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Gaming · head to head

Amazon Luna vs Shadow PC

Amazon Luna logo

Amazon Luna

Gaming

Cloud gaming service that streams both a subscription catalogue and games you own elsewhere

From
$9.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shadow PC logo

Shadow PC

Gaming

A full Windows machine in a datacentre, rented by the month

From
$29.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Luna input latency makes competitive shooters, fighting games and anything requiring precise timing noticeably worse than local play, and no amount of bandwidth fixes it.; Shadow PC you rent hardware, not a catalogue, so the subscription buys you nothing to play; every game is purchased separately and the real monthly cost is Shadow plus whatever you spend on games.
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Luna covers No install streaming, Shadow PC covers Full Windows instance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Luna and Shadow PC actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Luna and Shadow PC differ
AttributeAmazon LunaShadow PC
Starting price$9.99/month$29.99/month
PlatformsWeb, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Windows, macOSWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Smart TV

Identical on both: pricing model (Per user per month), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Gaming).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon Luna

  • No install streaming
  • Play your own library
  • Prime included titles
  • Publisher channels
  • Luna controller support
  • Twitch integration

Only in Shadow PC

  • Full Windows instance
  • Install anything
  • Dedicated GPU tier
  • Broad client support
  • Peripheral passthrough
  • Storage add-ons

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon Luna

  • Playing on a television through a Fire TV stick without buying a consolenot Shadow PC
  • Playing on a work laptop or a low powered machine that could not run the title locallynot Shadow PC
  • Trying a game on a phone or tablet with a controller while away from the main machinenot Shadow PC
  • Playing selected titles you already own on Epic, GOG or Ubisoft Connect without a gaming PC to install them onnot Shadow PC

Shadow PC

  • Running Windows-only games or applications from a Mac, a Linux desktop or a Chromebooknot Amazon Luna
  • Playing heavily modded games that catalogue streaming services do not permitnot Amazon Luna
  • A student or contractor who needs a capable Windows workstation for a few months rather than a purchasenot Amazon Luna
  • Households that want gaming performance without buying and housing a desktop towernot Amazon Luna

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon Luna

  • Input latency makes competitive shooters, fighting games and anything requiring precise timing noticeably worse than local play, and no amount of bandwidth fixes it.
  • A sustained connection of around ten megabits or more is needed and Wi-Fi congestion in a shared household produces compression artefacts and dropped sessions at exactly the times people want to play.
  • Service is available only in a list of countries, so travelling outside them ends access to a subscription you are still paying for.
  • The play your own library feature covers a selected set of titles rather than your whole Epic, GOG or Ubisoft account, so it cannot be assumed to work for any particular game you own.
  • The subscription catalogue rotates and titles are withdrawn by publishers, so a game you are part way through can disappear and you own nothing once you cancel.

Shadow PC

  • You rent hardware, not a catalogue, so the subscription buys you nothing to play; every game is purchased separately and the real monthly cost is Shadow plus whatever you spend on games.
  • Included storage is a few hundred gigabytes while modern titles run to a hundred gigabytes each, so extra storage is effectively compulsory and the advertised price understates what most subscribers pay.
  • The company went through receivership in 2021 and changed hands, after which prices rose sharply and grandfathered plans ended, so there is a documented precedent for the terms shifting under existing subscribers.
  • Capacity is regional and has been sold out before, with waiting lists for new subscribers, and anyone far from a datacentre gets latency that undermines the whole point.
  • It is a real Windows machine, which means you own its problems: updates, driver issues, malware exposure and a disk that fills up, all of which a catalogue service handles for you.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Luna

$9.99/month
  • Luna Premium$9.99/month
    • Access to the Luna catalogue
    • Streaming to browser, Fire TV, mobile and supported televisions
    • Higher resolution and frame rate on supported titles
  • Included with Prime$undefined/month
    • A rotating set of titles playable at no extra charge for Prime members
    • Requires an active Amazon Prime membership, which is billed separately
  • Ubisoft+ channel$17.99/month
    • Ubisoft catalogue streamed through Luna
    • Bought as an add on channel rather than included in the base subscription

Shadow PC

$29.99/month
  • Shadow PC$29.99/month
    • Dedicated Windows instance with administrator rights
    • GPU allocated to your machine
    • Base storage allocation of a few hundred gigabytes
  • Shadow PC Power$undefined/month
    • Higher GPU class than the base plan
    • Sold as a monthly upgrade on top of the standard subscription
    • Aimed at high refresh rate and heavier creative workloads
  • Storage upgrade$undefined/month
    • Additional disk beyond the included allocation
    • Billed monthly per block of storage
    • Required in practice once you install several large games

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Luna if

  • You need no install streaming.
  • You work on Web, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want play your own library.
Amazon Luna review

Choose Shadow PC if

  • You need full windows instance.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Smart TV.
  • You also want install anything.
Shadow PC review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Luna or Shadow PC better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Luna starts at $9.99/month and Shadow PC at $29.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Luna or Shadow PC?
Amazon Luna starts at $9.99/month and Shadow PC at $29.99/month.
Does Amazon Luna or Shadow PC run on more platforms?
Amazon Luna runs on Web, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Shadow PC runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Smart TV.
What is Amazon Luna best used for?
Amazon Luna is most often used for playing on a television through a fire tv stick without buying a console, playing on a work laptop or a low powered machine that could not run the title locally, trying a game on a phone or tablet with a controller while away from the main machine, playing selected titles you already own on epic, gog or ubisoft connect without a gaming pc to install them on. Of those, playing on a television through a fire tv stick without buying a console and playing on a work laptop or a low powered machine that could not run the title locally are not what Shadow PC is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Luna do that Shadow PC cannot?
Amazon Luna covers No install streaming, Play your own library, Prime included titles, Publisher channels. Shadow PC covers Full Windows instance, Install anything, Dedicated GPU tier, Broad client support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Luna: Can I play games I already bought?

Selected titles from the Epic Games Store, GOG and Ubisoft Connect, once the accounts are linked. It is a curated list, not your full library.

Shadow PC: Does the subscription include games?

No. Shadow is a rented Windows PC. You install Steam or any other launcher and buy games yourself, which is why it costs more than services that include a catalogue.

Amazon Luna: What internet speed does it need?

Around ten megabits per second sustained for standard streaming and more for higher resolutions. A wired connection or a five gigahertz Wi-Fi band makes a visible difference.

Shadow PC: Can I use it for work as well as gaming?

Yes. It is a full Windows instance with administrator rights, so Adobe applications, CAD, development tools and Blender all run on it, subject to your own software licences.

Amazon Luna: Is Luna included with Amazon Prime?

A rotating selection of titles is included for Prime members. The full catalogue requires the paid Luna subscription on top.

Shadow PC: How much storage do I get?

A few hundred gigabytes on the base plan, which covers roughly two to four current large games. More is available as a paid monthly add-on.

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