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NVIDIA does not always put an entire GeForce generation on sale on the day it is announced. For an accurate release date, use the first retail-availability date NVIDIA gave for the specific GPU—not the presentation date, preorder date, or the date a laptop or prebuilt PC appeared.
The timeline below separates announcements from retail availability and preserves month-only dates where NVIDIA did not publish a specific day.
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GeForce graphics card release dates at a glance
| GPU or family | Announced | Retail availability |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 680 | March 21, 2012 | Available immediately |
| GeForce GTX 660 and GTX 650 | September 13, 2012 | Available immediately from board partners |
| GeForce GTX 770 | May 30, 2013 | Available immediately |
| GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | February 28, 2017 | March 10, 2017, at 10:00 a.m.; preorders began March 2 |
| GeForce RTX 2060 | January 6, 2019 | January 15, 2019 |
| GeForce RTX 20 SUPER series | 2019 | RTX 2060 SUPER and RTX 2070 SUPER: July 9; RTX 2080 SUPER: July 23 |
| GeForce RTX 30 series | September 1, 2020 | RTX 3080: September 17; RTX 3090: September 24; RTX 3070: October 29 |
| GeForce RTX 4060 family | May 2023 | RTX 4060 Ti: May 2023; RTX 4060: June 29, 2023 |
| GeForce RTX 50 series | January 6, 2025 | Staggered by model, beginning January 30, 2025 |
These are NVIDIA’s stated announcement and availability dates. A particular custom-design card, region, retailer, laptop, or prebuilt system may have appeared later.
GeForce GTX release dates
GeForce GTX 680: March 21, 2012
The GeForce GTX 680 was NVIDIA’s first desktop GPU based on the Kepler architecture. NVIDIA announced it on March 21, 2012, and stated that it was available immediately.
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GeForce GTX 660 and GTX 650: September 13, 2012
NVIDIA announced the GTX 660 and GTX 650 on September 13, 2012. Both were described as available immediately through board partners. This was a same-day retail-availability announcement rather than a delayed launch.
GeForce GTX 770: May 30, 2013
The GTX 770 was announced on May 30, 2013, with immediate availability. The date applies to the GTX 770, not automatically to every graphics card later sold under the GTX 700 name.
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti: March 10, 2017
NVIDIA introduced the GTX 1080 Ti on February 28, 2017. Retail availability followed on March 10 at 10:00 a.m. Preorders opened on March 2. Therefore, February 28 is the announcement date, while March 10 is the retail release date.
GeForce RTX 20-series release dates
GeForce RTX 2060: January 15, 2019
NVIDIA announced the RTX 2060 on January 6, 2019, and made it available globally on January 15. NVIDIA’s availability statement covered OEMs, system builders, add-in-board partners, and the Founders Edition program.
That distinction matters because a card can be announced at a trade show or keynote before buyers can actually order it. For the RTX 2060, the nine-day gap is the difference between the announcement date and the retail date.
GeForce RTX 20 SUPER cards
| Model | Retail availability |
|---|---|
| RTX 2060 SUPER | July 9, 2019 |
| RTX 2070 SUPER | July 9, 2019 |
| RTX 2080 SUPER | July 23, 2019 |
The SUPER cards did not all share one retail date. The RTX 2060 SUPER and RTX 2070 SUPER became available on July 9, 2019, while the RTX 2080 SUPER followed on July 23.
GeForce RTX 30-series release dates
NVIDIA unveiled the RTX 30 series on September 1, 2020. That was the generation announcement, not the release date for every RTX 30-series card.
| Model | Original or announced timing | Confirmed retail availability |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 3080 | September 1, 2020 announcement | September 17, 2020 |
| RTX 3090 | September 1, 2020 announcement | September 24, 2020 |
| RTX 3070 | September 1, 2020 announcement | October 29, 2020 |
The RTX 3070 date is especially easy to misreport. NVIDIA initially described the card as arriving in October, then moved availability to Thursday, October 29, 2020. “October 2020” is therefore too vague when an exact date is required, and “October 1” is incorrect.
