(Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

Philips has rolled out a feature update to its 2026 smart TVs that gamers will especially love. It has added an AI-powered game detection mode where the TV can automatically the game you're playing and create a picture and sound settings profile.

I saw this mode in action during IFA 2026 in September, where I was treated to a behind-closed-doors walkthrough through a number of new picture features and technologies available or coming to the latest TV range. Now the one that most piqued my interest is available.

Game detection launches in collaboration with Philips gaming partner Ubisoft, as the first titles to make use of it are Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. There are plans to add more official games soon.

The mode creates a profile for each game on detection, no matter which format – PS5, Xbox, Switch or PC. It creates a profile per game, which can be used to store specific settings. This will then be selected every time a user starts the same game.

There's also the ability to create game profiles manually, should a game not be recognised, but the automated mode takes away several clicks.

Several settings can be adjusted per profile. You can tweak the picture setup, for example, with brightness, colour, contrast, sharpness, HDR and game smoothing all on offer.

Sound settings can also be tweaked, as well as game helper features, like the shadow enhancer and crosshair settings. Ambilight modes can also be assigned to each profile.

The game detection update is now available on 2026 Philips OLED 8 and 9 series TVs, including the Philips OLED 811 and OLED+951 models. It's also available for the Philips MLED981 RGB Mini LED Ambilight TV.

Other gaming features I saw during IFA 2026 include a dedicated 30fps game mode that's available on the flagship OLED+951. That's perfect for the likes of Grand Theft Auto VI (out next week). That runs at 30 frames per second, so the Philips TV ensure it does so as smoothly as possible without stutter.