GeForce Now Opens Up RTX 4080 Streaming To All Ultimate Users

Every day it becomes increasingly obvious that cloud gaming could be the future for playing games. Giants such as Xbox and PlayStation continue to build up their catalog of games available to stream over the internet, while the technology itself has improved significantly in such a short time. 

Nvidia, however, has taken a different approach to cloud gaming: Instead of boosting their library and settling for 1080p 60fps, Nvidia's GeForce Now service prioritizes performance, implementing faster graphics cards for players to use.

In January, Nvidia announced that it was adding the GeForce RTX 4080 to its Ultimate membership. This top-of-the-line graphics card allowed users to stream gameplay rendering at 4K resolution. It also introduced a 240fps Competitive Mode that doubled the framerate cap compared to the previous tier that ran on 3080 cards. This mode improved performance in games such as "CS:GO," "Fortnite," and any other competitive game that benefits from a higher frame rate.

Unfortunately, this only rolled out in a few locations initially. Now, that's finally changing, as the 4080 support landed in many new locations today. It comes at no additional cost to current GeForce Now Ultimate users. The company is also offering a one-day free trial to non-members to test these new features.

GeForce RTX 4080 cards are now available for use at 10 servers in North America, including Montreal, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Portland. The service was also added to six European servers, including Paris, London, and Stockholm. Any GeForce Now Ultimate members near these servers can start using a 4080 to stream their games. However, it's still unclear if or when Nvidia will roll out this service to users outside the West.

Nvidia launched a challenge for players to compete in a competitive challenge to commemorate this server expansion, and the tech behind it. The GeForce NOW Ultimate "KovaaK's" Challenge gives users access to the "KovaaK's" aim training program using a 4080 card. In the program, users compete to see who can rack up the most points by completing various challenges to earn their spot at the top of the leaderboard.

The top three players each week will receive prizes. Some rewards for this challenge are a gaming Chromebook, 240Hz gaming monitor, and GeForce NOW memberships. Winners will be announced every Thursday on the Nvidia Winners page.

Additionally, free users that have participated in the "Kovvak's" challenge will receive a 24-hour trial period of the GeForce Now membership. This will let players stream and play games such as "Cyberpunk 2077," "Dying Light 2," and "Apex Legends" at the maximum quality and performance available.