NVIDIA brings Blackwell to the cloud, announces GeForce Now’s biggest upgrade yet at Gamescom 2025

NVIDIA used its Gamescom 2025 spotlight to unveil what it’s calling the biggest upgrade in GeForce Now’s history, powered by the new Blackwell architecture and a host of new features aimed at making cloud gaming feel indistinguishable from playing on a high-end local PC. Alongside the GeForce Now overhaul, the company detailed upcoming RTX-powered games, updates to its RTX Remix modding platform, enhancements to its AI-powered ACE and G-Assist tools, and improvements to the NVIDIA app.

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RTX 5080 performance comes to the cloud

The most significant reveal is the arrival of the RTX 5080 GPU to GeForce Now’s Ultimate tier. NVIDIA claims the new Blackwell-based hardware delivers up to 2.8 times the performance of current RTX 4080-powered SuperPods. These upgraded servers integrate AMD Ryzen processors running at 4.4 GHz with eight cores and sixteen threads, double the system memory of the outgoing platform, and improved networking through NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNICs and RiverMax technology. The RTX 5080 configuration offers 48 GB of VRAM and 56 TFLOPS of compute power, doubling the tensor core count of the RTX 4080 version. This combination enables streaming at up to 5K resolution and 120 frames per second, with reflex mode pushing to 360 Hz at 1080p and 240 Hz at 1440p.

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Cinematic quality streaming and lower latency

To address one of the most common requests from GeForce Now users, NVIDIA is introducing Cinematic Quality Streaming, or CQS. This new mode enhances image quality through YUV444 chroma for sharper text and improved colour precision, AV1 improvements with Reference Picture Resampling for smoother resolution shifts, and an AI-powered video filter designed to produce cleaner motion with reduced noise and fewer artefacts. In titles such as Black Myth: Wukong, CQS delivers visibly sharper foliage and environmental details, making the visual output much closer to that of a high-end local PC.

Latency has also been reduced through a combination of hardware and industry-wide changes. RiverMax hardware packet pacing now allows direct data transfers to and from the GPU, while support for Low Latency, Low Loss Scalable throughput (L4S) is being rolled out by ISPs and mobile operators, including deployments over DOCSIS and 5G networks. New Reflex modes enable refresh rates of 1080p at 360 Hz and 1440p at 240 Hz, allowing NVIDIA to claim total system latency in Overwatch 2 as low as 30 milliseconds — faster than a PlayStation 5 Pro running at 120 frames per second.

Wider device support and new accessories

The RTX 5080 upgrade is not confined to desktop-class streaming. A new 90 fps mode is coming to the Steam Deck’s native GeForce Now app, matching its display refresh rate. Lenovo’s upcoming Legion Go S handheld will stream at 120 Hz in handheld mode and deliver 4K 120 Hz output when docked to a TV. NVIDIA is also enabling 4K 120 Hz streaming to 2025 and 2026 LG TVs without any external devices, and 5K 120 Hz streaming to LG’s latest monitors. In the peripheral space, Logitech racing wheels will now have full haptic feedback support in compatible racing titles, enhancing immersion for simulation fans.

Install to Play doubles Steam library access

GeForce Now’s new “Install to Play” feature will effectively double the number of Steam games available on the service. Once a publisher opts in a title for cloud gaming, Ultimate members will be able to instantly install and stream it from GeForce Now’s servers, similar to how they would on a local machine. Each Ultimate membership will include 100 GB of session-based cloud storage for this feature, with options to purchase persistent storage in capacities of 200 GB, 500 GB, or 1 TB.

Game integrations with Discord and Epic

A new integration between Discord, Epic, and NVIDIA will allow players to join friends in Fortnite directly from Discord without downloading or installing the game locally, creating an account, or even logging into GeForce Now for trial sessions. The game will stream at up to 1440p at 60 frames per second, significantly reducing the friction involved in joining a multiplayer session.

Day-zero AAA releases

NVIDIA confirmed that several major upcoming titles, including Borderlands 4, Dying Light: The Beast, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, will be available on GeForce Now at launch. Around twenty games will be optimised for RTX 5080 hardware when the upgrade begins rolling out in September, with more being added on a weekly basis.

RTX-powered games and DLSS 4 adoption

Beyond its cloud gaming service, NVIDIA is bringing RTX technology to a wide range of upcoming releases. Over ten new titles with ray tracing or DLSS 4 will be highlighted at Gamescom, including Cinder City, Phantom Blade Zero, Pragmata, Resident Evil: Requiem, and Borderlands 4. DLSS 4 adoption has risen sharply, now implemented in 175 games and applications, with 90 percent of RTX 50-series gamers choosing to enable it.

In Borderlands 4, DLSS 4 can boost frame rates by up to six times compared to native rendering, while enhancing the franchise’s signature comic-book visual style. NVIDIA is also bundling the game and a Gilded Glory item pack with qualifying RTX 5070 or higher desktop and laptop GPUs purchased before 22 September. Another showcase is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which will be the first title to feature RTX Hair, a Blackwell-exclusive rendering technology using linear swept spheres to produce more realistic lighting and shadowing for hair strands.

RTX Remix expands modding possibilities

The RTX Remix modding platform now supports a new particle system, allowing creators to add path-traced particles that realistically interact with lighting, reflections, and geometry in supported titles. Modder contributions have also expanded the list of compatible games to over 165, with recent additions including Bioshock, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Doom 3.

NVIDIA will announce the winners of its recent Remix mod contest at Gamescom. Entries such as Painkiller, Call of Duty, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, and iNinja Remixed stood out for their extensive use of RTX technologies and creative enhancements.

ACE and AI-driven gameplay

NVIDIA’s ACE technology, which enables AI-powered non-player characters and in-game assistants, will debut in The Oversight Bureau, a voice-driven puzzle game from Iconic Interactive. The game uses on-device ACE models to interpret player speech and select from pre-recorded dialogue lines, creating natural-sounding interactions without the need for an internet connection.

G-Assist and NVIDIA app updates

G-Assist, NVIDIA’s AI assistant for gamers and creators, is receiving a major update on 19 August. The new version uses 40 percent less VRAM, bringing support to all RTX GPUs with six gigabytes or more, and introduces a more intelligent tool-calling system. Through a new partnership with mod.io, users can browse, download, and install G-Assist plugins directly within the NVIDIA app. Laptop-specific commands for features such as Battery Boost will be added in September.

The NVIDIA app itself is also being improved. A global DLSS Override toggle will let users apply their preferred settings across all supported games without having to configure each one individually. The in-game overlay will now display active DLSS Override settings, and Smooth Motion support is being extended to RTX 40-series GPUs for titles that do not support DLSS frame generation.

Availability

The RTX 5080 upgrade for GeForce Now will start rolling out in September, with no change to Ultimate membership pricing. NVIDIA plans to expand the list of optimised games, supported devices, and available features through the final quarter of 2025.

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Mithun Mohandas

Mithun Mohandas is an Indian technology journalist with 14 years of experience covering consumer technology. He is currently employed at Digit in the capacity of a Managing Editor. Mithun has a background in Computer Engineering and was an active member of the IEEE during his college days. He has a penchant for digging deep into unravelling what makes a device tick. If there's a transistor in it, Mithun's probably going to rip it apart till he finds it. At Digit, he covers processors, graphics cards, storage media, displays and networking devices aside from anything developer related. As an avid PC gamer, he prefers RTS and FPS titles, and can be quite competitive in a race to the finish line. He only gets consoles for the exclusives. He can be seen playing Valorant, World of Tanks, HITMAN and the occasional Age of Empires or being the voice behind hundreds of Digit videos. View Full Profile