Netflix is shaking things up beyond their usual password-sharing shenanigans and bringing something genuinely fresh to their subscribers. They’re testing a cool new feature where users can stream some of their mobile games from the main Netflix app to the TV.
Mike Verdu, the VP of Netflix’s gaming division, spilled the beans in a blog post on Monday. He shared that soon, more users will dip their toes into Netflix’s impressive selection of mobile games, not just on their phones but on other devices too.
Folks in Canada and the UK are the lucky ones who’ll get to start with this experience. They can play these games on their TVs through the Netflix app. And soon enough, they can also access the games on their PCs and Macs. For now, the beta games available to users are Oxenfree, the adventure game, and Molehew’s Mining Adventure.
Here’s how users can access the games on their TVs when they are finally eligible. They’ll need to scan a QR code on their TV screen in the App, leading them to a separate Game Controller App.
Netflix launched this beta app recently, so it has limited functionality. However, for games on a user’s computer, they can keep it simple with a keyboard and mouse.
The Game Controller App is the only way to play Netflix games on your TV, at least for now. It has a layout that looks like the buttons on a regular game controller, plus a little joystick widget. Third-party controller support may come along, but that will take some time.
Users can play Netflix games on Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, LG TVs, NVIDIA Shield, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, and several others. They’re planning to add more options in the future.
Some games in Netflix’s collection are console releases, and others are tailor-made for mobile phones. Some games use the phone’s camera or touch controls. So, it’s a bit of a mystery how these will adapt to more giant screens and Netflix’s setup.
Though few people have caught on, Netflix has been dabbling in gaming since 2021. At first, they were making games based on their shows, but they switched things up in 2022 and started focusing on all sorts of games, indie and big-budget console games. They’ve even bought out some popular indie developers.
Netflix’s game library is vast and has some real gems. We’re discussing adventure games like Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, and Kentucky Route Zero. They also have action and strategy games like Into the Breach and Moonlighter.
The only hiccup is that few folks know about Netflix’s gaming side. Users need to dig around in the app store to find them.
