Millions of Netflix subscribers may not even realise it but the streaming giant has been quietly offering mobile games for nearly three years.
If you're one of the 277 million people with a Netflix account, you can dive into a selection of 100 games on your smartphone – completely free of charge, with no ads, no matter which streaming plan you’re on.
So, whether you're shelling out £17.99 a month for crisp 4K resolution or opting to watch with ads for £4.99, you’ll still have access to the same ad-free gaming experience.
Best of all, the library of titles keeps growing, though nowhere near as fast as the shows and movies on the service. Still, you can already choose from a mix of classic blockbusters, indie gems and sport and racing games.
Notable titles include Grand Theft Auto – The Trilogy (GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas), Oxenfree and Oxenfree II, Tomb Raider Reloaded, Spiritfarer, Asphalt Extreme and Sonic Mania Plus.
New games now on Netflix and coming soon
Soon, Netflix will bolster its gaming library with even more blockbuster franchises. Get ready to play god and build entire empires on Civilization VI: Platinum, unleash Hadoukens and Spinning Bird Kicks on Street Fighter IV: Champion Edition, and explore dreamlike edifices filled with mind-bending puzzles in Monument Valley 3.
The latter is the upcoming sequel to the Bafta-winning series of games from London-based studio Ustwo Games. Proving it is serious about games, the third entry will be exclusive to Netflix. You can pre-register for it now, ensuring that you’ll be notified as soon as it launches on December 10.
Netflix also dropped the first Monument Valley on Friday, along with the video game version of classic board game Battleship and the Bejeweled-style Spongebob: Bubble Pop F.U.N.
Another eye-catching upcoming title is Don’t Starve Together, a wilderness survival game (with gothic visuals that evoke classic Tim Burton movies) that you can play with mates online. Meanwhile, in Lab Rat, the goal is to nudge obstacles and harness electricity to complete 130 levels overseen by a metrics-obsessed AI.
The streaming service is also padding out its library with the usual assortment of Netflix adaptations. There’s Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game based on Zack Snyder’s sci-fi snoozefest, Squid Game: Unleashed, Chicken Run: Eggstraction and Carmen Sandiego.
As previously announced, the cozy Lord of the Rings game, Tales of the Shire, is also coming to Netflix. The farming and trading yarn was recently pushed back from late 2024 to 2025.
How to play games on Netflix
Games on Netflix aren’t just limited to phones – you may also be able to play them on your TV.
Here’s how to start gaming on the streaming service.
Steps to Play on mobile
- Open the Netflix App: Launch the app on your device.
- Swipe down to find the Mobile Games row or tap the Games tab at the bottom.
- Tap on the game you want to play
- Tap Get Game, which will redirect you to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Follow prompts to download and install the game.
- Open it from the Mobile Games row in Netflix or from your device's home screen.
- Select your Netflix profile to start playing.
Steps to play on web browser
- Open your preferred web browser and log into your Netflix account.
- Look for the games section on the home screen.
- Click on the game you want to play, and it will launch in your browser.
Steps to play on TV
This is still in beta, meaning it’s only available to select users with compatible TVs.
To check if you have access:
- Open the Netflix app
- Scroll until you find the games section on the home screen.
- Click to play, using your mobile device as a controller via the Netflix Controller app (which can be downloaded from app stores) or the Netflix app.
- Scan the QR code displayed on your TV with your mobile device to connect.
What are the alternatives?
Thanks to the newcomers, Netflix’s gaming roster will soon look even more impressive. That said, the service is still short on contemporary juggernauts, with heavyweights like Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Pokémon Go, and Candy Crush still missing from the lineup.
Netflix is also facing stiff competition from Apple Arcade, which now boasts over 200 games. Apple’s gaming subscription also offers ad-free gaming with no in-app purchases, and costs £6.99 a month (with a one-month free trial available for new users).
You can also get it bundled with an Apple One subscription, alongside iCloud storage, Apple TV+ and Apple Music, from £18.95 a month.
