Shadow PC vs GeForce Now

Shadow PC, the GeForce Now alternative that gives you the whole PC

GeForce Now streams the games on its list. Shadow PC gives you a complete Windows PC with a dedicated RTX GPU. Updated October 2026.

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Any launcher, mod or app
210 hours a month on Shadow PC
1,000+ games launched this summer

The short answer. GeForce Now streams the games on its supported list, from your Steam, Epic or Ubisoft library, with 100 hours of play a month on its paid plans. Shadow PC is a complete Windows PC in the cloud: you install any launcher, mod or app yourself, your files stay on your drive, and the Shadow PC range includes 210 hours a month.

So the question is not which service streams better. It is whether what you want to do fits inside a list. If your games are on GeForce Now and you only play them, GeForce Now is a very good fit, and it has a free tier. If you mod, run tools next to the game, play something the list does not carry, or simply want a computer that is yours, you are looking for a GeForce Now alternative, and that alternative is a PC.

Compared on October 1, 2026, from NVIDIA's own FAQ and membership pages.

Shadow PC vs GeForce Now, side by side

Ten criteria that decide the choice. Where GeForce Now does it, GeForce Now gets the tick.

Shadow PC and GeForce Now compared on ten criteria
	Shadow PC	GeForce Now
What you get	Shadow PC A complete Windows 11 PC	GeForce Now Games streamed from a supported list
Games you can play	Shadow PC Any game you install, except about 30 strict anti-cheat titles	GeForce Now 4,500+ supported games
Play your Steam, Epic or Ubisoft library	Shadow PC Yes	GeForce Now Yes
Install mods and any launcher	Shadow PC Yes	GeForce Now No
Run your apps next to the game: voice chat, clips, streaming	Shadow PC Yes	GeForce Now No
Play time per month	Shadow PC 210 h (Shadow PC), 120 h (Lite)	GeForce Now 100 h on paid plans, 15 h carry-over
Your files between sessions	Shadow PC Stay on your drive, 256 GB to 5 TB	GeForce Now Install-to-Play storage deleted if you cancel
Free plan	Shadow PC No	GeForce Now Yes
Top-end hardware	Shadow PC Dedicated NVIDIA RTX, up to 5K at 240 Hz	GeForce Now RTX 5080, up to 5K HDR at 120 fps
Browser, TV and mobile	Shadow PC Yes	GeForce Now Yes

GeForce Now data from NVIDIA's FAQ, membership and terms pages, checked on October 1, 2026. Shadow PC data from the Shadow PC offers page. No prices are shown: they vary by market and change often.

When GeForce Now is enough, and when you need the alternative

GeForce Now

Choose GeForce Now if

every game you play is on its supported list
you want to try cloud gaming for free, or play a few hours now and then
you want the highest frame rates on an RTX 5080 and nothing to install

Shadow PC

Choose Shadow PC if

you play a game or a launcher that GeForce Now does not carry
you mod your games or play on FiveM servers
you want to talk with friends, clip shorts or stream from the PC that runs your game
you want your files to stay put, with 210 hours of play a month

Every launcher, every game you own

On GeForce Now you link your accounts, and the service shows the games from your library that it supports: NVIDIA counts more than 4,500. A game outside that list does not start, whoever made it.

On Shadow PC there is no list. You install Steam, Epic Games, Battle.net, EA app, Ubisoft Connect or GOG the way you would on any Windows PC, then the games you own. Our players launched more than 1,000 different games this summer, and none of them had to wait for anyone to add it. The one exception is about thirty titles whose strict anti-cheat refuses virtual machines: the help center keeps the list up to date.

Gaming on Shadow PC

A Windows desktop with several game launchers open

Mods, FiveM servers and custom maps

GeForce Now runs each game as it is set up on the service. There is no Windows desktop, so there is nowhere to install a mod manager such as Vortex or a client such as FiveM.

Shadow PC is that desktop. Nexus Mods, CurseForge, the Steam Workshop, texture packs, shaders, a modded Minecraft instance: you install them, and they are still there at your next session. It is not a niche use either. This summer, the game our players spent the most hours in was FiveM, the GTA V roleplay mod. You cannot get it from a game list.

Modding on Shadow PC

A player at his desk at night playing a modded shooter on Shadow PC

Talk, clip and stream from the same PC

A game is rarely the only thing open. On Shadow PC, Discord or TeamSpeak runs on the same machine as your game, so the call with your friends carries on while you play. One in three of our players keeps Discord, Medal or OBS open next to their game.

It goes further than chat. Clip your best moment with Medal, cut it into a short with CapCut or DaVinci Resolve, or go live with OBS: capture, edit and stream all happen on your Shadow PC and its dedicated RTX GPU. And because it is your Windows PC, you download and install whatever you want, at 1 Gb/s.

GeForce Now streams the game itself. Everything else has to run on another device.

