As of today, November 13, Netflix Games is officially available to smart TV users.
Netflix has allowed select users to play games using connected TV devices since August 2023, when the company launched a beta test that allowed users in Canada and the United Kingdom to play games on devices including Amazon Fire TVs and Google TVs. Netflix has gradually expanded the experience to the U.S. and other territories across the globe, but it remained a beta test available to only a subset of members.
Today, Netflix marked the end of the beta test and the launch of CTV gaming as an official feature, although the service will not be immediately available to all users across all markets.
“We’ve started rolling out games on your TVs, mostly in the US and Canada, and we’ll be adding more devices and countries over the next few months,” said Netflix vice president of games Jeet Shroff in a video shown during a November 12 press event announcing Netflix’s CTV gaming expansion.
Using their smartphones as controllers, Netflix users are able to play a selection of party games like “Lego Party” and “Pictionary: Game Night” on their TVs, with Netflix announcing future titles based on company IPs including “Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Game” alongside the full launch of CTV gaming. In Netflix’s announcement video, Shroff flagged the smartphone controller function as a particular benefit.
“You can go straight from watching ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ to playing a party game without ever leaving Netflix, because your controller has so many things — a second screen, a gyroscope, a microphone and a speaker,” Shroff said.
Expanded capabilities notwithstanding, Netflix will still need to expand its controller offerings beyond mobile devices to include more traditional gaming controllers if it wants to grow its portfolio beyond party games, according to Gareth Sutcliffe, the head analyst covering the games industry for the market research service Enders Analysis.
“Supporting kids’ gaming specifically, which they’ve publicly stated is a priority, clearly needs a non-mobile-phone controller option,” Sutcliffe said in an interview with GamesBeat. “A controller reference design that OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] support would begin a ramp to a richer game service, increased advertising TAM [total addressable market], and possible games subscription tier.”
Today’s announcement also included the addition of several new titles to Netflix Games’ mobile library. The majority of Netflix Games’ user base currently accesses the platform via mobile devices, and these users will soon be able to play popular titles like “Red Dead Redemption” and a “Netflix Edition” of “WWE 2K25.” The announcement also flagged Netflix’s recent addition of Spin Master titles geared toward children, including “Toca Boca Hair Salon 4” and “Paw Patrol Academy.”
“We focus on four main areas: kids’ games, mainstream games, party games and narrative games,” said Netflix president of games Alain Tascan during the announcement video.
In addition to Netflix executives, the company’s official trailer for its Game Night offering includes a mock gaming session featuring celebrities Ken Jeong and Reggie Bush gaming alongside Netflix-universe reality stars, including “Too Hot to Handle’s” Chloe Veitch. If that description sparks your curiosity, you can watch the full video below:
As Netflix moves its CTV gaming offering from beta to a full release, the company is sending a strong signal to the broader gaming industry — that Netflix is committed to gaming in the long-term. Although this is largely an aesthetic change at the moment, with CTV gaming still only available to a subset of users, this commitment could encourage gaming companies like controller manufacturers to dedicate more time and investment into building CTV gaming products that are compatible with Netflix’s offering
“Netflix’s move out of beta should provide clear inference that CTV is now a platform space for gaming beyond mobile, in lieu of any other specific roadmap details. Integrated games in CTVs are a green field opportunity that could bring growth back to the market,” Sutcliffe said. “At the broadest level, why buy a console if game services are built into the TV directly? It’s a question that Netflix is going to pose to the market in the long term.”