Not content with releasing binge-worthy shows, Netflix is making a big push into mobile gaming this year with plans to release 40 titles in the coming months.
A further 70 mobile games are also in development, the streamer announced on Monday. Among the big hitters are artsy puzzle games Monument Valley 1 and 2, which will arrive on the service in 2024. Created by British studio UsTwo, the first of the two indie titles sold 26 million copies by 2016, and won a raft of awards, including two Baftas and the D.I.C.E. Spirit Award.
Netflix jumped into mobile gaming in 2021, and currently offers 55 titles on iOS and Android, including Tomb Raider Reloaded, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Kentucky Route Zero, and Exploding Kittens. The company nabbed its first game studio in 2021 with the acquisition of Night School Studio, and quickly brought its acclaimed thriller Oxenfree to its streaming service.
In the immediate future, you’ll be able to play Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace in April exclusively on Netflix. Developed by Netflix partner Ubisoft, the studio behind hit franchises such as Assassin’s Creed and The Division, the new game is an RPG from the rogue-lite subgenre.
Highwater, a strategy game with themes of social collapse and environmental disaster, has already been released this month and later in March Netflix will bring out a reverse city-builder called Terra Nil in which players turn a ravaged environment into an ecological paradise.
In addition, Netflix teased that it is working with Super Evil Megacorp, the developer behind Vainglory and Catalyst Black, on an exclusive game based on an upcoming Netflix release. One of its most-played games was Too Hot to Handle: Love is a Game, based on its reality dating show, Too Hot to Handle. Another title deriving from the show is due later this year.
While it is unclear how many of its 230 million users actually use Netflix to play games, the company claims the goal is to target a wide swathe of gamers, from the casuals to hardcore players.
“Just like we did with the streaming side of Netflix, we are building this curated portfolio with extremely talented external developers because we want to achieve that variety and that diversity within the portfolio of games,” Netflix VP of external games Leanne Loombe told reporters during a briefing.
How to play games on Netflix
Playing games on Netflix is not as straightforward as streaming a show or movie. In fact, the slightly niggly process involves downloading a game from your chosen App Store before you can access it on the service.
Here’s what you need to do:
iOS
- From the home screen in the Netflix mobile app, swipe down to find the Mobile Games row.
- Tap on the game and tap Get Game. The App Store will open.
- Select Get or tap the Cloud icon.
- The game will download and install. When complete, choose Open.
- After a game is installed, you can find it under the Netflix Games row in the Netflix app. It may also be on your device’s home screen.
- The game will launch. Tap the Profile icon in the game if you’d like to change to a different profile and start playing.
Android
- From the home screen in the Netflix mobile app, swipe down to find the Mobile Games row or tap the Games tab at the bottom.
- Tap on the game, and tap Get Game. The Play Store will open.
- Tap Install.
- Depending on the game and your device settings, a Permissions screen may appear. Choose Accept.
- The game will download and install. When complete, choose Open.
- After a game is installed, you can find it under the Mobile Games row in the Netflix app. It may also be on your device’s home screen or in the app drawer.
- Choose your profile and start playing.
When will Netflix release a cloud gaming service?
Google didn’t have much luck with its now-defunct Stadia cloud gaming platform but that isn’t stopping Netflix from pushing ahead with its own game streaming service.
Loombe said the company wants to make it possible for customers to play games “on any Netflix device they have”. However, Netflix’s cloud service is still in its early stages, the exec noted, with the company’s main focus currently on mobile gaming.
Of course, the most exciting thing about cloud gaming is that it makes it possible to play powerful new PC and console titles on existing devices (including laptops and smartphones) over the internet.
To that end, Netflix has opened a new games studio in southern California overseen by the former executive producer of Overwatch, Chacko Sonny. It was also hiring for a game director to work on a brand-new, high-budget game (what’s known as a AAA game in industry parlance) based on job listings spotted late last year.
