GeForce NOW: how it works, price and available games

Update 15/12/2022.

GeForce NOW, latest games added

The fight for the world of game streaming has now begun and slowly more and more competitors enter the game. The Mountain View giant has made Google Stadia available for a couple of years, Sony is trying to breathe new life into PlayStation Now with new subscriptions and Microsoft is doing great with xCloud. Who is missing? Nvidia con GeForce NOW, which has been in beta for months and has now been available in full format for a couple of years. However, one game streaming service is not like the other and there are unique rules and functions that distinguish it: so let's find out what they are all the peculiarities of Nvidia's GeForce NOW, its catalog, connection requirements and the price of the available subscriptions. As with other similar articles, we will be updating this piece on a regular basis so that you have access to all the latest information.

What is GeForce NOW

GeForce NOW is a subscription service that lets you play thousands of games in the Cloud using the latest Nvidia technologies and hardware, such as the recent RTX 3080 GPU. This means that you will not need a particularly high-performance device to be able to access the vast library of video games compatible with the service, which you can enjoy on PC, Mac, SHIELD TV, iPhone/iPad and Android devices. What you will need to enjoy GeForce NOW at its best is a connection that can handle streaming games (you can find more details on this in the paragraphs below). The service currently has around a thousand titles, and new ones are added every Thursday.

The service proves to be an excellent alternative for those who do not have a PC powerful enough to play certain video games, or for those who simply want to bring the PC gaming experience to mobile devices as well. All you need is a copy of the title you want to play, and if this is included among those compatible on GeForce NOW then you can access it with almost all devices in the house via streaming, using the service's appropriate app.

GeForce NOW Memberships

In order to access the GeForce NOW service, they are available three different subscriptions, one of which is free, and are the following:

• Free — this free membership runs on base 1060-level GPUs, with standard access to servers and sessions lasting up to an hour.
• Premium — at a cost of €9,99 a month, the subscription works with GPUs on the levels of a 2060 and includes Ray Tracing, priority access to servers, sessions lasting up to six hours and the ability to play in 1080p and 60 FPS .
• RTX 3080 — costing €19,99 a month, the subscription works with a 3080 RTX and includes Ray Tracing, exclusive access to RTX servers, sessions lasting up to eight hours and the ability to play in 4K and 120 FPS.

What devices can I play on?

GeForce NOW allows you to play on various devices. The list of compatible devices is as follows:

• Laptop e PC Desktop
• Mac
• Android mobile devices
• SHIELD TV
• Android TV
• LG TV

But let's see more precisely what are the requirements for each type of platform. To start, if you're using a PC Windows, the hardware requirements for basic subscriptions are as follows:

• OS: 7-bit Windows 64 or later (32-bit Windows is NOT supported)
• CPU Dual core X86 con 2.0 GHz o superiore
• 4 GB of RAM
• GPU that supports at least DirectX 11 (NVIDIA GeForce 600 series or later, AMD Radeon HD 3000 series or later, Intel HD Graphics 2000 series or later)

If you use a Mac, then all models with OS version 10.11 or higher are compatible with the basic subscriptions.

If you want to play with a mobile device Android, this must have:

• 1 GB of memory
• OS: Android 5.0 (L) or higher
• Support for OpenGL ES3.2 or higher

Finally, to play on your TV you will need the following requirements, depending on the model you own:

• SHIELD TV: Any HDMI-equipped model is compatible with the service
• Android TV: Models with Android 5.0 (L) or higher, support for OpenGL ES2.0 or higher, and Chromecast with Google TV, 2021
• LG TVs: 2021/2022 models with the latest webOS firmware and latest browser updates LG TV

What are the connection requirements?

The following connection requirements are required to play GeForce NOW:

• 15 Mbps
  Maximum resolution: 720p
  Frame Rate massimo: 60 FPS
• 25 Mbps
  Maximum resolution: 1080p
  Frame Rate massimo: 60 FPS

How can I know if my connection is stable enough?

Within the GeForce NOW app, in the settings, an item dedicated to the network test is available: with a simple click, the bandwidth will be indicated (a value greater than 15 is required, a value greater than 50 is recommended). the amount of packets we risk losing in-game (required a maximum value of 2.0, recommended a value of 1.0) and latency (required a maximum value of 80, recommended a value of 40).

GeForce NOW also offers a series of settings for adjusting performance and data usage:

• Balanced: Take advantage of all available bandwidth to offer the best image quality and best gaming experience (estimated consumption: 10 GB per hour)
• Competitive: Optimize your streaming settings to offer the lowest possible latency (estimated consumption: 6GB per hour)
• Data saving: Minimizes data consumption while maintaining good image quality as much as possible (estimated consumption: 4 GB per hour)
• custom: allows you to define a series of settings such as the maximum bit rate, resolution, frame rate, VSync activation and the ability of the stream to adapt to network drops

What app do I need to download to play GeForce NOW?

To play GeForce NOW you need to use the app dedicated to the chosen platform. You can find the apps for Windows PC, Mac, Android and TV on the dedicated page, to this address. Once downloaded, you must install the app and log in with an account: you can use an Nvidia one (by creating it, if you don't already have one) or you can connect your Facebook or Google account.

Can I play on all devices and apps with the same GeForce NOW account?

Yes, with a single account and a single subscription, you can enjoy the GeForce NOW service on all devices and in all apps. Obviously, each individual account can start a single session on a single device at a time: if you want to switch to another device, you have to close the session on the previous one.

What games are available on GeForce NOW?

GeForce NOW offers a large catalog of games. To be able to search for titles, simply download the app and, using the upper search bar, type the name of the video game you want to play: if it is available on GeForce NOW, it will appear in the list. Once you find the game, you can add it to your library with a simple click. You can consult the complete catalog just below.

After starting the game and passing the queue, you will be prompted to sign in with the account that owns the game. GeForce NOW supporta i principali store come Steam, Epic Games Store, Uplay, etc.

If you don't own a game, you can buy it from one of the supported stores. Obviously there are a number of free to play games such as Fortnite that can be played at no additional cost, since they are free on the relevant store.

Do I have to manually update the games?

No, all driver and game updates are handled automatically by Nvidia. Once you connect a game to GeForce NOW, you no longer need to do anything to always play the most up-to-date version.

GeForce NOW, the catalog of video games available