The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a Stealth Game Console and I'm Here For It

Electronics

How-To

It’s true: The dirt-cheap Amazon Fire TV Stick doubles as an Xbox (and more). Here’s everything you need to know to unlock the fun — for kids AND adults.

Ever wish you could play Xbox games without, you know, spending $500 or more on an Xbox? What if I told you you could play at least some of them just by plugging a $50 gadget into your TV? It’s true, scout’s honor.

That gadget is the Amazon Fire TV Stick, which is ostensibly for watching Netflix, Hulu, and the like but also a stealth game console. With it you can connect to services — Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, and Xbox Game Pass — that stream games, no actual console required.

And I’m not talking casual stuff like Tetris or old Nintendo titles like Mario Bros. I mean triple-A games like Star Wars Outlaws, Death Stranding, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. (With a little Bluey: The Videogame and Hot Wheels Unleashed thrown in for good measure.)

I know: Sounds too good to be true. It’s not. Here’s everything you need to know.

How to use a Fire TV Stick as a game console

Amazon currently sells four versions of the Fire TV Stick, from the $34.99 Stick HD to the $59.99 Stick 4K Max. All four support cloud gaming, but I’m going to recommend choosing either the Stick 4K Plus ($49.99) or the 4K Max.

(Pro tip #1: Don’t pay full price! These devices go on sale on an almost monthly basis. At this writing, for example, the Plus and Max are both $10 off. And the Fire TV Stick Select — see below — is $20 off.)

Two reasons: First, those two models support Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, respectively, and because game streaming relies almost entirely on internet connectivity, you want the fastest possible Wi-Fi speeds. The Fire TV Stick Select, in comparison, runs on Wi-Fi 5.

Second, those two higher-end Sticks include support for GeForce Now, whereas the others limit you to Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass. Whether or not that’s important depends, of course, on what services you use. But for the extra $10 or so, it’s worth having the widest variety of gaming options.

The only other hardware requirement is a game controller: The Fire TV Stick can pair with most PlayStation and Xbox gamepads, or even an inexpensive generic Bluetooth controller like this one.

If you already own a game-console controller, you can probably pair it with the Fire TV Stick. Otherwise, an inexpensive one (like this $20 job) will work just fine. (Credit: Voyee)

(Pro tip #2: If your current TV runs Amazon’s Fire TV operating system, you don’t even need the Stick; just a controller. And some games — like co-op ones played with friends — don’t even need that; they require only phones.)

Once you’ve got everything in place, you just fire up (see what I did there?) the Luna, GeForce, or Xbox app, sign into your account, and start playing.

Speaking of which: Luna is free with your Amazon Prime subscription; it includes over 50 console games (across a wide range of categories), plus 25 local multiplayer party games. Xbox Game Pass starts at $10/month for 50+ games, and GeForce Now is free (but limited unless you pay for a subscription).

Needless to say, this doesn’t fully take the place of an Xbox or other game console, as there are the aforementioned limits on what you can play. But if you want the console experience for a fraction of the cost, this lets you have it.

For my part, I’ve been enjoying that sweet Hot Wheels racing game and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, both included free with Luna. Honestly, I’d buy a Fire TV Stick just for the gaming. It’s that good.