What’s the easiest way to mirror my gaming PC to a living-room TV?

For a wireless or network-based option, Sunshine on the gaming PC with Moonlight on a receiving device works well on a local network. It usually has low enough latency for watching games, but the living-room TV would need a compatible client device, such as a small computer or streaming box. Since the TV isn’t smart, the TV itself can’t run Moonlight, and Sunshine/Moonlight doesn’t really provide a pure view-only mode.

If running one long cable isn’t practical, HDMI over Cat5e or Cat6 is another solid option. You install a transmitter near the PC and a receiver near the TV, with the network cable connecting them. It’s still a direct video signal rather than internet streaming, but you’ll need compatible adapters and should check the resolution and refresh-rate limits before buying.

Steam’s local game streaming or another streaming client can also work, but you still need something connected to the TV to receive the stream. Chromecast-style casting generally isn’t the best fit for mirroring a desktop game with audio because of latency and compatibility limits. If you can run a cable, HDMI or HDMI-over-Ethernet will be more dependable.

For the simplest and lowest-latency setup, run HDMI directly from the PC to the TV. If the distance is longer than a typical copper HDMI cable can handle, use an active optical HDMI cable. These are available in much longer lengths and avoid the delay and compression of streaming, though they can cost more.