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GeForce NOW for Mac

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 2.0.45
  • 3.3

    (105)
  • Security Status

Softonic review

Cloud gaming streaming service

Playing games on a Mac device has always been difficult, with PC games often not supporting macOS. Those that can, need a decent GPU to run smoothly. Luckily, cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now are now available, changing the gaming landscape for Mac users. This game utility software allows users to access a wide selection of games through developers and platforms. With this, users can now enjoy some of the most demanding games without much difficulty.

What is GeForce Now?

GeForce Now considers itself a cloud-based streaming app, however, its approach is a little different from other competitors such as Google Stadia and Playstation Now. Unlike those two, it does not actually sell you any games. Instead, it sells you the service, meaning you need to bring your games from other game stores to it, and manage and play them here.

Using the service also means that the ownership of the game is entirely separate from the app. You can buy a game from various game storefronts such as Steam and the Epic Store, and play it on GeForce Now. Take note that the two are not linked or dependent on each other. The approach may be counter-intuitive. However, it side-steps the library problem that plagued other services like Google’s Stadia.

After creating an account, you will be able to download and install the program immediately. Do note that it cannot automatically scan for compatible games that you own. You will have to search for these games and add them manually. Another thing is that you will need to login to both GeForce Now and the storefront that you have the game on. It's a minor inconvenience but a necessary step to ensure that everything works as it should.

Is GeForce Now any good?

GeForce Now gives you a smooth gaming experience, even on a connection that is not ideal. However, unlike Shadow or Stadia, it only promises 1080p resolution at 60 fps. Nvidia’s competitors offer higher resolutions and framerates for its services. It's a slight letdown but Nvidia makes up for this by providing a rather impressive and consistent gaming performance, to the point that it's even comparable to machines running actual graphics cards at times.

The same cannot be said for image quality though, even with a superior Internet connection. Image quality often appears muddled compared to 1080p rendered on a dedicated GPU. More, macro blocking is often visible when playing games that liberally uses light shafts or bloom. The service also fails miserably at image scaling. If you play your game on a 1440p monitor, you will notice that the graphics are lackluster. The outputs are often blurry, blocky, and muddled. 

Finally, users must remember that all cloud gaming services require a lot of bandwidth. For GeForce Now, you need to have at least 15Mbps for 720p60 or 30Mbps for 1080p60. Sticking to Ethernet is recommended for best speeds and reliability. The app can also consume up to 10 GB of data per hour. You will need to have an unrestricted Gigabit connection to enjoy hours of smooth and uninterrupted gaming.

Verdict

In summary, GeForce Now is a solid option for Mac users who wants to play games on their device that they could not before. The app looks identical to the PC version, so there wouldn’t be that many adjustments if you've used both. The look and feel are not in line with modern Mac apps, but at least the games you want to play works without issue.

PROS

  • Simple setup
  • Supports various game storefronts
  • Low input latency
  • Smooth gameplay even on low-spec computers

CONS

  • Image quality is so-so
  • Data hog
  • Poor image scaling
  • Resolution is limited to 1080p

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


GeForce NOW for Mac

  • Free

  • In English
  • V 2.0.45
  • 3.3

    (105)
  • Security Status


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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.