GeForce RTX 40-series release dates
RTX 4060 family
NVIDIA announced the RTX 4060 family in May 2023, but the two desktop models did not go on sale together:
- RTX 4060 Ti: launched in May 2023.
- RTX 4060: available from June 29, 2023.
NVIDIA’s cited announcement did not establish one single retail date for the entire RTX 4060 family. The RTX 4060 Ti date and the RTX 4060 date should be listed separately.
GeForce RTX 50-series release dates
NVIDIA announced the Blackwell-based RTX 50 series on January 6, 2025. The desktop launch was staggered across several months.
| Model | Announced | Retail availability |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | January 6, 2025 | January 30, 2025 |
| RTX 5080 | January 6, 2025 | January 30, 2025 |
| RTX 5070 Ti | January 6, 2025 | February 2025 |
| RTX 5070 | January 6, 2025 | February 2025 |
| RTX 5060 Ti, 16GB | April 15, 2025 | April 16, 2025 |
| RTX 5060 Ti, 8GB | April 15, 2025 | April 16, 2025 |
| RTX 5060 desktop | April 15, 2025 | May 2025 |
That means the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 were not retail products on January 6; they became available on January 30. Likewise, April 15 was the RTX 5060 Ti announcement date, not the RTX 5060 family’s universal release date.
RTX 50-series laptop release timing
Laptop GPUs followed a separate schedule from desktop cards:
| Laptop GPU | Stated availability |
|---|---|
| RTX 5090 Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop | March 2025 |
| RTX 5070 Laptop | April 2025 |
| RTX 5060 Laptop | May 2025 |
A laptop date should not be substituted for the desktop card’s release date. Manufacturers can also ship individual laptop models at different times within the stated month.
How to interpret a GeForce release date
- Check the wording. “Unveiled” or “announced” identifies the presentation date. “Available starting,” “goes on sale,” or “available immediately” identifies retail timing.
- Identify the exact model. A family announcement may cover several cards with different launch dates.
- Separate product types. Founders Edition cards, partner boards, laptops, and prebuilt desktops may not arrive simultaneously.
- Record revised dates. If NVIDIA changes a planned date, use the updated availability notice. The RTX 3070’s final date was October 29, 2020.
- Keep month-only dates intact. If NVIDIA says a card arrives in February or May without giving a day, do not invent one.
Sources
Dates in this timeline are based on NVIDIA’s release announcements and availability notices for the GTX 680, GTX 660 and GTX 650, GTX 770, GTX 1080 Ti, RTX 2060, RTX 20 SUPER series, RTX 30 series, revised RTX 3070 date, RTX 4060, and RTX 50 series.
FAQ
What was the first GeForce RTX graphics card?
The RTX 2060 was one of the first broadly released GeForce RTX cards in this timeline. NVIDIA announced it on January 6, 2019, and made it available globally on January 15, 2019.
When did the RTX 30 series release?
The RTX 30 series was announced on September 1, 2020, but individual cards released later: the RTX 3080 on September 17, the RTX 3090 on September 24, and the RTX 3070 on October 29, 2020.
When did the RTX 4060 come out?
The desktop RTX 4060 became available on June 29, 2023. The RTX 4060 Ti launched earlier, in May 2023.
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When did the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 release?
NVIDIA announced both cards on January 6, 2025. Retail availability began on January 30, 2025.
Did the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti release on the same day?
No. Both RTX 5060 Ti versions, with 16GB and 8GB of memory, became available on April 16, 2025. The desktop RTX 5060 was scheduled for May 2025.
The Bottom Line
The most reliable GeForce release date is the model-specific retail-availability date. NVIDIA’s announcement date can be useful for tracking a generation, but it is not automatically the day a card became available. The clearest examples are the RTX 30 series, whose cards released from September 17 through October 29, 2020, and the RTX 50 series, which arrived in several waves from January through May 2025.
