Games on Whales vs Sunshine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Games on Whales
Containerized cloud gaming and remote desktop platform
VS
Sunshine
Self-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
| Feature | Games on Whales | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,077 | ★ 39,962 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | GeForce Now, Parsec | NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec |
Why pick each one
Choose Games on Whales if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose Sunshine if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 40k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Games on Whales or Sunshine better?
Sunshine is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Games on Whales if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Games on Whales and Sunshine free and open-source?
Yes. Games on Whales is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sunshine under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Games on Whales and Sunshine with Docker?
Games on Whales: yes. Sunshine: yes.