[Update: Maybe not] Nvidia GeForce Now appears to be live and playable on Chromebooks

Damien Wilde | Jun 4 2020 - 1:50 am PT

After officially launching earlier this year on Android devices and desktop, the Nvidia GeForce Now appears to be available and fully playable on Chromebooks.

The game streaming service offers a similar experience to that of Google’s own Stadia. But rather than having its own game library, GeForce Now relies on other services like Steam, the Epic Games Store, and more so that you can play your favorite games.

[Update 06/04]: It looks as though the Android app that could be download and ran on Chromebooks has now been removed from the Play Store (via ChromeUnboxed). Attempting to search for the app will now throw up the “NVIDIA GeForce Now by NVIDIA isn’t available on Google play on this device.”

This is not great news for those that might not have grabbed the file already, however, the guys over at ChromeUnboxed note that sideloading is still an alternative — provided you have an ARM-powered Chromebook.

We still believe that NVIDIA is intent on bringing a dedicated web player to Chromebooks later this year, but with publishers pulling games from the game-streaming service, then subsequently changing terms recently, it’s still a little “up in the air.” If you are intent on gaming on your Chromebook, you might want to stick with Google Stadia for the foreseeable.

Update: To note, as per more reports, this only appears to be working on ARM-powered Chromebooks, which points towards this being a happy accident with the Android app. We are still expecting “proper” support for Chromebooks and more Android TV hardware in the coming months. However, if you do have an ARM-powered Chromebook, then you should be able to enjoy gaming on the go right now.

Nvidia had previously confirmed that it was bringing a web client for GeForce Now that’s specifically designed using WebRTC to allow Chromebooks to game without a dedicated app. While the firm didn’t explicitly confirm when the service would be coming to more hardware, one eagle-eyed fan over on Reddit has confirmed that it is now playable on their Chrome OS-powered laptop.

We’ve not be able to confirm if this is widely rolling out though, as I’m unable to get GeForce Now on my modest HP Chromebook 14. Some other commenters are also not seeing the option on their devices, either.

While the service has had some recent controversy with publishers pulling their games, if you have already heavily invested into a Steam library for instance, then being able to take at least a portion of your game library on the go is a massive draw. Especially as most Chromebooks lack the inherent grunt to play even modest 3-D videogames.

The game-streaming wars are steadily starting to take shape, with Nvidia GeForce Now being another welcome inclusion for Chromebook owners, we’re sure. If you have seen the option on your Chromebook, be sure to let us know down in the comments section below.