GeForce NOW October 2026: Gears of War: E-Day, Witcher 3 Remastered and 100-Hour Limits

The schedule comes with conditions. You have to own each game on a supported store. The dates are store release dates, not guaranteed streaming dates. And most paid plans now cap how many hours you can play each month. Here's the schedule and what you need to check before you start streaming.

This week's additions​

Neowin reports these six games joining GeForce NOW this week:

• Minecraft Dungeons II: new Xbox release on September 29, included with Game Pass
• Nivalis Nights: new Steam release on September 29
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered: new release on September 29, listed for Battle.net and Xbox Play Anywhere, available on the Microsoft Store
• Bookshop Simulator: Steam
• Megastore: Tidy Up Together: Steam
• Planet Coaster 2: Xbox, included with Game Pass

Cloud Dosage, which tracks GeForce NOW each week, also covered the October 1 announcement. It said as it is the first GFN Thursday for the month of October 2026, we also got a look at some of the other games we can expect to see arrive on GeForce NOW this month.

Summary: Three of the six are Microsoft-related: two Game Pass titles and a Microsoft Store listing for The Witcher 3. That shows how much of GeForce NOW's catalog now runs through Xbox PC accounts.

The rest of October​

NVIDIA plans to add these games over the rest of the month. Dates are the games' release dates on Steam:

Neowin expects NVIDIA to add surprise titles as the month goes on, which happens most months.

Don't treat this as a calendar. NVIDIA's own GFN Thursday posts say the listed dates reflect when games are released on their respective stores. The posts also say availability on GeForce NOW can vary, because games are added after release and throughout the week. A game released on a Tuesday might not be streamable until Thursday or later.

Gears of War: E-Day​

E-Day is the one Xbox fans are waiting for. On Microsoft's official product page, Gears of War: E-Day releases October 6, 2026, with up to 5-day Early Access for Premium Edition players beginning October 1. The game launches on XBOX Series X|S, PC and Steam. It will be available day one in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The story is a prequel: set 14 years before the first Gears of War, back when Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago were younger and Emergence Day had just begun.

According to Softonic, the game runs on Unreal Engine 5 and adds movement and traversal updates, 4K at 60 fps, solo play, two-player split-screen, four-player online co-op, a 12-player Horde Siege PvE mode, and a reworked 4v4 Versus suite. NVIDIA's own coverage says the PC version supports ray tracing, RTX Mega Geometry and DLSS 4.5. NVIDIA had already listed E-Day among the games coming to GeForce NOW on launch day.

The October list names only the Steam version, dated October 6. That leaves two open questions:

1. Early access. Premium Edition owners can play from October 1. The GeForce NOW listing gives October 6, and nothing in the announcement says early access works in the cloud. If you paid for the head start, expect to use local hardware for it.
2. Game Pass. Microsoft confirms E-Day is in PC Game Pass on day one, and GeForce NOW can connect Xbox and PC Game Pass libraries in general. But the announcement only lists Steam for this game. Until NVIDIA's game listing shows the Xbox version, don't assume a Game Pass subscription will stream it through GeForce NOW.

Game Pass players already have another way to stream. Gaming retailer Genio Goods reports that Xbox lists that date for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam, with Xbox Cloud Gaming also supported. Which service suits you better depends on your device, which store you bought from, and whether you prefer GeForce NOW's high-end streaming hardware or the Game Pass subscription you already pay for.

Summary: E-Day on GeForce NOW is confirmed for Steam from October 6. Early access and Game Pass streaming through GeForce NOW are unconfirmed.

The Witcher 3 Remastered​

This one isn't a new game. In its September 29 announcement, NVIDIA says the Remastered version is a free update to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, not a separately sold product. According to NVIDIA, the update:

• adds path tracing and the full DLSS 4.5 suite, including Dynamic Multi Frame Generation and an updated Ray Reconstruction model
• moves the game to DirectX 12 only, replacing the hybrid DirectX 11/12 renderer from the 2022 next-gen update
• rebuilds the skill tree, adds transmogrification, and improves combat, horse riding, monster AI, looting, the quest log and UI, and photo mode
• adds new accessibility features

NVIDIA also says the improvements will carry over to Songs of the Past, a new expansion due in 2027.

The move to DirectX 12 only matters most for people playing on their own PCs. Anyone who stayed on the DirectX 11 path for older GPUs or compatibility reasons no longer has that option. GeForce NOW sidesteps that issue, since NVIDIA's servers do the rendering. NVIDIA has published high frame-rate figures for RTX 50 Series cards, but those are its own benchmarks with frame generation turned on, so read them as marketing until independent tests appear.

NVIDIA's announcement says Remastered owners can stream it with an Ultimate membership. The store listing is a little unusual: Neowin names Battle.net and Xbox Play Anywhere, plus Microsoft Store availability. If you own the game on Steam or GOG, check the game's page in the GeForce NOW app to see whether your store is supported before you count on streaming it.

Before you start streaming​

The rules haven't changed this month, but they still catch people out.

You need to own the game. NVIDIA's FAQ says you must own or buy a game from a supported store before playing it on GeForce NOW. Supported stores include Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, EA app, GOG and Xbox. PC Game Pass also counts for titles NVIDIA supports through Xbox. GeForce NOW isn't an all-you-can-play library like Game Pass.

There's a monthly playtime cap. According to NVIDIA's FAQ:

• Performance and Ultimate members get 100 hours a month, and up to 15 unused hours carry over to the next month.
• When you run out, you can buy more hours, or keep playing on basic servers without premium features until your allowance resets.
• Subscribers who had unlimited playtime from before January 15, 2026 moved to the cap at their first billing date after that day.
• Founders members keep unlimited playtime as long as their membership never lapses. Upgrading to Ultimate brings in the cap.

A long Witcher 3 replay alongside E-Day's campaign and Horde mode could use up a good share of 100 hours.

A quick checklist:

1. Link the right store account in the GeForce NOW app: Steam, Xbox or Battle.net, depending on the game.
2. Search for the game in the app and check which store versions are listed.
3. Don't expect to stream on release day. Check the app for availability.
4. Look up your remaining hours and reset date in your NVIDIA account portal.
5. If you're new, NVIDIA offers day passes, and it credits the price toward your first month if you subscribe.

What it means for Windows and Xbox players​

GeForce NOW and Xbox are increasingly connected. Game Pass titles, Xbox Play Anywhere games and Microsoft Store purchases now appear in NVIDIA's weekly lists alongside Steam. That's useful for players on a low-end laptop, a Mac, a Chromebook or a Steam Deck: you can play a demanding Unreal Engine 5 game like E-Day, or a path-traced Witcher 3, without buying a new GPU.

The downside is that the details vary game by game. Which store is supported, when a game appears, and whether early access works can all differ from title to title, and the 100-hour cap means streaming isn't a full replacement for a gaming PC for heavy players.

October is still a strong month for the service. Just check the app's game page before you plan your week around a release, rather than relying on the list alone.