NVIDIA GeForce Now is getting a huge upgrade with Blackwell, now offering RTX 5080-levels of performance at the same price, along with many more improvements.
NVIDIA Drops Its Biggest GeForce Now Upgrade Yet With Blackwell: RTX 5080 Performance For Cloud Gaming, Better Quality, Smoother Gameplay & Much More
Today, NVIDIA is announcing its biggest GeForce Now upgrade. These include various new features and improvements thanks to the Blackwell GPU architecture, which are listed below:
- GeForce RTX 5080 Performance
- Cinematic Quality Streaming
- Low-Latency Streaming
- New Partner Devices
- New Games
- Install-To-Play
So the first and most major upgrade to GeForce Now is the switch from Ada Lovelace architecture to Blackwell.
This is achieved through the new GeForce RTX 5080 SuperPod network, which includes their dedicated servers equipped with a custom GPU with 48 GB VRAM, a total of 60 GB memory per Superpod, and double the tensor core amount for AI tasks such as DLSS.
This GPU will deliver each user with up to RTX 5080 levels of performance and an 8-Core AMD Ryzen CPU based on the Zen 5 core architecture with a 4.4 GHz clock speed, and a 30% uplift over the current-gen Superpod processor. GPU upgrade from RTX 4080 and RTX 5080 brings a whole lot of efficiency, tech, and performance improvements, while the CPU upgrade from the older 8-Core Zen 3 architecture to the brand new Zen 5 architecture is going to deliver some big gains.
Diving into some numbers shared by NVIDIA shows that GeForce Now RTX 5080 Superpod offers 3x the TFLOPs of the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro. This upgrade also allows NVIDIA to achieve a 2.8x uplift over the RTX 4080 Ultimate "GeForce Now" solution.
The hardware upgrade also allows NVIDIA to achieve better image quality, which they claim can achieve visuals on par with local PC gaming. This is a huge claim, and NVIDIA has added various features to achieve this level of fidelity, which are part of its CQS (Cinematic Quality Streaming) mode.
The list of features includes:
- YUV 4:4:4 Chroma: Full color precision with sharper text and no color blend
- HDR10: Wider color gamut
- SDR10: Richer colors, deeper contrast, and smoother gradients
- AV1 + RPR: Smooth resolution shifts for stable streaming
- AI Video Filter: Cleaner motion with less noise and artifacts
- DPI Awareness: Sharper visuals on high-res laptop displays
- 100 Mbps Streaming: Ultra-clear quality, even in detailed scenes
- HUD sharpness: Clearer HUD and UI for an improved gameplay experience
GeForce Now will also introduce a new Low Latency Streaming (LLS) mode, which is said to rival the latency of all popular gaming devices. The GeForce Now Server supports Reflex and Rivermax HW packet packing, which allows direct data transfer to-and-from the GPU, ensuring smoother latency even at high bit rates.
NVIDIA has also worked with Global ISPs and internet providers to enable L4S Network Support, which helps to reduce latency drastically when packets are traveling through the network. This allows clients to receive support for up to 360 FPS (1080p) & 240 (1440p) streaming, Cloud G-Sync.
This new low-latency streaming with GeForce Now offers very responsive gaming even in competitive games at 360Hz with 30ms of click-to-photon latency in games such as Overwatch 2. For comparison, PlayStation 5 Pro at 120Hz mode achieves a latency of 49ms using the same network with 10ms RTD.
As for new client devices, NVIDIA's GeForce Now is adding more to the support list with Valve's Steam Deck OLED now receiving 90 FPS streaming, and Lenovo's Legion Go S receiving 120 FPS streaming. Support is also extended to racing wheels from Logitech, and LG TVs/Monitors, enabling up to 4K 120 FPS with HDR, and 5K 120 FPS OLED mode.
GeForce Now is also receiving new AAA games, with the latest ones listed below:
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
- Borderlands 4
- Dying Light: The Beast
- The Outer Worlds 2
- ARC Raiders
- Hell is Us
Another brand new feature coming to GeForce Now is Install-to-Play. This new feature will expand the GeForce Now library to 2500+ Steam Games. How this happens is that when a publisher opts to open their game for cloud gaming, NVIDIA will be able to process that game and make it available to users. The game will be downloaded and installed by GeForce Now and streamed directly.
These servers are equipped with a new high-speed NVMesh storage, which provides local-like performance, and premium members get 100 GB of single-session storage. The persistent nature of the storage infrastructure will keep these games installed across sessions and preserve saved game data without relying on Steam Cloud.
So to sum things up:
- The NVIDIA Blackwell architecture is coming to GeForce NOW in the platform’s biggest update yet, delivering NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080-class GPUs to the cloud, including NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation for streaming up to 5K resolution at 120 frames per second, new AI-powered features, and more.
- The GeForce NOW game library will double to over 4,500 titles with the launch of Install-to-Play, allowing members to access more of their PC collections, along with upcoming AAA games launching in the cloud.
- A new Cinematic Quality Streaming mode significantly improves graphical fidelity with Blackwell-powered technology for stunning color accuracy, supersmooth streaming, and crystal-clear graphics.
- The extensive list of supported devices continues to grow — now including racing wheels, up to 90 fps on the Steam Deck, 4K at 120Hz on supported LG TVs, and more.
- NVIDIA, Discord, and Epic are partnering to enable an integrated experience for Fortnite players to invite friends directly in Discord via a limited-time trial of a GeForce NOW Performance experience, transforming new game discovery and social gaming.
And lastly, we have the pricing. NVIDIA's GeForce Now with the upgraded Blackwell architecture will be available at the same price as the existing packages, with the "Ultimate" option starting at $19.99 US, and the "Performance" option starting at $9.99 per month.
The Persistent Cloud Storage Add-ons will be priced at $2.99 for 200 GB, $4.99 for 500 GB, and $7.99 for 1 TB. NVIDIA Blackwell RTX on GeForce Now will roll out in September this year, along with its full launch. You can reserve a spot for early access to RTX 5080-class servers here.
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