GeForce NOW has a native app for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad, LG and Samsung TVs, Fire TV, SHIELD TV, gaming handhelds and headsets, and where there’s no app, you still have the browser. Because NVIDIA’s server does all the heavy lifting, the requirements for your device are ridiculously low – GeForce NOW on Mac will run even on a fifteen-year-old machine. What matters more is your connection and whether you have a gamepad.
Where GeForce NOW runs
| Device | App or browser | Controls | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | both | keyboard and mouse, gamepad, racing wheel, HOTAS | 64-bit Windows 10 or newer, the 32-bit version doesn’t work |
| Mac | both | keyboard and mouse, gamepad | macOS 10.15 or newer, any Mac from 2009 or later |
| Linux | app (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) | keyboard and mouse, gamepad | GPU must be able to decode H.264 or H.265 via Vulkan |
| Chromebook | browser | keyboard and mouse, gamepad | at least 4 GB of memory, Chrome 77 or newer |
| Android phone and tablet | app | gamepad | Android 7.0 or newer, 1 GB of free memory, OpenGL ES 2.0 |
| iPhone and iPad | app | gamepad, no other way | iOS and iPadOS 15.4 or newer |
| Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Legion Go, MSI Claw | downloadable app | built-in handheld controls | 1440p and 90 or 120 FPS only with Ultimate |
| Razer Edge, Logitech G Cloud | preinstalled app | built-in handheld controls | same as above |
| LG and Samsung smart TVs from 2020 to 2025 | app | gamepad required | 4K only with Ultimate, latest webOS firmware on LG |
| Android TV and Chromecast | app | gamepad required | Android 7.0 or newer, OpenGL ES 2.0 |
| Fire TV Stick 4K, 4K Plus and 4K Max | app | gamepad required, the Amazon Luna controller works too | NVIDIA names specific models and Fire OS versions |
| NVIDIA SHIELD TV | app | gamepad required | 4K and HDR only with Ultimate |
| Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest 2, Pro, 3 and 3S, Pico 4 and 4 Ultra | app | gamepad | only as a 2D screen, not as a VR game |
The list matches NVIDIA’s system requirements page as of 11 September 2026.
Computers: Mac, Chromebook, Windows and Linux
Even a fifteen-year-old Mac can handle it
For Mac, NVIDIA lists macOS 10.15 or newer and any Mac released in 2009 or later. That’s the clearest proof of how little the cloud asks of the client computer – the machine just decodes video and sends your inputs back. Both a native app and browser play are available. One note straight from NVIDIA: the Magic Mouse has no separate buttons or scroll wheel, so it isn’t suited to most games; connect a regular mouse or a gamepad instead.
Chromebooks have their own, lower requirements
On a Chromebook you play in the browser – Chrome 77 or newer and at least 4 GB of memory are enough. The connection requirements are milder here than on a full computer: 15 Mbps for 720p at 60 FPS, 25 Mbps for 1080p at 60 FPS and 35 Mbps for 2560 × 1600 at 120 FPS. And 1600p at 120 FPS is reserved for the Ultimate membership.
Windows and Linux
On Windows, NVIDIA wants 64-bit Windows 10 or newer, a dual-core 2 GHz processor, 4 GB of memory and a DirectX 11 graphics card, and newly, still in beta, Qualcomm Snapdragon X Arm processors too. Higher resolutions, RTX, HDR, Cloud G-SYNC and frame rates above 60 FPS require a paid membership, though – what exactly each tier includes is compared in our overview of GeForce NOW plans and prices.
Linux has a native app for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, with the Xorg windowing system and driver 580.126.07 or later on NVIDIA graphics, and with Wayland on Intel and AMD. The requirement is H.264 or H.265 decoding via Vulkan, which GeForce 10 series cards and newer meet.
If you can’t install the app, there’s the browser
You can also stream from play.geforcenow.com. NVIDIA names Chrome 77 on Windows, macOS and Chromebook, Edge 91 and Firefox 153.0.1 on Windows only, Opera GX 117 on Windows and macOS, and Safari 16.4 on macOS – always the listed version or newer. QHD and 120 FPS in the browser are exclusive to Ultimate members.
Steam Deck and other handhelds
You can download the app on Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw. Razer Edge and Logitech G Cloud come with it preinstalled. The connection needs 15, 25 or 35 Mbps depending on resolution, and 1440p at 90 or 120 frames is reserved for the Ultimate membership. On a handheld, the cloud has one advantage it doesn’t have elsewhere: it doesn’t drain the battery with rendering. Without a signal, though, it’s just a screen.
