Systems and methods of processing and streaming a virtual reality video using a graphics processing unit (GPU) are provided. A video server is configured to cause a processor to read, from a video data source, source video data including multiple spherical image frame data and store the source video data in a first memory. The video server is further configured to cause the GPU to convert, in response to storing first spherical image frame data in a first frame buffer of a second memory, the first spherical image frame data to first equirectangular image frame data that correspond to a portion of spherical image represented by the first spherical image frame data, encode the converted first equirectangular image frame data and store the encoded first equirectangular image frame data in an encoded frame buffer of the second memory.