Nvidia showcases GeForce Now servers in India, full launch of cloud gaming service expected soon

Following months of wait and shifting timelines, Nvidia has shared fresh details on the debut of its cloud gaming service, GeForce Now, in India, signalling that the service will be rolled out in open beta ahead of a broader launch in the coming days. GeForce Now in India will be powered by Nvidia’s RTX 5080 Super Pods built on the latest Blackwell architecture, allowing users to play demanding games on almost any device by streaming them from the cloud. According to Nvidia, GeForce Now rests on three key pillars: partnerships with publishers to support thousands of games, deploying GeForce technologies on the cloud rather than relying on local hardware, and enabling users to turn virtually any device into a GeForce RTX-powered gaming rig. The US chip giant said that the service will provide access to more than 4,000 games, including ready-to-play titles and a new install-to-play feature that essentially lets users install certain games directly from the cloud. While users can sign up for a free GeForce Now account, most premium features are reserved for paid subscriptions. Nvidia has not yet announced the exact launch date of its service in India or details of its subscription pricing. The announcement that Nvidia’s low latency cloud gaming service is coming to India was first made at CES 2025, with a rollout expected in November last year. However, the launch was pushed to the first quarter of 2026 due to the setting up of dedicated GeForce RTX servers in India, as per reports. “India is a very important market for us and has been for quite some time. But I know that there seem to be certain entry barriers to PC gaming in India. The cost of PC gaming is high, but it’s a country that has a lot of growth potential in the PC gaming market. So, by launching a service like GeForce Now, we are looking to broaden access and make it easier for people to give PC gaming a try,” John Gillooly, senior technical marketing manager, APAC South, Nvidia, told The Indian Express. Gillooly was speaking on the sidelines of an exclusive media preview of the cloud gaming service held in Mumbai on Friday, February 6, to showcase GeForce Now’s high frame rate and low latency streaming. “The open beta will be tailored to the Indian market. It’s not just something we are copying and pasting from other countries. We will share more details about our Indian offering, hopefully, in the near future,” he added. The upcoming launch of GeForce Now in India also comes amid a deepening global shortage of memory chips caused by the AI boom. The Information reported last week that Nvidia has delayed its plans to launch a new gaming graphics card for the first time in over 30 years. However, Gillooly declined to comment on the report as well as the potential impact of the memory chip shortage on the gaming industry. Stating that it was the best time to launch GeForce Now in India, Pawan Awasthi, Consumer Marketing head at Nvidia, said, “While growth in the broader consumer PC market has remained muted, the gaming PC segment has seen encouraging growth over the past few years in India and globally. Industry data from Steam also shows a sharp increase in its user base in India, alongside improvements in network infrastructure, including average download speeds of around 50 Mbps.” These trends make it an opportune time to launch GeForce Now, enabling 4K, 60fps cloud gaming experiences, Awasthi added. Nvidia claimed that its Blackwell-RTX on GeForce Now delivers cinematic quality streaming (CQS) with optimised latency for sharper and more defined details. The CQS feature is optional and can be enabled in settings. The cloud gaming provider optimises for click-to-play latency, which is the delay between clicking a mouse button or key and the action registering on the screen, by placing servers next to fast internet connections to minimise the amount of time it takes to get on the internet. It also relies on its own technologies such as Nvidia Reflex and Nvidia Rivermax for packet pacing in order to avoid choppy gameplay, as well as on-device tech such as Cloud G-Sync and 360 fps streaming for compatible hardware. Nvidia further said it works with internet service providers (ISPs) to optimise packet transport and ensure traffic is prioritised, but added that it has currently not partnered with any ISPs in India for this purpose. GeForce Now is supported on a wide range of devices, including Fire TV sticks, Steam decks, racing wheels, flight controls, native Linux client systems, and virtual reality (VR) headsets, although VR usage is currently limited to a virtual screen rather than native VR gameplay. ## Cloud gaming in India Nvidia’s GeForce Now launch comes days after Microsoft announced that it is expanding its Xbox cloud gaming service to India. It allows any player with a compatible Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, a high-speed internet connection, and an Xbox Game Pass subscription to play titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Detective Dotson, via the cloud gaming service. Monthly plans for Xbox Game Pass start at Rs 499. However, GeForce Now has a different model and can be used to connect to a user’s Steam, Epic or Battle.net account so that they can play games purchased on those third-party platforms. Since these games are streamed to their devices over the internet, players need to be near a data centre as minimising latency is critical, and routing traffic through international data centres can cause lag during fast-paced gameplay. Nvidia confirmed that its servers powering GeForce Now are located in Mumbai. Asked about capacity and technical specifics of the local infrastructure, Gillooly refused to share details. “We do everything we can to minimise latency,” he said. The tech giant reportedly has 30 data centres for providing access to GeForce Now in over 110 countries. India’s total data centre capacity is projected to surpass 2 GW by 2026. It is projected to exceed 8 GW in the next five years, driven by capital investments estimated at over $30 billion, as per various estimates. The Union Budget 2026-27 proposed a tax holiday until 2047 for any foreign company looking to set up and use data centres operations in India, provided they meet specified conditions. Karan Mahadik is a Tech Correspondent for The Indian Express based in Delhi-NCR, specializing in the intersection of technology and public policy. With a focus on how digital infrastructure shapes governance and society, he is a key voice in the publication's coverage of the rapidly evolving tech regulation landscape. Experience & Career Karan brings a robust background in digital journalism to his role at The Indian Express. Before joining the organization, he honed his skills at MediaNama, a premier source for tech policy news in India, and The Quint. This trajectory has equipped him with a deep understanding of both the business of technology and the regulatory frameworks that govern it. Expertise & Focus Areas Karan’s reporting moves beyond product cycles to investigate the broader implications of technology. His work is defined by: Tech Policy & Regulation: In-depth coverage of legal frameworks, government directives (such as SIM-binding mandates), and internet governance. Artificial Intelligence: He authors The Smart Prompt, a weekly newsletter dedicated to demystifying AI developments and their impact on industries and individuals. Privacy & Security: Reporting on digital rights, data protection (DPDP rules), and platform accountability. Complex Analysis: Known for his ability to translate dense policy documents and technical shifts into clear, accessible narratives for a general audience. Authoritativeness & Trust Karan is recognized for his rigorous approach to sourcing and his commitment to digital privacy, evidenced by his accessibility via secure channels like Signal. His work is frequently cited for its detailed examination of regulatory overreach and corporate accountability. By anchoring his reporting in verified data and expert commentary, he provides readers with a reliable compass for navigating the "wild west" of modern technology. Find all stories by Karan Mahadik here ... Read More