Phones and tablets
On Android, version 7.0 or newer, 1 GB of free memory and OpenGL ES 2.0 are enough. On iPhone and iPad, NVIDIA wants iOS or iPadOS 15.4 or newer and adds an important condition: you need a gamepad to play. On iOS, keyboard and mouse only work for navigating menus and entering your username and password. The connection table is also shorter here than elsewhere; NVIDIA only lists 15 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for Full HD at 60 FPS. On mobile data, NVIDIA itself warns that cloud gaming can burn through your data plan quickly.
TVs and set-top boxes
The app is available on LG and Samsung TVs from 2020 to 2025, on LG with the latest webOS firmware and an updated TV browser. It’s also on Android TV and Chromecast with Android 7.0 or newer, on SHIELD TV and on the listed Fire TV Stick models. On a TV there’s a hard rule: you can’t play without a gamepad. Keyboard and mouse only let you navigate the app. The details are covered in our article GeForce NOW on TV.
Headsets stream in 2D cinema mode, not VR
GeForce NOW runs on Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest 2, Pro, 3 and 3S and on Pico 4 and 4 Ultra, but NVIDIA describes it as a 2D cinema mode – the game is projected onto a virtual screen, you don’t play it in VR. The headset controllers only control the app and don’t act as a gamepad during the stream, so you need a gamepad here too. On top of that, the DualShock 4 doesn’t work on Pico 4.
Controllers, racing wheels and HOTAS
Across platforms, NVIDIA lists the recommended GeForce NOW gamepad, Microsoft Xbox controllers and Sony PS5 DualSense and DualShock 4, plus MFi Bluetooth controllers on iOS. Logitech racing wheels and Thrustmaster and Logitech HOTAS setups only work on Windows and Mac. If the picture stutters when you play with a mouse, NVIDIA has specific advice: lower the mouse polling rate to 125 Hz. More settings are summed up in our piece on the best GeForce NOW settings.
Latency under 80 ms matters more than the device
NVIDIA requires less than 80 ms of network latency between your device and its data center and recommends a cable or at least a router with 5 GHz Wi-Fi. It’s a requirement, not a recommendation, and no device on the list above gets around it: you can’t play on even the best TV over congested 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
You can check this for free. The app has a built-in network test that measures throughput, packet loss, jitter and latency to NVIDIA’s server, and you can run it even with a free membership. NVIDIA explicitly advises against measuring your connection with regular speed tests, because they don’t measure latency to its servers. How much bandwidth each resolution needs is covered in our piece on what internet GeForce NOW needs.
When the device isn’t the problem
When the stream won’t run, the network is usually to blame, not the hardware – you can work through it with our article GeForce NOW not working, and if you still can’t get under 80 ms after the test, Boosteroid, with servers right in the Czech Republic, is worth a try. The second common trap is that everything works on your device, but the game simply isn’t in the catalog; how to check that in advance is shown in our overview of which games run on GeForce NOW. Games outside the main catalog are handled by Install-to-Play, and what you’re actually subscribing to is explained in what GeForce NOW is and how it works.
FAQ
Yes, and the requirements are low: macOS 10.15 or newer and any Mac from 2009 or later. You can use the native app or play in the browser via Safari 16.4 or newer or Opera GX 117 or newer. NVIDIA recommends not using the Magic Mouse, since it lacks separate buttons and a scroll wheel.
Yes. You can download the app on Steam Deck as well as on ROG Ally, Legion Go and MSI Claw. 1440p resolution and 90 or 120 FPS are reserved for the Ultimate membership. The connection needs 15 to 35 Mbps depending on settings and must stay under 80 ms of latency.
Yes. NVIDIA says it directly: on iPhone and iPad, games are played with a gamepad. Keyboard and mouse there are only for navigating menus and entering login details. The minimum system is iOS or iPadOS 15.4. You can’t play without a gamepad on TVs either.
Not the way you’d expect. On Vision Pro, Quest and Pico headsets it runs in 2D cinema mode, meaning as a picture on a virtual screen. The game isn’t played in VR, and the headset controllers don’t replace a gamepad during the stream.
NVIDIA keeps changing the list of supported devices and system versions, so check it directly with NVIDIA before buying a TV or handheld. More articles on cloud gaming are in the cloud gaming section on Gamers Together. Information verified as of 11 September 2026.