Sunshine
Sunshine is a free, self-hosted game-streaming host for Moonlight clients.
What Sunshine is
Sunshine is a free, self-hosted game-streaming host for Moonlight clients. It runs on your own hardware and supports host systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, with some features varying by operating system. Sunshine can use AMD, Intel, or Nvidia GPUs for hardware encoding, or encode in software. A web interface lets you configure the host and pair clients from a browser, including on a mobile device. Moonlight clients are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Xbox, and other platforms. Sunshine emulates Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, DualShock 4, DualSense, and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers. Listed maximums are 4K resolution and 120 fps. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM, a supported GPU, and host and client networks using 5 GHz 802.11ac; the requirements tables are marked as a work in progress. Sunshine is GPL-3.0 licensed, and downloads are offered through sources including Docker, Flathub, and Homebrew.
Good
- Free plan, self-hosted on your own hardware
- Hardware and software encoding options
- Browser-based configuration and client pairing
- Emulates several console controllers
- Listed maximum of 4K at 120 fps
Watch out
- Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and supported GPU
- Network requirement lists 5 GHz 802.11ac
- Features vary across host operating systems
- Requirements tables are a work in progress
Who it suits
Sunshine suits people who want to host game streaming on their own hardware and connect through Moonlight clients. It is relevant to users with supported host systems and a supported GPU.
Verdict
Sunshine provides a free host for Moonlight streaming, with configurable encoding and broad controller emulation. Check the listed hardware and network requirements against your setup before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From Sunshine's own pricing page, checked 3 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine | Free | Self-hosted; runs on your own hardware |
The facts
Each one read from Sunshine's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Configuration
- A web UI lets users configure Sunshine and pair clients from a web browser, including on a mobile device.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Controller emulation
- Sunshine emulates Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation DualShock 4, DualSense, and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The download links include Cloudsmith, Copr, Arch Linux, Docker, Flathub, and Homebrew.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Hardware encoding
- Sunshine supports AMD, Intel, and Nvidia GPUs for hardware encoding, and software encoding is also available.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Host operating systems
- The repository's compatibility table covers FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, and Windows, with features varying by operating system.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Moonlight clients
- Sunshine connects to Moonlight clients, which the project page lists for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Xbox, and more.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Open source license
- The Sunshine repository identifies its license as GPL-3.0.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight with low-latency cloud gaming server capabilities.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- LizardByte's website privacy policy says it strives to use commercially acceptable means to protect personal information but cannot guarantee absolute security.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Support
- LizardByte says Discord is its preferred support method and GitHub Discussions can be used for support, feature requests, and general discussion.checked 3 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The listed minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM, a supported GPU, and host and client networks using 5 GHz 802.11ac; the page says its requirements tables are a work in progress.checked 3 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The project page identifies Sunshine as a LizardByte project.checked 3 Oct 2026
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