LG TVs get the game-changing free upgrade promised months ago

Back in January LG made TV owners a promise – they'd be getting a major free upgrade that would deliver Xbox game streaming to their TVs without requiring a console. That promise didn't come with a timescale attached to it, but it's now being delivered and you can play Xbox games on compatible LG TVs today. It's just a matter of installing the Xbox app.

The new Xbox app is available for recent TVs running webOS 24 or later. Although you don't need a console you do need a Game Pass Ultimate account, and you'll also need a Bluetooth controller such as the official Xbox controller.

An Ultimate subscription currently costs £14.99 / $19.99 / AU$22.95 per month.

Xbox streaming on your TV: pros and cons

As we said when LG first announced the feature, cloud gaming has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. Provided you've got a decent internet connection you can expect smooth gameplay without the latency and stuttering that affected earlier cloud-based platforms.

The downside of the Xbox offering is that Microsoft's cloud gaming currently tops out at 1080p and 60 frames per second. Rival services such as GeForce NOW deliver 4K. However, LG's upscaling is very good and games should look pretty great on their OLEDs especially.

The upside, of course, is that you don't need to buy or make room for an Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X. And because it's Game Pass you don't need to spend a fortune on games.

I'm a Game Pass subscriber on my Xbox and I think Microsoft's subscription offering is better than Sony's. With games from gaming giants including Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, Mojang, Xbox Game Studios and others it's got a really big catalogue including some really big hitters across multiple genres.

The new Xbox app is available now from LG Apps and the Gaming Portal.