How Shadow PC works

A player with a headset, a game on one screen and a voice chat app on the other

Your files stay, and so do your hours

On Shadow PC your drive is yours: 512 GB on the Shadow PC range, 256 GB on Shadow PC Lite, expandable up to 5 TB. Your saves, your installs and your mod folders are where you left them, from one device to the next.

GeForce Now's Install-to-Play storage works differently: NVIDIA's terms say it is deleted when you cancel, and its content cannot be downloaded or transferred.

Play time follows the same logic. GeForce Now's Performance and Ultimate plans include 100 hours a month, with up to 15 unused hours carried over. Shadow PC includes 210 hours a month, and Shadow PC Lite 120, reset every billing month, with sessions of up to 6 and 4 hours.

A laptop at night showing a Windows desktop with folders

Where GeForce Now does better

Three things, and they matter.

It has a free tier. You can try cloud gaming without paying anything, with longer queues and shorter sessions, or buy a 24-hour Day Pass. Shadow PC has no free plan: it is a monthly subscription with no commitment.

Nothing to install, ever. No Windows to update, no launcher to log into, no drive to manage. You click a game and it starts.

Raw frame rate. Ultimate runs on RTX 5080 rigs, up to 5K HDR at 120 fps or 360 fps at 1080p. If you only play competitive shooters on its list, that is hard to beat.

A woman on the sofa playing a racing game on her laptop

More than cloud gaming: a PC that follows you

Both services stream to almost any screen. The difference is what you find when you get there.

With Shadow PC you open the same Windows desktop on your laptop, your Mac, your phone, an Apple TV or Android TV box, or a browser tab at pc.shadow.tech with nothing installed. One session at a time, like a real PC: you stop on the sofa and pick up at your desk, mid-game, mods loaded.

That is why Shadow PC belongs next to a cloud PC more than next to a game streaming service. You are not renting access to games. You are renting a computer, and the games are yours.

Play on your TV

A player on the sofa with a controller, a truck driving game on the TV

Pick your Shadow PC

Shadow PC Lite for a few hours of play a day, Shadow PC for daily gaming with 210 hours a month and two screens. No commitment, monthly billing.

Questions about Shadow PC and GeForce Now

Is Shadow PC better than GeForce Now?

It depends on what you play. GeForce Now is the better pick if all your games are on its supported list, if you want a free tier, or if you want the highest frame rates with nothing to install. Shadow PC is the better pick if you need a full Windows PC: any launcher, mods, apps running next to your game, files that stay on your drive, and 210 hours of play a month on the Shadow PC range against 100 hours on GeForce Now's paid plans.

Can you install your own games on GeForce Now?

You connect your Steam, Epic Games, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, EA app, GOG or Xbox accounts, and GeForce Now shows the games you own that are on its supported list. NVIDIA counts more than 4,500 of them, and its Install-to-Play feature adds Steam games on paid plans. A game or a launcher outside that list cannot be installed. On Shadow PC you install any launcher and any game you own, except about thirty titles with a strict anti-cheat.

What happens when you reach the 100-hour cap on GeForce Now?

Since 2026, GeForce Now's Performance and Ultimate memberships include 100 hours of play a month, and up to 15 unused hours carry over to the next month. Past that, NVIDIA lets you buy additional hours or keep playing on the free experience, with its queues and shorter sessions. Shadow PC includes 210 hours a month on the Shadow PC range and 120 hours on Shadow PC Lite, reset every billing month.

Can you use mods on GeForce Now?

Only as far as each supported game allows on the service. GeForce Now does not give you a Windows desktop, so you cannot install a mod manager such as Vortex, a client such as FiveM or your own texture packs. Shadow PC is a full Windows PC: Nexus Mods, CurseForge, the Steam Workshop and FiveM install as they would at home, and they stay installed between sessions.

Is there a free plan on Shadow PC like on GeForce Now?

No. Shadow PC is a monthly subscription with no commitment, which you can stop at any time. GeForce Now does have a free tier, with longer queues and shorter sessions, and that is one of its real advantages for trying cloud gaming. Shadow PC Lite is the lightest Shadow PC option, built for a few hours of play a day.

Can I use my Steam library on both GeForce Now and Shadow PC?

Yes. On GeForce Now you link your Steam account and play the games from it that the service supports. On Shadow PC you install Steam itself, log in, and download any game from your library the way you would on a home PC. In both cases you keep playing the games you already bought: neither service sells you the game again.

Does Shadow PC run every PC game?

Almost. Shadow PC runs any game you can install on Windows, except about thirty titles whose strict anti-cheat blocks virtual machines. The Shadow help center keeps the up-to-date list, so you can check a game before you subscribe.

What internet connection do I need for Shadow PC?

Shadow recommends at least 15 Mbit/s, about 50 Mbit/s for 1080p and 100 Mbit/s for 4K, ideally over Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Your Shadow PC itself downloads at 1 Gb/s, whatever your home connection, so installing a large game is fast even on a slower line.

Keep comparing

Your games, your mods, your PC

A complete Windows PC with a dedicated RTX GPU, on the screens you already have. No commitment, monthly billing.

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