Source: Andrew Myrick / Android Central
Best answer: Yes, you can play Stadia games on Google TV. There’s a limited list of hardware that officially supports Stadia through Google TV. Still, any device that can run Google TV will play Stadia games in some capacity.
Official Google TV devices
If you’ve ever asked yourself: Can I play Stadia on Google TV? It’s important to note when Google Stadia first launched in November 2019, users could stream games directly to their PC, television, and some mobile devices through the cloud. However, during that time, the only way to play Stadia games through the television was through the company’s own Chromecast Ultra device with a Stadia controller.
But times change. In mid-2021 when Google announced it was extending Stadia support to more existing hardware. The list of officially supported Android TV and Google TV devices includes the following:
- Chromecast with Google TV
- Hisense Android Smart TVs (U7G, U8G, U9G)
- Nvidia Shield TV and Shield TV Pro
- Onn FHD Streaming Stick and UHD Streaming Device
- Panasonic JX800 series (Europe)
- Philips Android TVs from 2019 (7304 and higher) and 2020 (8505 and higher)
- TCL 5-Series and 6-Series (with Google TV)
- Verizon Stream TV Soundbar and Stream TV Soundbar Pro
- Xiaomi Mi Box 3 and Mi Box 4
The addition of new devices also meant that Bluetooth, PlayStation, and Xbox controllers could play Stadia games on the television if the device supported it, such as the Nvidia Shield TV and Nvidia Shield TV Pro. Google then allowed any official Stadia TV device to support more third-party controllers or use a smartphone as a controller through the Phone Link option in the mobile Stadia app.
Unofficial support and future
Despite the small list, any Android TV box or television with Google TV installed can play Stadia games. However, users will have to opt in to the “experimental support” feature in the settings if the device is not on the list. It means that the unofficial device can run Stadia games, but it may have problems working properly.
Google plans to increase the list of officially supported devices in the future, and television manufacturers such as Sony have committed to support Google TV in upcoming models. In the meantime, one of the best Google TV devices to start playing Stadia games on would be the Chromecast with Google TV with its great performance at a reasonable price.
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