Over the years, the game industry has steadily changed. Aside from modern games with improved technologies, other gaming utility programs are being developed to improve the player’s experience. Cloud gaming is one of them. Players will use this app to launch and enjoy their games even though they are not at home. It makes use of cloud technologies to deliver your games to you no matter where you are.
Rainway is yet another app for low latency video streaming games. It is not, though, a cloud gaming service. It is a peer-to-peer game streaming app that allows PC games to be played on mobile devices. What distinguishes it from other game streaming software is that it is completely free to use.
Rainway is a free game streaming service that allows you to launch all of your PC games from a single location on your home computer or from any internet browser. Play a game by pressing a button! Today, you can play your games from different platforms remotely! Desktop and browser-based game streaming applications.
Remote gaming is getting more popular by the day, and even Google is developing a similar service, though Stadia will be entirely cloud-based and require no additional hardware. With Rainway, you still need a PC that can actually run the games, but you can then connect to this machine remotely and play them from anywhere.
Windows, macOS and Linux are supported, as the application only needs to be installed on your gaming PC, though this one has to be Windows-based. Once you have set everything up, you can connect to the host computer via a browser and play the games just as you would at home.
Remote gaming is becoming increasingly popular, and Google is working on a similar service, Stadia, which will be completely cloud-based and need no external hardware. Rainway also needs a PC capable of running the games, but you can connect to it remotely and play them from anywhere.
As the application just needs to be installed on your gaming PC, which must be Windows-based, it is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. Once you’ve configured it, you can use a browser to connect to the host computer and play the games just as you would at home.
One of the best features of the app is that it does a lot of the difficult settings for you. It will instantly detect Steam, Origin, Battle.net, Uplay, and even Itch.io apps, and you will be able to launch them all from a single UI.
Once everything has been set up, you can visit play.rainway.com from any other device, using a browser, connect to the host PC and start streaming games. The app even supports remote desktop control, though this function is disabled initially.
A helpful side panel displays useful stream statistics, and hotkeys can be used to show or hide the overlay, toggle fullscreen mode and lock the mouse cursor inside the Rainway window.
If your Internet connection is unstable or slow, using Rainway might get a bit frustrating. Thankfully, though, you can customize the stream quality and frame rate, as well as scale the stream to a lower resolution, which is great when bandwidth is limited.
The desktop application is very well built and extremely intuitive, and we were also very pleased with the service quality. However, you won’t know how good Rainway does until you give it a shot, as the speed and consistency of your Internet connection, as well as the distance from the host, are both important considerations. Fortunately, since it is online, a test run would not cost you much.
System Requirements
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300 (AMD Ryzen 5-1600 / Intel Core i5-7600K recommended) |
| Memory | 4 GB (8GB recommended) |
| Storage Space | 4 GB HD space |
| Video Card | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2 GB or Radeon HD 7950 2 GB or better (Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB or RX 570 or better recommended) |
| DirectX | Version 11.0 compatible video card or equivalent (Version 12.0 compatible video card or equivalent recommended) |
| Hardware acceleration | A video card with support for one of the following NVENC, Quick Sync, AMF. |
| Network | 7 Mbps upload, high-speed internet for 720P @ 60 FPS streaming (15 Mbps upload, high-speed internet for 1080P @ 60 FPS streaming. Ethernet or 5G WiFi recommended) |
Rainway Low Latency Video Streaming Software Features
- Use your existing hardware: It works with all your favorite brands like Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.
- All your games in one place: Rainway Cloud Gaming app automatically brings all your PC games together to launch and play from one simple interface.
- Ultra low-delay streaming: Designed with speed in mind, the app game streaming protocol is tuned to allow you to enjoy all your favorite genres of games such as competitive shooters, real-time strategy, or just your favorite party games with virtually no delay.
- Play anywhere right inside your browser: With the Rainway Connector app, you can play any of your games instantly on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, and much more from within a browser.
- Ready when you are!: It doesn’t matter whether you’re at school, home, work, or even your grandparent’s house. Rain way lets you play your favorite games anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Optimize My Game Streams While Using Rainway?
- Try turning down the stream quality, resolution, and frame rate in the Rainway App settings on the device you’re streaming to.
- Playing through a wired or 5Ghz Wi-Fi or 4G LTE connection will help minimize lag.
- 2.4 Ghz and 3G might add to the latency and cause lag.
How Do I Use a Controller With Rainway?
Using a controller is easy with Rainway.
If you are plugging a controller into your PC, it should be automatically detected.
If you are connecting via Bluetooth, follow these steps:
DualShock 4
- Make sure your device has Bluetooth enabled and scanning for new devices.
- On your controller, press and hold the PS and Share button until the light bar on the starts to flash.
- When your PS4 controller flashes white it’s in pairing mode and should appear under the ‘Other Devices’ section in your Bluetooth settings.
- Tap the name of the controller in the Bluetooth settings to begin the pairing process.
Xbox Controller
- Make sure your device has Bluetooth enabled and scanning for new devices.
- On your controller, start by putting the controller into pairing mode by pressing the Xbox button and holding down the sync button (top of the controller) simultaneously.
- Once in pairing mode, your Xbox controller should appear under the ‘Other Devices’ section in your Bluetooth settings.
- Tap the name of the controller in the Bluetooth settings to begin the pairing process.
Why Is My Controller Not Working?
If your controller isn’t working, there could be several reasons.
- Rainway emulates an Xbox controller when using a controller on the client or virtual gamepad.
- If the game you’re streaming doesn’t have support for Xbox (xinput) controllers, the client’s controller won’t work.
- An alternative for using a controller on any game is to use a program called JoyToKey.
Which Stream Quality Should I Use?
The stream quality you should select depends on your hardware and internet speeds. If your PC can run the game smoothly and your stream settings are appropriate for the connection you’re on, you will get a smooth stream.
Alternatives
- RemotePC.
- LogMeIn.
- TeamViewer.
- Windows Remote Desktop.
- RealVNC.
- TightVNC.
Rainway Software Technical Specification
| Version | 1.7.5 |
| File Size | 3.9 MB |
| Languages | English |
| License | Free |
| Developer | Rainway, Inc. |