Nvidia GeForce Now has come a long way since it launched in 2015. With over 1,800 games and counting, you’d forget it once had a very rocky start. Now, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition has finally joined the roster alongside eight other titles, but I’d argue a cloud gaming service perhaps isn’t the best way to play it.
Frankly, it’s odd to me that it’s taken this long for Bethesda’s landmark RPG to join the library, whether it’s the 2016 Special Edition or the 2011 original. For the longest time, The Elder Scrolls Online was the only game in the series featured on the platform. Perhaps this gives hope we’ll see Oblivion and Morrowind follow suit, but both also benefit from offline play.
Here are the nine new games joining GeForce Now for July’s fourth week:
- Cataclismo (Steam)
- Conscript (Steam)
- F1 Manager 2024 (Steam)
- Earth Defense Force 6 (Steam)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Steam)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, PC Game Pass)
- Gang Beasts (Steam, Xbox, PC Game Pass)
- Kingdoms and Castles (Steam)
- The Settlers: New Allies (Steam)
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve nothing against GeForce Now. In fact, it’s easily my favourite cloud gaming service. Ultimate members get the power of an RTX 4080 without having to pay lofty GPU prices, promising either 4K resolution or up to 240fps in supported games.
At its usual £19.99 per month, it’d take you over three and a half years to reach the cost of the cheapest RTX 4080 I can find. During the current 50% off summer sale, this doubles. And that’s not factoring in the savings you get from paying six months upfront. If you have a stable enough internet connection, it’s frankly a steal.
Unfortunately, like other cloud services, GeForce Now has one major drawback: it doesn’t support mods. Skyrim’s base game offers a lot, and the Special Edition includes the three DLCs, but it’s nowhere near the amount of content on Nexus Mods. From bug fixes to gameplay and graphics enhancements, new races, a more detailed map, immersive HUD, new quests and characters, and downright bonkers additions that make no sense, it’s a lot to give up.
I’m a man who values choice, and having Skyrim join GeForce Now’s ranks is definitely a good thing. I won’t judge a soul who’d rather have the convenience of playing from their smartphone or Chromebook. I just know that the next time I journey from Markarth to Windhelm, it’ll be with the sweet sound of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme as every dragon that chases me features the face of the famous locomotive.