Netflix Games Downloaded 5M Times in 3 Months

Along with video content, Netflix now is a gaming platform. While some subscribers haven’t realized it yet, others are already enjoying this side of the streaming giant. The first Netflix games became available in November 2021; and by February 2022, they have been downloaded over 5 million times. Not bad for a beginner!

As for now, Netflix releases its games on both App Store and Google Play, for both dominating mobile platforms. The roster includes 12 games in total, both based on Netflix’s IP like Stranger Things and third-party ones like Asphalt Xtreme or Arcanium: Rise of Akhan. All of them, though, are exclusive to Netflix and only available to subscribers.

The most downloaded game was, of course, Stranger Things: 1984, closely followed by Stranger Things 3: The Game. Not simply because they were the earliest to be released, but because they offer really immersive gameplay based on the famous Netflix show. It was logical to start with a game backed by a household name within the Netflix catalog as long as Netflix Games cannot produce household names of its own.

Though there are just 14 games, the array is wide enough. It includes puzzles, RPG, racing games, arcades, card games, and more. Most of them can be played casually, just in case you have some spare time but not enough of it to watch an episode of something you like, or you just don’t want to watch it on your phone. Now Netflix got these short periods of leisure covered too.

So far, Netflix as a gaming service is no competition to Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass. Still, three months is too early to make conclusions. Maybe with enough experience, Netflix will become essentially Gameflix, not leaving its video streaming in the past as it did with DVD rentals, but reducing it to just a part of its business.