Nvidia just dropped the GeForce Now app for Steam Deck, and I've had the chance to play around with it before release. Quite simply, this is a game changer for the Steam Deck, with games that previously haven't run well on the aging handheld now looking super sharp.
While the best gaming handheld for most gamers, its aging hardware has seen it struggle with some of the latest triple-A releases, such as Doom The Dark Ages, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Now, thanks to Nvidia's native GeForce Now app, these games are fully playable with great performance.
GeForce Now has been available on the Steam Deck via a direct link for some time. Previously, you would a script that essentially just created a shortcut in Steam to the GeForce Now website in Google Chrome.
Now, this native app includes a much more straightforward approach, and it's built specifically for the Steam Deck, meaning it runs much smoother in handheld and docked modes, while ing resolutions up to 1440p at 120Hz, or 4K at 60Hz, when connected to an external monitor or TV, respectively.
As more games start to struggle with native performance on the handheld, recent examples being Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and Doom the Dark Ages, each of these games can be streamed via GeForce Now, and they all worked great in my testing. This results in much better performance, provided you have a strong and stable broadband connection.
Running Clair Obscur Expedition 33 at the Epic graphical preset via GeForce Now results in a smooth 60fps, with the game and streamed frame rate being incredibly stable during my testing. Likewise, Oblivion Remastered also runs at 60fps at its highest graphical preset, and the image quality is a vast improvement over what is possible natively on the handheld.
In the case of both of these games, this frame rate would either not be possible or only possible by making huge graphical compromises, such as aggressive FSR upscaling. Better still, I found that there is very little latency when streaming these games to the Steam Deck, with the only obvious moments occurring when my connection was flagging as interrupted.
I've enjoyed using GeForce Now for a few years now, with it even being installed on my Samsung TV, so I'm familiar with the service, but I am extremely happy to see this native app finally land on the Steam Deck. I'll note that for my testing, I am using a GeForce Now with an Ultimate subscription.
An added benefit to using GeForce Now is that it's far less draining on your Steam Deck's battery than running games natively. Nvidia claims that you'll save up to 50% of your battery life versus native gaming, but in my testing, it may have been somewhat conservative, with the battery lasting around 65% longer if assuming two and a half hours of life when gaming natively on a Steam Deck OLED.
While it may seem daunting to have to sign up for yet another service, all in the name of playing graphically demanding games on a device on which they often aren't intended to run, GeForce Now also comes with a free tier that includes ads.
If you want to make the most of the service, including gaining access to longer sessions, lower wait times, and better performance, then you will have to pay for Nvidia's Performance or Ultimate tiers.
If you want to find the best Steam Deck games that run natively on the handheld, you can read our guide where we've selected 30 must-play games.
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