming Services

   • GeForce NOW: NVIDIA’s cloud gaming service lets you stream games from your library to your Chromebook. You need a stable internet connection and a subscription to GeForce NOW.
   • Xbox Cloud Gaming: Microsoft's cloud gaming service (part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) allows you to stream a wide selection of Xbox games to your Chromebook.
   • Google Stadia: Google’s own cloud gaming platform supports playing games directly from your browser, offering a seamless experience on Chromebooks.

3. Browser-Based Games

   • Web Games: Many browser-based games can be played directly through Chrome without the need for additional software or installations.
   • Flash and HTML5 Games: A wide variety of games are available online that run on Flash or HTML5, which are easily accessible on a Chromebook.

4. Using Parallels Desktop

   • Windows Environment: Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise allows you to run a full Windows environment on high-end Chromebooks. This can be useful for running PC games that are not available through other methods.

How to run Windows Games on Chromebook?

Creating a portable Windows USB drive is an easy way for Chromebook users to play Windows PC games instantly. If you insert this drive into a Chrombook, the computer will start via a USB driver so you can use Windows on your ChromBook.

Windows To Go Creator provided by AOMEI Partition Assistant is a function that allows us to create a portable Windows USB drive, which requires a driver with information about the Windows system, as well as a program and configuration, has a feature called "Windows To Go creator", which allows you to create Windows to Go USB drives and run on other computers, including Macs.

Preparation work:

① Prepare an empty USB drive. To speed up the process, a USB 3.0 drive and computer with a USB3.0 port are recommended.

② Download the Windows ISO files from the Microsoft official site.

③ Download the AOMEI Partition Assistant first.

Step 1. Plug the prepared USB drive in your Windows 10 computer and verify it is detected successfully. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Click “Tools” in the top toolbar, and choose “Windows To Go Creator”.

Step 2. Here we choose the first option "Create Windows ToGo for personal computer".

Step 3. Choose "Create Windows ToGo with system disc/ISO" and select the prepared ISO files, then hit on "Next".

Step 4. In the subsequent window, choose the USB you plan to use. Then click the "Proceed" option to start making a bootable USB from ISO.

If you have don’t have prepared Windows ISO files, you can choose the second method in "Step 3" to create Windows bootable USB with current system.

If your OS won't start up normally, you can use "Make Bootable Media" function to make a bootable USB drive on a computer that is already up and running.

Then you boot your computer with a boot failure from the bootable drive, To repair the startup problems, you can try to rebuild MBR on the system drive, or check bad sectors on the main hard drive.

It also has many other poweful functions:

1. Partition Management: AOMEI Partition Assistant enables you to resize, move, merge, and delete partitions with ease. You can also convert partition types, align partitions like 4K Alignment for SSD to enhance system performance, and create new partitions without losing data.

1. Disk Partitioning: The software allows you to create, delete, and format partitions, as well as convert between MBR and GPT partition styles, which is particularly useful for newer UEFI-based systems.

2. Disk Cloning: If you are planning to upgrade to a better disk, you can also use it to clone your entire disk or a designated partition. With it, you can quickly transfer the data to the new disk without reinstalling Windows or applications.

Conclusion

While Chromebooks are not traditionally designed for gaming, various methods allow you to play PC games on them. Whether through Android apps, Linux with Steam, cloud gaming services, or browser-based games, you have several options to enjoy gaming on your Chromebook. However, the performance will largely depend on your device’s specifications and the method you choose.

FAQs

1. Can I play Steam games on a Chromebook? Yes, by enabling Linux (Beta) on your Chromebook, you can install the Steam client and play Steam games that are compatible with Linux.

2. What cloud gaming services are available for Chromebooks? GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Google Stadia are all cloud gaming services that support Chromebooks.

3. Can I play high-end PC games on a Chromebook? High-end PC games can be played using cloud gaming services like GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming, which stream the games to your Chromebook.

4. Do all Chromebooks support Linux (Beta)? Most modern Chromebooks support Linux (Beta), but it's best to check your specific model for compatibility.

5. Is there a way to run Windows on a Chromebook? Yes, using tools like Parallels Desktop for Chromebook Enterprise or creating a Windows To Go USB drive with AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to run Windows on a Chromebook.