Game Streaming Server on a VPS: Moonlight and Sunshine Setup 2026
Game streaming from a remote server has become increasingly practical in 2026. The two tools at the heart of this are Sunshine (the server-side software) and Moonlight (the client app). Together they let you run games on a powerful remote machine and stream the gameplay to virtually any device.
Here is how to set this up on a VPS.
What Is Moonlight Streaming
Moonlight is an open-source implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol. It was originally designed to stream games from an NVIDIA GPU-equipped PC to other devices on the same network.
Over time, Moonlight evolved into a flexible client that works with Sunshine, removing the requirement for NVIDIA hardware and enabling cloud and VPS-based streaming setups.
What Is Sunshine Streaming
Sunshine is the open-source server component. You install it on your Windows or Linux machine (or VPS) and it broadcasts the desktop and game output to Moonlight clients. It supports both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, as well as software encoding for cases where dedicated GPU hardware is not available.
Setting Up Sunshine on a VPS
For a cloud gaming setup, you need a VPS with a GPU or at minimum a VPS with good CPU-based software encoding support.
- Install Windows Server or a Linux desktop environment on your VPS
- Download Sunshine from the GitHub releases page
- Run the installer and complete the initial setup
- Access the Sunshine web interface at
localhost:47990 - Add your games or applications to the Sunshine library
- Open the required ports: UDP 47998, 47999, 48000, 48010 and TCP 47984, 47989, 47990
Connecting with Moonlight
- Install the Moonlight app on your device (available for PC, Android, iOS, and TV)
- Enter your VPS IP address in the "Add Computer" field
- Accept the pairing PIN shown in the Sunshine web interface
- Select your game or desktop from the Moonlight library
Latency Expectations
For game streaming to be playable, round-trip latency needs to stay under 30ms ideally and under 50ms practically. This means the VPS location matters significantly. A VPS in a European Data Center works well for European players, and a North American VPS for North American players.
Space-Node VPS plans include server locations in the Netherlands and Canada, covering both European and North American latency needs well. Combined with a well-configured Sunshine instance, you can achieve genuinely playable cloud gaming from any device with an internet connection.
