OpenNOW README

The project's README from github.com/OpenCloudGaming/OpenNOW. As one markdown file: README.md.

OpenNOW cloud logo

OpenNOW

An open-source desktop client for GeForce NOW.

Download desktop builds Download Android Build Read the documentation Join Discord

Total GitHub release downloads GitHub stars

Downloads · Features · Architecture · Build from source · Contribute

Paper design preview of current OpenNOW Home, with a compact sidebar, full-width continue-playing card, and favourites.

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 .msi, portable .zip Install the MSI, or extract the entire ZIP and run bin/OpenNOW.exe.
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, macOS 13+ .dmg, nightlies Open the DMG and drag OpenNOW into Applications. Intel Macs are not included.

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 1.0.0 candidate workflow currently builds Windows and Linux only; see the release-candidate guide. The separate OpenNOW-Mac project is also available.

Other platforms

These projects are separate from the Qt desktop app.

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

Paper design preview of the current desktop Library, showing the compact sidebar, collection controls, store filters, and larger game covers.

Controller-first console layout

Paper design preview of console Home, showing a controller-focused game grid, navigation dock, and button prompts.

You can:

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:

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

Star History Chart

License

OpenNOW uses the MIT License.

OpenNOW (OpenCloudGaming/OpenNOW)

cpp
Searching Database…

3.5K ·GitHub
OpenNOW
What is this?OpenNOW is a community-built, open-source desktop client for GeForce NOW cloud gaming. It uses Qt Quick for the interface and a native Rust engine for account services and streaming.
Is this a native app or does it just embed a browser to stream games?It's a fully native desktop app: Qt draws the UI while a separate Rust process handles the NVST streaming transport, decoding, and input. There's no embedded browser and no Chromium/WebRTC fallback.
How do I install OpenNOW?Grab the OpenNOW-Qt build for your OS from GitHub Releases: install the .msi or run the portable .zip on Windows, use the AppImage (recommended) or .deb on Linux, or drag the app out of the .dmg into Applications on macOS.
Do I need a GeForce NOW subscription to use it?Yes — you need your own GeForce NOW account, and your subscription, region, and hardware determine which games and stream settings you can access.
Is the Qt app stable enough for daily use?Not yet — it's still under active development with expected bugs, including platform-specific streaming and GPU issues, and nightly builds are unsigned (Windows shows an unknown-publisher warning, and the macOS build isn't notarized).
Which operating systems does the desktop client run on?Windows x64/ARM64, Linux x64/ARM64 (AppImage or .deb requiring Qt 6.8+ and SDL3), and macOS on Apple Silicon running macOS 13+. Intel Macs aren't supported by this build.
Does my PC need a powerful GPU to run OpenNOW?Not really — the actual games run on NVIDIA's cloud servers, so your machine mainly needs to decode the incoming video stream; the rendered video stays on your GPU while Qt draws menus over it.
Can I use OpenNOW on mobile or consoles too?Yes, but as separate projects: there's an iOS beta via TestFlight (with a SwiftUI prototype branch), an Android app on Google Play, and OpenNOW-Switch for modded Nintendo Switch homebrew.
Why did the project move from Electron to Qt and Rust?Version 1.0.0 rebuilt the client with Qt Quick and a native Rust streaming engine to replace the retired Electron app, aiming for a more native, performant streaming pipeline.
What can I do inside the app besides just streaming a game?You can browse the catalog, save favorites into collections, adjust resolution/frame rate/bitrate/codec, open stream stats without leaving the video, take screenshots, record the stream to Matroska files, and export diagnostic reports for bug reports.
What are similar projects?moonlight-qt, KytyPS5, pyrowave, Yakumo, Sunshine, stop-stutter, vlc, pt-pc
Which topics is it in?game-streaming, sdl3, qt, cmake, discord, gaming, streaming, video, nvidia, cpp, desktop, ios
Creator
OpenCloudGaming
Size
255.9 MB
Stars
3.5K
Updated
CommitOct 18Releasev1.0.3Oct 16
Age
2y
Commits · 90 Days