Katarzyna Petru
Netflix is taking another step towards gaming – this time on the big screen. After years of experimenting with mobile games, the company is finally releasing its first titles that you can launch directly… on your television. But beware: these are not console games, but rather typical party games designed to entertain large groups.
First Games Available on TV
To start, Netflix is launching five games, which you can already find in the Netflix app on smart TVs:
LEGO Party! – a collection of fun mini-games, gold hunting, quick duels, and loads of chaos in LEGO style.
Boggle Party – a TV word search game where up to 8 players compete to see who can find hidden words the fastest.
Pictionary: Game Night – a new version of the classic "draw and guess," perfect for family game nights.
Tetris Time Warp – a return to retro, but with a twist – we travel back to different eras of the iconic Tetris.
Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends – one person crashes the party, the others must reveal them. Simple, fun, perfect for Netflix & chill… but in multiplayer mode.
In the coming weeks, Dead Man’s Party: A Knives Out Game will also be added – a thematic deduction game in the "Knives Out" universe, featuring Benoit Blanc and the classic "who killed?". One is guilty, the rest are suspects. Sounds like a hit ready for house parties.
Where does it work?
Netflix is launching TV games only in selected regions. Fortunately, Poland is on the list. In addition to us, the USA, UK, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and several other countries also have access.
On which devices?
The list of supported devices is already quite long, but… many manufacturers are still out of the game.
It works on:
Amazon Fire TV,
Chromecast with Google TV,
Roku,
Nvidia Shield,
Xfinity 4K,
Smart TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, Xumo.
It does NOT work on:
Panasonic,
Philips,
Hisense,
TCL,
Apple TV,
PlayStation,
Xbox.
Netflix, however, promises that support will be expanded.
What are you controlling?
The controller… is your smartphone.
You need to download the Netflix Game Controller app and pair it with the TV.
And that's the only option for now – physical gamepads are not supported.
And what about bigger games?
Netflix hasn't mentioned anything about adding titles like GTA or Red Dead Redemption to the TV, although some of them are available today in the Netflix mobile app. The company does clearly state that it has long-term ambitions to develop a gaming platform on televisions.
So maybe someday we'll play big AAA games without a console – just from Netflix.
But today, they're starting with what works best: party games for an evening with friends.
