When it launched in 2011, the Chromebook was predominantly designed as a cost-effective way of getting people web access and giving them office utilities through web-based apps.
Google’s online challengers to Microsoft Office allowed the Chromebook to be a very effective tool for businesspeople on the go. However, people demand a lot more from even these kinds of niche laptops these days.
Now, Chromebooks are very capable machines. The top-of-the-line models out there right now can run much more than just web-based and lite applications. People generally don’t think of them as cost-effective gaming laptops, though.
Given the very viable options that are out there now to either fit the hardware of a Chromebook or work a way around, it’d be fair to say that in 2025, Chromebook gaming isn’t only possible, but it can be world-class.
Getting on the Best Triple-A Video Games
On computers, the go-to way to enjoy the very best of what PC gaming – and to a large extent, gaming overall – has to offer is to go to Steam. The massive PC launcher has been a notorious thorn in the side of Chromebook gamers.
For the most part, you’ll struggle to even boot up its best exclusive games, like Counter-Strike 2, let alone enjoy a smooth playing experience. Even when you can get them to work, you need to run a modified program.
Easily, the most clear-cut way to enjoy a whole host of the most premium games going right now is through a cloud-based subscription service.
Google’s Stadia could have been the ultimate solution, but it joined the company’s mass grave of ill-considered releases. Luckily, others have stepped in to make cloud-based gaming a reality and lean into the “Netflix of Gaming” expectations that were assumed of Stadia.
It’s through one of these services that you can play massive games like Call of Duty: Warzone, as we detail at https://www.aboutchromebooks.com/gaming/. That’s through GeForce Now, powered by Nvidia. Importantly, GeForce Now gives you access to the free-to-play hit without a subscription, unlike some of its competitors, like Xbox Game Pass. Across GeForce Now, Game Pass, and Luna, you can stream a whole host of the biggest games.
Exploring Less Taxing Platforms Like Casinos and Apps
The only real hiccup with cloud-streaming the most premium games around is that you need a consistent, uninterrupted, and strong internet connection. Sometimes, you just want some gaming that isn’t as demanding.
This is where browser-based gaming platforms, like online casinos, can continue to come in handy. Even with relatively weak connections, you can play hundreds of different games at their very best.
Award-winning platforms like https://rocketriches.com/ca even come with officially licensed games that spin off from great IPs that you know. Games like Tomb Raider, Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs, and Lara Croft: Tomb of the Sun are all ready to spin alongside the likes of Jurassic Park. The games go beyond slots and tables, too. Crash and mine games have become all the rage, where players simply have to cash out before they crash or hit a mine.
Another option for Chromebook gamers is the Play Store. Now, we’re all pretty tired of the freemium model with its timewalls, paywalls, and endless notifications to buy more virtual currency. For true quality that you can download and play on your Chromebook, turn to the premium charts.
The latest sensation here is Balatro, which https://www.eurogamer.net/ reports as making $4.4 million on mobile without any microtransactions in the game. As well as Balatro, there’s the perpetual gem Stardew Valley, My Boy! GBA Emulator, and GTA: San Andreas.
Digging deeper, there are gems like the digital edition of the hit board game Wingspan, Dead Cells, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Alto’s Odyssey, Spelunky, the DC heroes and villains fighting game Injustice 2, and one of the ultimate historical PC strategy games, Rome: Total War.
Throw in more like Alien: Isolation – easily the best thing to happen to the Alien franchise since Aliens – Final Fantasy VIII, Monster Hunter Stories, and Chrono Trigger, and you’ve got a grand app-based games library for your Chromebook.
In 2025, Chromebook is fully capable of being a complete gaming device. While you need a strong internet connection for the latest triple-A hits, there are plenty of lighter games to play whenever you need.
