Netflix has been trying to get into games with the same ferocity it pursued streaming content, but the home of Stranger Things and KPop Demon Hunters has thus far stuck to bringing games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Too Hot to Handle to mobile devices. That changes today, as Netflix is now offering games playable on TVs.
But Netflix isn’t deviating from its mobile strategy either. You’ll still need a phone to play Netflix’s TV-based games, while titles like the original Red Dead Redemption are coming to Android and iOS via Netflix.
Netflix’s first batch of TV-based games focus on familiar multiplayer party fare. Now playable on Netflix are games like Boggle Party, Lego Party, Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends, Pictionary: Game Night, and Tetris Time Warp — a mix of Jackbox-like party games and digital versions of well-worn board games. Still to come is Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Game, Netflix’s take on the social deduction genre starring Benoit Blanc, the star of Rian Johnson’s whodunnit franchise.
“Starting today, you can play games on your TV, using your phone as a controller — no setup needed, it’s as easy as streaming your favorite shows,” said Alain Tascan, president of games at Netflix, in a news release. “You can now go from watching KPop Demon Hunters to playing Pictionary: Game Night without ever leaving Netflix. And for those who love to play anywhere and everywhere, we’re bringing even more games to your phone with our own special Netflix touch.”
Netflix also announced more traditional mobile games coming to its library, including kid-friendly mobile distractions like Lego Duplo World, Barbie Color Creations, Paw Patrol Academy, and Toca Boca Hair Salon 4. The company also has WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition and Red Dead Redemption coming.
Netflix is also trying to appeal to those who prefer their games in the NY Times Games app or Puzzmo lane. Netflix Puzzled promises a “plethora of daily puzzles featuring Netflix favorites such as Stranger Things, Squid Game, KPop Demon Hunters, Bridgerton, and Emily in Paris.” Those daily puzzles will come in the form of sudoku, crosswords, word searches, and more, which will be playable on Android and iOS devices — as well as the Netflix Tudum blog.
The streamer is also throwing one more thing at the wall: Best Guess Live, a real-time game show playable every weekday that offers cash prizes. Best Guess Live is a quiz game hosted by Hunter March and Howie Mandel in which contestants are given a series of clues and limited time to guess the right answer — not unlike once-hot mobile trivia game sensation HQ Trivia.
Much of Netflix Games’ new lineup is available now. Netflix Puzzled and Best Guess Live (available in the U.S. only) are listed as “coming soon.”
