OpenNOW

OpenNOW

An open-source desktop client for GeForce NOW.

Downloads · Features · Architecture · Build from source · Contribute

Desktop Home, from the OpenNOW Paper design.

OpenNOW is a community-built GeForce NOW client. The desktop app uses Qt Quick for the interface and Rust for account services and streaming. Use a keyboard and mouse, or switch to the console layout for a controller. Both layouts run in the same app.

[!NOTE] OpenNOW 1.0.0 rebuilds the desktop client with Qt Quick and a native Rust streaming engine. It replaces the retired Electron app. See the announcement post for a first look at the new UI.

[!IMPORTANT] You need your own GeForce NOW account. Your subscription, region, and hardware determine which games and stream settings you can use. OpenNOW is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NVIDIA. NVIDIA and GeForce NOW are trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation.

[!WARNING] The Qt app is still under development. Expect bugs, including platform-specific streaming and GPU issues. It has no Chromium/WebRTC fallback. Publishing a build does not mean it has passed every check in the acceptance checklist.

Get OpenNOW

Look for packages starting with OpenNOW-Qt- in GitHub Releases. Older releases may contain the retired Electron app, so check the release notes before downloading. If there’s no published Qt nightly, sign in to GitHub and download the artifacts from a successful qt-ci run on dev.

Platform	Qt package	How to run it
Windows x64 / ARM64	-setup.exe, portable .zip	Run setup.exe, or extract the entire ZIP and run bin/OpenNOW.exe. MSI installers are no longer published; if you installed OpenNOW from an .msi, run setup.exe once to replace it.
Linux x64 / ARM64	.AppImage, recommended	Make the file executable, then launch it.
Linux x64 / ARM64	.deb	Your distribution must provide Qt 6.8+ and SDL3. Use the AppImage on stock Ubuntu 24.04.
macOS Apple Silicon / Intel x64, macOS 13+	.dmg, nightlies	Choose the arm64 package for Apple Silicon or x64 for Intel, when available in the release. Open the DMG and drag OpenNOW into Applications.

Nightly platform packages are unsigned. Windows may show an unknown-publisher warning. The macOS app is not notarized; if Gatekeeper blocks it, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway when offered. Do not disable Gatekeeper globally. Published update-enabled nightlies use signed update manifests. Older builds without a pinned signing key need one manual upgrade. Checksums alone detect corrupted downloads; they do not verify who published a package.

The nightly guide covers these packages. The signed candidate workflow builds Windows, Linux, and macOS on x64 and ARM64; see the release-candidate guide. The separate OpenNOW-Mac project is also available.

Steam Deck

The OpenNOW plugin for Decky Loader runs OpenNOW from Game Mode. It installs the OpenNOW Flatpak (stable or nightly), adds GeForce NOW games to your Steam library with their artwork, and puts a Play on OpenNOW button on supported Steam games. Install it from Decky’s Developer → Install Plugin from URL with https://github.com/OpenCloudGaming/OpenNOW/releases/download/decky-v0.1.1/OpenNOW.zip. The plugin guide walks through installing Decky Loader and the plugin.

Other platforms

These projects are separate from the Qt desktop app.

• Try the iOS beta through TestFlight. The SwiftUI prototype is on the kief5555/ios branch.
• Get the Android app from Google Play.
• Get OpenNOW-Switch for a modded Nintendo Switch. It runs as native Horizon OS homebrew.

Inside the client

These images come from the OpenNOW Paper design. The boards follow the current Qt layouts, but they aren’t app screenshots. The games, account details, and statistics are sample content, not proof of game availability or performance.

Desktop library

Controller-first console layout

You can:

• Browse the catalog, save favorites, and organize your library into collections.
• Set the resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and codec your account and device support.
• Open stream menus and statistics without leaving the video.
• Take screenshots and record the source stream to Matroska files. Find both in Media.
• Export a diagnostic report through Settings → About → Copy diagnostics when something breaks.

The Qt app guide lists hardware requirements, experimental features, and platform limitations.

How it works

Qt draws the interface and handles windows, navigation, focus, and overlays. The Rust core runs in a separate process. It manages accounts, settings, and catalog requests, then prepares the session. Qt talks to it over a versioned JSON protocol.

The native Rust streamer handles NVST transport, decoding, audio, gameplay input, and recording. Qt loads it in the desktop process through a versioned C ABI. Video stays on the GPU, and Qt draws menus over it in the same window. The app doesn’t embed a browser or open a separate video window. The streamer guide explains the graphics backends and how Qt uses them.

Build from source

Use main for the release source or dev for ongoing development. Before building, install:

• Qt 6.8+ with Quick, Multimedia, and ShaderTools.
• CMake 3.24+ and a C++20 toolchain.
• SDL3, Cargo, and the media dependencies for your platform.

Linux also needs pkg-config, libwayland-dev, and wayland-protocols, even for X11 builds. Check the build guide for platform-specific details.

git clone --branch main https://github.com/OpenCloudGaming/OpenNOW.git
cd OpenNOW
cmake -S opennow-qt -B build/opennow-qt -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
cmake --build build/opennow-qt
ctest --test-dir build/opennow-qt --output-on-failure

You don’t need Node.js or npm to build or run the desktop app. The repository uses JavaScript for tools such as the localization checker.

Testing login and gameplay requires a GeForce NOW account. Without one, you can run the smoke tests, screenshot fixtures, and performance checks in the Qt app guide and acceptance runbook.

Documentation

Start at opennow.zortos.me for setup and configuration help.

For players	For contributors
Getting started	Development guide
Configuration	Qt application
Native streamer	Protocol, release, and acceptance docs

Repository map

opennow-qt/               Qt Quick desktop app, C++ integration, and Qt tests
native/opennow-core/      Rust accounts, settings, catalog, and session services
native/opennow-streamer/  Native NVST transport, media, input, and Qt FFI
locales/                 English source and Crowdin-managed translations
docs/                    Architecture, protocols, acceptance, and release guides
scripts/                 Repository-only localization tooling
.github/                 CI workflows and contributor guidance

Contributing

For code changes, read the contributing guide and repository guidance. Keep pull requests focused on one change. For translations, edit only locales/en.json. Crowdin manages the other locale files.

Found a bug? Open a GitHub issue with your build, OS, GPU, and steps to reproduce it. For streaming bugs, include a diagnostic export. Check attachments for personal information before posting them. You can also ask for help on Discord.

Sponsors

Blacksmith sponsors OpenNOW’s CI.

Star history

License

OpenNOW uses the MIT License.