Netflix Games: How to play on TV, catalog, and availability

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If you thought Netflix was only for binge-watching series, here's some interesting news: you can also playThe company has long offered video games at no extra cost within your subscription, and now it's taking a step further by bringing them to your living room TV and computer browser, with an experience designed to be shared with friends and family.

The idea is simple and quite convenient: you don't need a controller You don't even have to use a specific remote control. Your phone acts as a controller, so you can pick it up and start playing directly from the Netflix app on your compatible TV or from Netflix.com on your computer. It's a way to make the platform more than just video on demand.

What is Netflix Games and how does it work right now?

Netflix Games is the video game offering included in your Netflix plan, with no additional purchases or ads. Since its launch on mobile devices a few years ago, the company has assembled a catalog that mixes well-known licenses and its own productions, with titles ranging from narrative adventures like Oxenfree up to icons like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or party games type Heads Up!, all available on iOS and Android with your active account.

The new feature is the jump to TV and browsers with a streaming beta phase. On compatible TVs, simply open the Netflix app, go to the Games tab, and select a title. The mobile acts as a remote control to move, draw, press, respond… If you prefer the computer, you can play from Netflix.com itself, again without heavy installations or dedicated peripherals.

This beta, as the company explains, serves to test two technical pillars: its streaming technology games (so they run smoothly and with low latency) and the smartphone control system, which transforms the phone into a versatile touch pad for different genres.

Party games you can play on TV

To debut the big-screen experience, Netflix has selected a quintet of parlor games designed for quick play, laughs, and multiplayer participation. The current list includes offerings that work wonderfully with a mobile controller and are created or adapted for the couch environment, with minigames, challenges and social mechanics.

• LEGO Party!: a collection of LEGO-inspired party-style quizzes and mini-games, perfect for competing with family or friends. Four players They can jump into short challenges, maps and block characters.
• Boggle Party: The classic word search game in a grid of letters comes in a multiplayer version for up to eight people, against the clock and with mobile phone in hand to write down your findings.
• Pictionary: Game Night: a round of drawings against time. Draw on your phone and let the rest guess on TV; the key is speed and clever clues.
• Tetris Time Warp: Several modes inspired by historical versions of the world's most famous puzzle, including interpretations of 1984 and the mythical edition of Game Boy, with scoring challenges.
• Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends: a social game of bluffing and deduction in which one of the participants does not know what the story is about and the group must discover who the mole is by the suspicious keys that leaves.

Two of these titles, LEGO Party! y Tetris Time Warp, come from previous experiences on other platforms, while the trio formed by Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night y Party Crashers arrives as a new addition to the Netflix library. It's a multiplayer-focused starter local, a choice very much in line with the goal of turning television into a meeting point.

Where available: Supported countries and devices

This first stage of games on TV and in the browser is a limited beta and progressive. Netflix indicates that it is active for a subset of members on certain TV models and, in parallel, accessible from a computer via Netflix.com with the same account.

In terms of countries, the initial rollout includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Germany, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Not all users Within these countries, users will see the feature at the same time, as it is a staggered release by device and profile.

Netflix has been clear: the purpose of this phase is to thoroughly test the performance of the streaming and mobile controller. As these milestones are passed, the company plans to expand compatibility and number of supported televisions, adding more markets and, foreseeably, more control modes.

How to play: from the TV app to Netflix.com

If your TV is compatible, open Netflix, scroll down to the Games tab, choose a title, and follow the instructions to pair your phone. You'll see a code or a button to pair; once your phone is paired, you'll be ready to go. control everything by tapping, swiping, or shaking the device, depending on the game.

On your computer, log in to Netflix.com with your account, locate the Games section, and launch the chosen title. Again, your phone acts as a controller (you can use iOS or Android), and the game starts playing. via streaming in the browser. No in-app purchases or ads—everything's included in your subscription.

An important detail: you don't need an additional console controller or a TV remote with special functions. The smartphone is the centerpiece of this experience, which makes it easy for anyone who already has their smartphone to get started. mobile phone at hand when you sit on the sofa.

A look at the family catalog and the essentials of the mobile

Netflix Games' mobile offering is still very much alive, with a diverse roster ideal for short bursts of play or relaxing adventures. For example, there are offerings designed for All ages and audiences, from children to arcade nostalgics.

World of Peppa Pig is a space to play, learn, and create with Peppa. It offers an endless series of mini-games, activities, and puzzles, as well as full episodes, always with a child-friendly focus and simple controls.

In the field of artistic puzzles, Monument Valley It stands out for its impossible architecture and optical illusions. You guide a silent princess through structures that defy logic, with a serene setting perfect for unwinding.

If you like strategy, Bloons TD 6 proposes to defend your towers from hordes of increasingly ingenious balloons. As you progress, you unlock new heroes and abilities that allow you to devise powerful combinations for each map.

For those who love arcade cooking, SpongeBob: Get Cooking The grill is on full blast at Bikini Bottom restaurants. It's time to serve quickly, chain orders, and improve the kitchen so customers leave delighted.

