Netflix games (remember Netflix games?) are finally expanding beyond iPhone and Android. The streaming service has begun testing its games on TVs and computers, too, via a cloud-gaming service.
A unique aspect of the upcoming service is that gamers playing on a TV will be able to use their iPhone or other handset as a controller.
Play Netflix games on TVs with an iPhone as controller
Netflix began offering games in 2021 as an enticement to its video streaming service. It quietly built a catalog of about 70 titles, and anyone with a subscription to the video service can also play them. But these have only been playable on smartphones. Until now.
“We’re taking the first step in making games playable on every device where our members enjoy Netflix — TVs, computers, and mobile,” wrote Mike Verdu, the company’s head of games, in a blog post on Monday.
That first step is a limited beta test in Canada and the UK of playing two games in the catalog on TVs. Considering Netflix is primarily a video-streaming service, maybe TVs is where it should have started. But it’s finally getting there.
The two titles are Oxenfree from Night School Studio, a Netflix Game Studio, and Molehew’s Mining Adventure, a gem-mining arcade game.
Playing will not require buying a controller. “To play our games on TV, we’re introducing a controller that we already have in our hands most of the day — our phones,” said Verdu.
Once beta testing is complete, gaming will be possible via a range of streaming devices: Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and many more. A free and already-available Netflix Game Controller app for iPhone will be required, according to The Verge.
This is a cloud-gaming service so the user’s streaming device doesn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting of running the game. The application will run on a remote server and the user will see the action as though it were a very interactive TV show.
Mac and Windows, too
As Verdu noted, Netflix subscribers will also be able to access its catalog of games on Mac and Windows PC, too. This willl happen on Netflix.com in a web browser, and the computer’s keyboard and mouse will act as the controller.
But there’ll be a wait. Beta testing for computer play is scheduled to begin “in the next few weeks,” according to the Netflix VP.
