Netflix is making its biggest push yet into gaming, switching on TV-based play that lets subscribers use their phone as a controller – no consoles, no downloads, no setup.
The move lands ahead of the holidays and comes with a packed slate of party titles, family-friendly games, puzzle formats and blockbuster mobile releases designed to keep audiences inside the Netflix ecosystem for longer.
“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 favourite shows,” said Alain Tascan, Netflix’s President of Games.
“You can now go from watching KPop Demon Hunters to playing Pictionary: Game Night without ever leaving Netflix.”
Party play moves to the big screen
The core pitch is simple: turn Netflix into the living-room game console you already own.
Subscribers can fire up group titles like LEGO Party!, Boggle Party, Party Crashers, Pictionary: Game Night and Tetris Time Warp directly on their TV, with every player using their phone to join in.
For fans of Knives Out, Netflix is also prepping Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Game, letting friends star in their own whodunnit as Benoit Blanc investigates the “murder” in your living room.
It’s a play for shared-screen entertainment in a market where families are increasingly juggling subscriptions and devices.
Big-name franchises land on mobile
Netflix is extending its mobile footprint at the same time, adding major IP-driven titles aimed at kids, families and premium gamers.
Out now are LEGO DUPLO World, Barbie Color Creations and Toca Boca Hair Salon 4, with PAW Patrol Academy arriving soon for pre-schoolers.
The platform will also become the exclusive home of WWE 2K25: Netflix Edition, a console-quality wrestling sim featuring Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley and Undertaker – available only to subscribers.
For the first time, Red Dead Redemption is coming to mobile via Netflix, complete with the Undead Nightmare expansion. Netflix is positioning the launch as a prestige moment: a AAA title playable anywhere, bundled into an SVOD subscription.
Puzzles, daily challenges and Netflix-branded brain games
Netflix is also entering the daily puzzle market with the upcoming Puzzled app, offering Sudoku, crosswords, word searches and themed games tied to Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Emily in Paris and KPop Demon Hunters. For the first time, puzzles will also be playable on Tudum.
It’s a clear step toward multi-format engagement: TV, mobile, web, all under the Netflix umbrella – all designed to deepen habit.
Netflix’s gaming strategy sharpens
The company’s vision is straightforward: steady expansion from streaming to an entertainment platform with frictionless discovery and high re-engagement.
By letting players shift from watching to playing without leaving the interface, Netflix is aiming to lock in families, kids, fans of big franchises and casual gamers.
Tascan summed it up: “For those who love to play anywhere and everywhere, we’re bringing even more games to your phone with our own special Netflix touch.”
As audience behaviour continues splintering across screens, Netflix is betting that games – particularly social, low-friction, TV-based ones – will strengthen its position in a hyper-competitive streaming market.