Moonlight

Moonlight is a free, open-source game-streaming client. It receives video and audio from a separately configured host and sends keyboard, mouse or controller input back to that host. Games and applications run on the host computer; Moonlight does not supply a gaming PC, game licenses or a hosted cloud gaming subscription.

Features

• Browse and start applications exposed by a paired host.
• Stream games or a supported desktop session to the Mac.
• Configure resolution, frame rate, bitrate and video-decoding options.
• Use keyboard, mouse and supported game controllers.
• Use high-resolution, high-frame-rate and HDR streaming when the complete setup supports it.
• Connect over a local network or a separately configured remote network path.

Install and pair

Install with brew install --cask moonlight, or copy Moonlight.app from the official DMG into Applications. The cask also exposes the moonlight command-line entry point. Configure Sunshine separately on the computer running the games. Sunshine is the project's recommended host; Moonlight implements the GameStream protocol, but NVIDIA's original GeForce Experience/SHIELD GameStream service has been discontinued. Do not rely on the old NVIDIA setup as a maintained hosting solution.

Start with the client and host on the same network. Allow Moonlight's Local Network access when macOS asks, select the discovered host or add its address manually, and enter the PIN displayed by Moonlight into Sunshine's host-side pairing page. Sunshine has its own local administration credentials and permissions. Pair only to a computer you are authorized to control, then select a host application and start the stream. Installing the client does not install or configure Sunshine.

Network and host requirements

The host must be running, reachable and capable of rendering the game and encoding its output. Sunshine supports compatible NVIDIA, AMD and Intel setups, with requirements that vary by operating system, GPU, encoder and capture backend. A supported client decoder is also needed; demanding resolutions and codecs can exceed a particular device's capabilities.

A wired host connection and reliable client Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi are recommended. Latency, packet loss, interference and host upload bandwidth affect remote play. Start with modest streaming settings and increase them for the measured network and hardware rather than treating an advertised maximum as guaranteed performance.

For Internet streaming, configure the host/router path or an appropriate private-network solution using the official guide. Default GameStream streaming ports listed there are TCP 47984, 47989 and 48010, plus UDP 47998, 47999, 48000, 48002 and 48010. UDP 5353 supports local discovery. Customized Sunshine port settings can change the required mapping. These are host-side connectivity requirements, not a request to expose every port on the client Mac. Keep the Sunshine administration interface separate from streaming access and follow the host's security guidance.

Mac platform and capabilities

The current 6.2.0 Mac application is universal for Intel x86-64 and Apple Silicon ARM64 and requires macOS 13 or later. Earlier releases had different minimums: 6.1.0 required Big Sur, and 6.0.x was the last series supporting older macOS. The current cask declares no additional formula dependency or explicit conflict. Windows/Linux clients and mobile ports use different packages and requirements.

The official 6.2.0 DMG is 78,299,984 bytes. Download size is not installed disk use. No single RAM or bandwidth figure guarantees a particular stream. AV1 hardware decoding in 6.2.0 requires M3 or later on macOS. HDR requires compatible host encoding, client rendering and displays; a codec checkbox does not create those capabilities. macOS Location Services background Wi-Fi scans are listed upstream as a possible source of periodic stutter; use the troubleshooting guidance to diagnose affected setups.

Cost and license

Moonlight is community-developed software under GNU GPL version 3. It has no mandatory Moonlight account, paid feature tier or subscription. Sunshine configuration, game-store accounts, optional virtual-network services and any rented host infrastructure are separate. Games remain subject to their own licenses.

The accompanying official website illustration shows streaming on tablet-like devices. It is a historical cross-device promotional example, not a screenshot of the current Mac application.

Sources: Official project, Desktop client source, Setup and network guide, Sunshine documentation, 6.2.0 release.