GeForce NOW runs on a TV in two ways. Either you have an LG or Samsung TV from 2020 to 2025, where the app is built into the system, or you connect a set-top box to it, meaning Fire TV, NVIDIA SHIELD TV or another Android TV device. In both cases you need a third thing: a gamepad, because you can’t play on a TV without one.
A TV is actually a great fit for cloud gaming. It doesn’t need any gaming hardware inside, it just has to be able to run the app and have a decent picture. The whole principle is summed up in the introduction to cloud gaming.
Which TVs and boxes have the app
| Platform | What NVIDIA lists |
|---|---|
| LG Smart TV | models from 2020 to 2025 with the latest webOS firmware and an updated TV browser |
| Samsung Smart TV | models from 2020 to 2025 |
| NVIDIA SHIELD TV | its own version of the app, 4K and HDR only with the Ultimate tier |
| Android TV | devices with Android TV or Chromecast, Android 7.0 or newer, OpenGL ES 2.0 or higher |
| Fire TV | Stick 4K Plus (1st generation) and Stick 4K Max (2nd generation) with Fire OS 8.1.6.0 or newer, Stick 4K Max (1st generation) with Fire OS 7.7.1.1 or newer, Stick 4K (2nd generation) with Fire OS 8.1.6.0 or newer |
For Samsung, NVIDIA lists models from 2020 to 2025. For LG, there is an extra condition: updated firmware and an updated built-in TV browser, so it pays to run the update before you start looking for the problem elsewhere.
Don’t pick the browser route through play.geforcenow.com as a workaround for a missing app. NVIDIA lists supported browsers only for Windows, macOS and Chromebook, and TV browsers aren’t on that list. The full list of devices across platforms is in the overview of what GeForce NOW runs on.
Apple TV isn’t on the list
This is the most common disappointment. Apple TV isn’t among the devices GeForce NOW supports. NVIDIA offers a native app for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS and iPadOS, Fire TV, SHIELD TV, LG and Samsung TVs, gaming handhelds and headsets, but Apple’s set-top box is missing from that list.
If you are in the Apple ecosystem, you have two alternatives. The app for iPhone and iPad works from iOS and iPadOS 15.4, but NVIDIA requires a gamepad for playing there, and a keyboard and mouse only work for moving through menus and signing in. The second option is Apple Vision Pro, but GeForce NOW only runs there in 2D theater mode, meaning the game is projected onto a virtual screen and you don’t play in VR. Neither of these replaces a big screen in the living room.
No controller, no gaming on a TV
NVIDIA is unequivocal about this: on a TV, a keyboard and mouse only control the app, and you need a supported gamepad to play. This applies to Smart TVs, Android TV and Fire TV alike.
- What works: the recommended GeForce NOW controller, Microsoft Xbox controllers and Sony PS5 DualSense and DualShock 4 controllers.
- Bonus on Fire TV: NVIDIA also lists the Amazon Luna controller as supported here.
- What isn’t enough: the TV remote. You can get through the menus with it, but you can’t play a game with it.
Where the picture tops out
TVs aren’t a single category, and the connection requirements differ between them more than you would expect. In NVIDIA’s table, LG and Samsung Smart TVs have 15 and 25 Mbps for the lower modes, 40 Mbps for 4K at 60 FPS and 45 Mbps for 4K at 120 FPS. Android TV and Fire TV have only two entries in the table, 15 and 25 Mbps, so you won’t get beyond Full HD at 60 FPS with them. Fire TV also runs the competing Amazon Luna (see the countries where it’s available).
The second limit is the tier. 4K on Smart TVs is reserved for the Ultimate membership, and on SHIELD TV the same applies to 4K and HDR. On a cheaper membership the TV will show a picture, but not the highest mode. What each tier unlocks is compared in the overview of GeForce NOW tiers and prices, and the full speed table for all devices is in the article about your connection for GeForce NOW.
Game mode and a cable do more than a pricier tier
A TV processes the picture before showing it, and in cloud gaming this delay adds to the time the picture takes to travel from the data center. Your TV’s game mode shortens exactly this processing, which is why Amazon recommends turning it on as the first step for its Luna cloud service on Fire TV. NVIDIA doesn’t mention the same thing for GeForce NOW anywhere, but it is the same TV feature and it costs nothing. Where to find game mode and related picture settings is shown in the guide to setting up a TV for a console.
The second thing is the connection. NVIDIA recommends a cable, or at least 5GHz Wi-Fi, and the TV tends to be the worst-placed device in a home, often behind a cabinet and two walls away from the router. Switching the TV to a wired connection usually helps more than upgrading from Performance to Ultimate, because the higher tier raises the demands on a connection that already can’t keep up. How to choose a quality target so the picture matches your connection is covered in GeForce NOW settings.
When gaming on a TV isn’t worth it
- If your TV is older than 2020. It won’t have the app, and the only route is an extra set-top box.
- If you want 4K on Fire TV or Android TV. NVIDIA’s table for these devices ends at 25 Mbps and the matching mode.
- If you play with a mouse and keyboard. The service doesn’t allow it on a TV and requires a gamepad for playing.
- If your TV is on Wi-Fi at the other end of your home from the router. Cable first, subscription second.
If your TV is mainly going to be a screen for the cloud, the competition is worth comparing too. Xbox Cloud Gaming also runs on Samsung and LG TVs and has a different model, because the games are part of the subscription.
FAQ
LG and Samsung TVs from 2020 to 2025 have the app, with LG requiring the latest webOS firmware and an updated TV browser. Older TVs need a set-top box, meaning Fire TV, SHIELD TV or another Android TV device running Android 7.0 or newer.
No, Apple TV isn’t on NVIDIA’s list of supported devices. Among Apple hardware, the service runs on iPhone and iPad from iOS 15.4 and on Vision Pro in 2D theater mode. For playing on a big screen, that leaves an LG or Samsung TV, or alternatively Fire TV or SHIELD TV.
No. NVIDIA states that on a TV, a keyboard and mouse only control the app, and you need a supported gamepad to play. Xbox controllers, DualSense, DualShock 4 and the recommended GeForce NOW controller all work, plus the Amazon Luna controller on Fire TV.
LG and Samsung Smart TVs can, but only with the Ultimate tier and a fast enough connection: NVIDIA lists 40 Mbps for 4K at 60 FPS and 45 Mbps for 4K at 120 FPS. Android TV and Fire TV have only 15 and 25 Mbps in the table, so don’t expect 4K on them.
Turn on your TV’s game mode, which shortens picture processing, and connect the TV with a cable instead of Wi-Fi. Only then does it make sense to think about the tier. If the problems persist, the next steps are in the article on u003ca href=u0022/geforce-now-nefunguje/u0022u003ewhat to do when GeForce NOW isn’t workingu003c/au003e.
How the service works and what you are buying with the subscription is explained in the article about GeForce NOW, and the rest of the cloud topics are in the cloud gaming section on Gamers Together. Information verified as of 8 August 2026.