How To Actually Play Netflix’s Surprisingly Terrific Games
Yes, Netflix has some excellent games, but no one’s playing them. According to a recent report, less than 1 per cent of people who subscribe to the streaming service actually avail themselves of its free games. That stat surely isn’t helped by the process you’ve gotta go through to play, which, while not totally byzantine, is more complicated than it needs to be.
Read More: Netflix Has Some Great Games But Nobody’s Playing Them
Netflix signalled its foray into games early last year, when it kickstarted a talent hunt for execs from the gaming industry. By November, the streamer added five games to its mobile app, though the initial offerings were disappointing, to say the least. (Who really needs more phoned-in games based on Stranger Things?)
Now, the library — which is playable at no extra cost to subscribers — contains some true diamonds in the rough, like the tactical game Into the Breach, the physics platformer Poinpy, roguelike-lite Moonlighter, and the narrative gut-punch Before Your Eyes.
How do you play games on Netflix?
For now, you can’t play Netflix games on a smart TV or, ironically, a gaming console’s Netflix app. You’ll need either an Android device (updated to at least the Android 8.0 software) or an Apple mobile device (running iOS 15 or later). From there, follow these steps:- Open the Netflix app, then scroll down until you see the Games row. There’s no separate tab that collects all the games together.
- Click on the game you want to play. That’ll take you to the storefront for your device — App Store for Apple phones and tablets, Google Play for Android ones — at which point you’ll be prompted to download the game onto your phone. It’ll show up as an unrelated app, though you’ll see the Netflix logo in the upper left hand corner of its icon.
- When you boot up the game, it’ll ask you which Netflix account you’re using. (Once you sign into one game, it seems to keep you logged in for other games, too.)
What games does Netflix have?
Currently, Netflix supports the following games, though notes that not all games are available on all devices:- Arcanium: Rise of Akhan
- Asphalt Xtreme
- Before Your Eyes
- Bowling Ballers
- Card Blast
- Dominoes Café
- Dungeon Dwarves
- Dragon Up
- Exploding Kittens
- Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story
- Into the Breach
- Into the Dead 2: Unleashed
- Knittens
- Krispee Street
- Mahjong Solitaire
- Moonlighter
- Poinpy
- Relic Hunters: Rebels
- Shatter Remastered
- Shooting Hoops
- Stranger Things: 1984
- Stranger Things 3: The Game
- Teeter (Up)
- This is a True Story
- Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt
- Wonderputt Forever
The post How To Actually Play Netflix’s Surprisingly Terrific Games appeared first on Kotaku Australia.