Buying any new Chromebook gives you ad-free Nvidia GeForce Now streaming gaming

Sorry if you just bought one yesterday

Buying any new Chromebook nets you a GeForce Now Fast Pass (credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

• 💻 All Chromebook buyers get a GeForce Now Fast Pass starting November 20

• 🎮 GeForce Now Fast Pass grants instant and ad-free access to the free tier of GeForce Now

• 🕹️ Nets you up to 10 hours of 1080p 60fps game streaming every month

• 🎢 Up to 5 hours of unused streaming rolls over to next month

• Unfortunately, recent Chromebook owners won’t receive this benefit retroactively

Buying a new Chromebook? Well, now it comes with a year of ad-free Nvidia GeForce Now.

Google and Nvidia have teamed up to offer new Chromebook users a GeForce NOW Fast Pass, which allows Chrome OS users to skip the line for the free tier of Nvidia’s game streaming service. The Fast Pass is good for only 10 hours of 1080p 60fps gaming; after that, you’ll be back to waiting in the line and seeing ads. Also, if you forget to use all that time before the end of the month, up to five hours will roll over to the next month.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t confirmed if recent Chromebook users will also be retroactively receive the GeForce Now Fast Pass. So if you just bought a Chromebook yesterday or a few months ago, you’re out of luck for now.

The free tier of GeForce Now not only gives you gaming performance on a Chromebook, but you can also access a library of games available from Nvidia for free. Otherwise, you’ll need to own streamable games from Steam, Epic, Xbox, Good Old Games, or another PC gaming storefront.

Also, if you’re considering upgrading to the GeForce Now Ultimate tier, take it from me; it makes game streaming better than a PS5 Pro. You’ll be able to stream games at 4K 120fps or 1080p 360fps from a Nvidia RTX 5080-equivalent virtual PC. Also, if your Chromebook has an HDR-capable screen, you can enjoy games at 10-bit 4:4:4 HDR.

Upgrading to the Ultimate tier only makes sense if you have a high-end device with an OLED screen like the Lenovo Chromebook Plus. However, GeForce Now also only costs $20 per month and you could use it to stream to other devices, including directly to a 4K LG OLED TV and gaming monitor, PC, MacBook, gaming handhelds, and more.

• Up next: PlayStation Portal update brings cloud streaming to the handheld at long last

Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.