Netflix Makes Gaming Feel Native With its New TV Experience

Netflix’s latest push into gaming is beginning to show signs of traction through TV-based experiences that place games directly within the streaming platform, rather than in separate mobile apps. The shift represents a major change in direction for the company after years of uneven gaming expansion and low subscriber engagement.

According to a report by The Verge, the new TV games are accessible through a dedicated games tab within Netflix’s main interface alongside movies and television content. Titles such as Lego-themed party games, Boggle, and Knives Out experiences use smartphones as controllers, allowing multiple players to join without traditional gaming hardware.

The setup is designed to make games feel like a natural extension of Netflix’s broader entertainment service.

Netflix TV Games Push Beyond Mobile Titles

Netflix entered gaming in 2021 by bundling mobile titles into standard subscriptions. Its catalog expanded with games such as TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Terra Nil, Oxenfree, Before Your Eyes, and Kentucky Route Zero, alongside projects tied to Netflix-owned franchises and licensed entertainment properties. Despite positive reception for several titles, early reports suggested that fewer than 1% of subscribers actively used the gaming service.

Despite the challenges, the company continued expanding through studio acquisitions, licensed releases, and plans for an internal AAA development studio. But the strategy repeatedly changed direction. Netflix later shut down the studio behind Squid Game: Unleashed, while Spirit Crossing developer Spry Fox separated from the company to operate independently.

Netflix gaming president, Alain Tascan, previously acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the division, stating that we should try to “find our voice.”

Wider Device Support Could Define Netflix Gaming

Netflix’s TV gaming rollout remains limited to select smart TVs and streaming devices.

Meanwhile, Roku currently supports the feature, while Apple TV compatibility is still unavailable. The company has also started broadening its catalog beyond party games, with narrative-driven titles such as Oxenfree becoming available on TVs after Netflix acquired developer Night School Studio in 2021.

Competition in subscription gaming remains intense as companies, including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, continue adjusting their own services and strategies. For Netflix, the larger challenge may be maintaining a consistent direction long enough for subscribers to view games as a standard part of the platform instead of a separate experiment.