Nova Quick Start
From a fresh Android device to a first stream. If you have not set up a host yet, start with the Polaris quick start and come back here.
1. Install the right build
Section titled “1. Install the right build”Nova publishes a separate signed APK per Android ABI, each with a portable SHA-256 sidecar.
| Device | Start here |
|---|---|
| Android handheld or phone | Nova-Android-arm64-v8a.apk |
| NVIDIA Shield or ARM64 Android TV | Nova-Android-arm64-v8a.apk |
| Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer, or 32-bit ARM Android TV | Nova-Android-armeabi-v7a.apk |
| Android x86_64 device or emulator | Nova-Android-x86_64.apk |
Install paths, in order of convenience:
- Obtainium tracks the stable ARM64 asset directly from GitHub Releases and handles updates.
- GitHub Releases are the official source of the signed APKs and their checksum files.
- GitHub Store is also supported.
Nova is not on the Play Store, so there is no store listing to wait for. Verify a download with a
normal sha256sum -c against the sidecar if you want to.
2. Add or discover your host
Section titled “2. Add or discover your host”Open Servers. Polaris hosts appear automatically on the LAN when discovery is enabled. You can also add a compatible host manually by address.
If a sleeping host does not report a MAC address, open the host menu and choose Edit Wake-on-LAN MAC. Nova stores that address and reuses it for later wake requests, which is what makes Wake-on-LAN work on routed and VPN setups where discovery metadata is incomplete.
3. Pair
Section titled “3. Pair”Pick whichever suits your network:
- Trusted Pair — a trust-on-first-use flow for a Polaris subnet you already trust.
- QR pairing — scan the code shown by the Polaris web console.
- Manual PIN — the familiar GameStream pairing path, for any compatible host.
4. Launch
Section titled “4. Launch”Launch from the standard game grid, or from the Polaris-backed Library when the host is Polaris. With Polaris you get a Play Setup screen that shows the host’s answer for how a game should run beside the game’s own override, so you can see what is about to happen before it does.
5. Controls you will want during play
Section titled “5. Controls you will want during play”| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Guide/Mode + Start/Menu | Opens Command Center |
| Guide/Mode + Y | Shows or cycles NovaHUD |
Command Center holds tuning, overlays, controller actions, and the exit controls. Disconnect leaves the host session running so you can resume it later; End session stops it on the host. NovaHUD shows live stream health, and with Polaris it reports host-backed truth rather than a client-side guess.
Recommended first run
Section titled “Recommended first run”- Client device: an ARM64 Android handheld, Android TV box, or modern phone. Retroid-class handheld layouts get the most attention.
- Host: the current Polaris release on Fedora 44 or Arch/CachyOS with NVIDIA and NVENC gives the richest feature set.
- Launch path: Library to Private Stream first. Try Host Virtual Display or Mirror Desktop only when you intentionally need them.
- Then verify: Command Center, NovaHUD, and a safe disconnect, with your real controller, right after the first stream starts.