Nvidia GeForce Now Upgrades to RTX 5080, Expands Game Library
Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service is set to receive a significant upgrade this September, ushering in the power of the company’s latest Blackwell GPUs, effectively offering users access to RTX 5080-class graphics cards in the cloud. For a consistent monthly fee of $20, subscribers to the Ultimate tier will be able to leverage these powerful virtual machines, equipped with a substantial 48GB of memory and the newest DLSS 4 technology, to stream their PC game libraries at near-maximum settings across a wide array of devices, including phones, Macs, PCs, TVs, and Chromebooks. This move marks a substantial leap for the service, two and a half years after its last major performance boost.
Perhaps the most impactful new feature accompanying this hardware upgrade is “Install-to-Play,” which reintroduces the long-requested ability for users to install games without waiting for Nvidia’s formal curation. This innovation is poised to dramatically expand the GeForce Now library overnight. While it won’t allow installation of just any PC game, it immediately makes every title opted into Valve’s Steam Cloud Play available. Nvidia’s product marketing director, Andrew Fear, stated that this alone would instantly add 2,352 games, with many more new releases and demos expected to become available on their launch dates, provided publishers enable the Steam Cloud Play option. Currently, Steam is the sole platform compatible with Install-to-Play, though major publishers like Ubisoft, Paradox, Nacom, Devolver, TinyBuild, and CD Projekt Red typically utilize Valve’s distribution network. A key distinction is that Install-to-Play titles will require a download and installation each time they are launched, unlike pre-curated games, unless users opt for persistent cloud storage at an additional monthly cost: $3 for 200GB, $5 for 500GB, or $8 for 1TB. However, installations are expected to be remarkably swift, with Nvidia’s servers linked to Valve’s Steam servers at speeds up to 1Gbps.
Beyond the expanded game selection, GeForce Now is also enhancing its visual fidelity and streaming performance. The service will now support streaming at 5K resolution for both 16:9 and ultrawide monitors at 120 frames per second, or up to 360 frames per second at 1080p, catering to players with high-refresh-rate displays. An optional “Cinematic Quality Streaming” mode has been introduced, designed to reduce color bleed and restore detail in dark or blurry areas of streamed scenes. This mode leverages advanced video technologies such as HDR10 and SDR10, YUV 4:4:4 chroma sampling, and AV1 encoding, further enhanced by an AI video filter and optimizations for clearer in-game text and HUD elements. To maintain this elevated quality, the maximum streaming bitrate has been increased from 75Mbps to 100Mbps.
The service’s reach is also expanding across devices. Owners of the Steam Deck OLED will now benefit from a native 90Hz refresh rate stream, an improvement from the previous 60Hz. Furthermore, LG is integrating a native GeForce Now application directly into its 4K OLED TVs and 5K OLED monitors, eliminating the need for external streaming devices. Support for Logitech racing wheels with haptic feedback has also been added, broadening the appeal for simulation enthusiasts.
While the prospect of RTX 5080-class performance is exciting, Nvidia has clarified that users won’t always be guaranteed an RTX 5080-tier GPU for every game immediately. The $20-a-month Ultimate tier will continue to include RTX 4080-class cards for a transitional period as Nvidia rolls out the new servers and builds capacity. However, a roster of popular titles, including Apex Legends, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Baldur’s Gate 3, Black Myth Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, and Doom: The Dark Ages, are among those slated to receive 5080 performance from day one. Nvidia claims its new Blackwell Superpods can deliver up to 2.8 times faster gaming performance, though this benchmark relies on the use of DLSS 4’s Multi-Frame Generation, which creates three AI-generated frames for every real frame, potentially introducing slight latency. Despite these considerations, GeForce Now has historically impressed with its low latency, even allowing for precise actions in demanding games like Sekiro. The company is further refining this by partnering with ISPs such as Comcast, T-Mobile, and BT for low-latency L4S technology. Nvidia asserts that the new 360fps mode can achieve an end-to-end latency as low as 30ms in titles like Overwatch 2, a responsiveness level that surpasses many home consoles under ideal network conditions.
In a forward-looking move, Nvidia is also experimenting with a novel integration that bakes GeForce Now directly into Discord servers. This initiative aims to allow gamers to instantly try new titles for free with a single click, bypassing traditional downloads or even a GeForce Now login. Epic Games and Discord are the initial partners demonstrating this “technology announcement” at Gamescom, with Fortnite serving as the first demo. While not yet a widely available feature, Nvidia hopes this instant-play concept will encourage more publishers and developers to embrace cloud-based game demos. Despite these advancements, some major publishers, notably Sony and Rockstar Games, continue to keep their titles off the GeForce Now service.
The September launch of GeForce Now’s RTX 5080-class servers, coupled with the dramatic expansion of its game library and enhanced streaming capabilities, positions the service as an increasingly compelling alternative for PC gaming. The commitment to maintaining the $19.99 monthly price, despite the significant hardware upgrade, further strengthens its value proposition.