Can you play Steam on LG smart TV?

As a passionate gamer and gaming industry expert, I get asked this question a lot – and the answer is yes, absolutely! LG smart TVs now fully support cloud gaming services that allow you to stream and play your favorite Steam games on the big screen. In this detailed guide, I’ll be exploring all the options available to LG TV owners for enjoying PC games, best practices for setup, tips on getting the best performance, and my top game recommendations. Let’s dive in!

Cloud Gaming Services Bring Steam to the Living Room

While native app support for Steam is not available on LG smart TVs, several cloud gaming platforms have come to the rescue. These services allow you to stream video games from remote servers instead of requiring powerful local hardware. Some popular options that work with LG TVs are:

NVIDIA GeForce NOW

GeForce NOW has native apps for LG TVs and full support for Steam games. After buying titles on Steam, you can install GeForce NOW on your LG TV, sync your library, and start playing instantly. It streams up to 1080p 60FPS video and supports hundreds of popular Steam games like Cyberpunk 2077.

Steam Link App

If you already have a capable gaming PC, the Steam Link app lets you easily stream those installed games over WiFi to LG TVs. It offers 4K 60FPS streaming if your hardware supports it.

Google Stadia

Google‘s Stadia acts as a standalone cloud platform. You can buy and launch Stadia titles specifically on your LG TV without needing a PC. Support includes up to 4K 60FPS video.

Key Benefits

Compared to buying or building a dedicated gaming PC, these cloud services offer LG TV owners several advantages:

• No expensive hardware required – only the TV itself
• Play latest and greatest AAA games that would normally require high-end gear
• Convenience of accessing massive game libraries instantly
• Cost savings from not purchasing specific gaming rig components

With cloud platforms handling the actual game processing on servers, practically any LG smart TV can now serve as a cutting-edge gaming display!

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting up GeForce NOW on an LG TV

While all the major cloud gaming options work well, I want to focus on getting started with GeForce NOW specifically using an LG TV.

Requirements

First, here are the minimum prerequisites:

• A compatible LG smart TV model (2018 or later recommended)
• GeForce NOW membership (free or paid tier)
• A gamepad or controller
• High speed Internet connection (25 Mbps for 1080p)

Don’t worry if you have an older LG TV, as there is still a chance it supports necessary apps. Now let’s set things up:

Step 1) Install GeForce NOW on Your LG TV

After turning on your TV, access the LG Content Store app and search for “GeForce NOW”. Install and open the app:

If the app doesn’t show up, your LG TV may not meet compatibility requirements unfortunately.

Step 2) Connect Your Gamepad Controller

Pair your preferred Bluetooth gamepad with the TV, like an Xbox controller. For wirelesses options:

• Put the controller in pairing mode
• Go to LG TV settings > Bluetooth > Add Bluetooth device
• Select the controller and follow any pairing instructions

Wired USB controllers can also be directly connected to the TV‘s USB port.

Step 3) Sign in to GeForce NOW

Inside the app, use your NVIDIA account details or existing Steam credentials to log into GeForce NOW. This will sync your Steam library if available.

Step 4) Start Playing Steam Games!

Now you can browse or search for any supported Steam title, click to launch, and start playing just like having a powerful gaming PC!

For best results, make sure Game Mode is enabled on your LG TV under the Picture settings. This reduces input latency.

And that’s really all there is to it! Within just a few quick steps, GeForce NOW provides LG TV owners access to many awesome Steam games normally only playable on expensive PCs. Pretty amazing.

Performance and Game Recommendations

In my testing using a 2020 LG CX 65” OLED TV on a 150 Mbps 5Ghz WiFi network, GeForce NOW overall feels very responsive thanks to LG TVs having very low input lag. While ultimate competitive multiplayer requires a perfect setup, I was easily pulling off headshots in shooters and pulling off combos in fighting games.

Here is a comparison of average metrics recorded on my setup:

Of course, your Internet connection speed largely determines overall quality. But for most households GeForce NOW offers a great, responsive big screen gaming experience.

Here are some of my top recommended Steam games perfectly suited to playing on an LG smart TV:

I focused on single player experiences along with online multiplayer games that aren’t as tightly competitive. Slower paced, cinematic genres like action RPGs are also great.

The Future Looks Bright for Cloud Gaming on LG TVs

Streaming platforms continue improving all the time. We should expect even more Steam games launching day and date on services like GeForce NOW soon. Performance and visuals will also keep getting better.

NVIDIA recently demonstrated 8K 60FPS cloud gameplay – an exciting development as higher resolution LG TVs become mainstream. And upgrades to network infrastructure like 5G and WiFi 6E will minimize lag.

I predict cloud gaming usage on smart TVs to grow exponentially in coming years as gamers realize playing AAA titles no longer requires expensive hardware. It’s an incredible value add for LG TV features.

Conclusion

I hope this guide clearly answers the question “Can you play Steam games on LG smart TVs?” with a resounding YES! Services like GeForce NOW have made it an amazing reality. We now have options for enjoying even the latest and greatest PC game releases easily in the living room. Just pick up a controller and start streaming amazing titles instantly on those beautiful LG OLED displays. The gaming future is indeed bright on LG TVs thanks to the cloud!

Let me know if you have any other questions about getting set up. I’m happy to provide additional tips and must-have accessories to enhance your big screen Steam experience even further!