Feline fashion arrives with knittens, a match-3 where you turn balls of yarn into stylish cat clothes. It's a relaxing game with gentle progression and the satisfaction of getting the right perfect set for each cat.

For Sanrio fans, Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade invites you to join a parade filled with friends and special abilities. Your mission is to avoid traps and keep the group's spirits high, using your reflexes and timing.

If you like the "me against the neighborhood" TMNT: Shredder's Revenge It recaptures the essence of the 80s arcade with Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and company. Hits, combos, stylish animations and a section highly polished retro.

The blue hedgehog is not missing either: Sonic Prime Dash It features thrilling 3D races with jumps, obstacles, and iconic bosses. It's pure frenzy, ideal for short games where precision and speed make all the difference.

For a more zen plan, Cats & Soup turns you into a feline broth chef. You chop ingredients, dress your cats, and unlock cozy spaces, with a gentle progression that fits perfectly into relaxing moments.

The daily dose of wit comes with Cut the Rope Daily, a puzzle game with a new challenge every day. Cutting ropes and popping balloons to feed Om Nom is as simple as it is addictive, with mechanics that keep reinventing themselves. small variations.

If you dream of the countryside, Country Friends It invites you to set up your farm, grow crops, care for animals, and trade together. A colorful simulator that invites you to collaborate with friends and enjoy the leisurely progress.

And as a bridge between games and series, Netflix suggests content to accompany your games, such as the movie Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles If you're left wanting more after TMNT, or the series Sonic prime for those who accelerate with the hedgehog, with chapters that expand its universe.

Why Netflix is ​​betting on the living room: strategy and objectives

Since it entered the mobile gaming industry four years ago, Netflix's strategy has shifted. After testing formats, licenses, and genres, the move to bring games to TV using a mobile device as a controller reveals a more serious commitment to competing in territory of large, not just compared to other mobile games.

The current approach prioritizes four axes, with party games at the forefront. The reason? These proposals make it easier for more members of a household to participate, extend the time spent on the platform, and add value to the monthly subscription. It is a way to build loyalty and differentiate yourself without leaving the app where you already watch your series and movies, and it fits with the technology in the home.

Netflix has also set the stage: late last year, it launched a controller app for iOS that turned the iPhone into a remote, a move that anticipated the jump to TV. There were also reports in early 2023 that pointed to this plan to bring mobile gaming to big screens; now that plan is starting to materialize into a tangible beta.

The company has reiterated that it will add devices and expand its geographic presence over time. We're likely to see new genres adapted to mobile touch controls, more elaborate co-op modes, and even integrations with success series as events or themed seasons.

Gameplay experience: mobile control, multiplayer and rhythm

Touch control from the phone fits like a glove in social proposals. Drawing on Pictionary It feels natural on the mobile screen to write solutions in Boggle Party It goes like a shot and the minigames of LEGO Party! They make good use of touches, drags and gestures. The learning curve It is very short and that encourages anyone to join.

On the technical side, streaming to the TV and browser must balance latency and quality so that mobile inputs respond instantly. That's why this testing phase is key: Netflix evaluates performance on different networks, routers, and TV models to ensure that the touchpad is reliable and the image is maintained sharp

Local multiplayer, on the other hand, benefits from accessible rules and short matches. Games like Party Crashers are designed to provoke conversation, laughter and a little bluffing, while Tetris Time Warp It brings that classic rivalry of seeing who signs the best one. streak of lines.

Availability, cost and what you need

To play, you don't pay anything beyond your Netflix plan. There are no ads or in-game purchases, a point the platform reiterates to emphasize that this is a added benefit to the subscription. Remember, though, that you're in a beta phase, and there may be changes, improvements, and catalog expansions over time.

What do you need? A compatible TV with the feature in your region, the updated Netflix app, and an iOS or Android smartphone to use as a remote. If you opt for a computer, go to Netflix.com and use your phone as the remote. So simple how that.

Part of the public information about this new feature was accompanied by technical elements specific to the websites (compatibility scripts for things like URLSearchParams or fetch in older browsers). They don't affect games, but they explain why some sites load utilities to make everything work well on any device.

Interestingly, one of the outlets that covered the topic suggested customizing Google to filter out low-quality results and prioritize favorite sources—your own site, for example. It's a reminder that, with a few tweaks, you can improve your searches when you research new features like Netflix Games.

Netflix has gone from offering small titles on mobile devices to putting games on the living room TV and browser, using the phone as a remote and at no extra cost; with a beta already active in countries like Spain, the United States, and Mexico, a new release focused on party games —LEGO Party!, Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp y Party Crashers—, and a mobile catalog that continues to add family-friendly offerings like Peppa Pig, Monument Valley, and TMNT, the platform is giving clear signals that it wants you to spend more time playing without leaving its ecosystem, something that, if technical performance and compatibility continue to improve, could turn Netflix into your favorite plan for a night on the couch and laughing.