Netflix is finally testing out cloud gaming on TV and browsers

By Tomas Franzese August 14, 2023

Netflix announced it’s starting a limited beta test for streaming Netflix Games on TV and browsers starting today, beginning with the titles Oxenfree and Molehew’s Mining Adventure.

Oxenfree being played via Netflix on TV and on a computer. — Netflix

Netflix has made a concerted effort to get into mobile gaming over the past couple of years, but the company has also voiced its intention to bring Netflix Games to platforms other than iOS and Android via cloud gaming. Last week, a mobile game controller app for Netflix appeared on the iOS App Store, suggesting that an announcement related to Netflix Games on TV was imminent. Now, in an August 14 blog post, Netflix confirmed it’s holding limited betas to test the water for Netflix games on TV, PCs, and Macs.

Starting today, some Netflix subscribers in Canada and the U.K. will get access to a limited beta test for Netflix Games on TV. Initially, Amazon, Chromecast, LG, Nvidia Sheild, Roku, Samsung, and Walmart TVs will support Netflix Games, with more to “be added on an ongoing basis.” In the coming weeks, Netflix.com will also start to allow subscribers in those regions to play games via a browser on both PC and Mac.

To start, only two games will be playable during the beta: Night School Studios’ narrative adventure game Oxenfree and a new “gem-mining arcade game” called Molehew’s Mining Adventure. Players will stream these games to the device Netflix is open on and can play them with a keyboard, mouse, or that Netflix Game Controller app. The blog post states that the purpose of this beta is “test our game-streaming technology and controller, and to improve the member experience over time.’

There’s no word on when this beta will make its way to North America, but this does indicate that we’ll only see Netflix’s gaming presence ramp up in the coming months and years.

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Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Entertainment

Netflix may bring its gaming service to TVs, with iPhones serving as controllers

The Netflix Games section.

Netflix is working on a feature that will bring its games to smart TVs and allow players to use their iPhone as a controller, reports from Bloomberg and MacRumors' Steve Moser said on Wednesday.

The move would take Netflix’s gaming service beyond only smartphones and tablets, giving subscribers more ways to play. And for iPhone owners, it also eliminates the need to buy a dedicated controller, making it more likely that people would give its games a go.

Gaming

With Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, Netflix finds its video game voice

The playable characters of Valiant Hearts: Coming Home all standing together.

As we are in the earliest stages of Netflix’s foray into the games, the company is still trying to discover what a “Netflix game” really feels like. We’ve seen ports of fun console beat ’em ups and enjoyable puzzle games, but I don't feel that those really define the platform’s emerging identity. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, on the other hand, does. A sequel to a 2014 narrative adventure game set during World War I, it's a thoughtful and emotional journey that naturally reflects some of the film and TV content available on Netflix.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix
It’s both highly educational and a solid sequel to one of Ubisoft’s most underrated games. Like Before Your Eyes, narrative is a clear priority, as is the distinct visual style that would work even if this was a traditional animated show. Netflix is known for evolving prestige TV and defining what storytelling in a streaming-focused series could be, so it would benefit from giving its exclusive games a similar focus. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home might not be a perfect game, but it’s a solid example of what a premier Netflix game could look like in the future.
War stories
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, like its predecessor Valiant Hearts: The Great War, is a narrative-focused adventure game that hops between several stories from soldiers (and a medic) who served during World War I. Familiarity with the first game is helpful, as some characters reappear, but not necessary as the sequel tells a new story mainly focused on the Harlem Hellfighters, a group that fought with the French after the U.S. joined the conflict. It’s a story about the horrors of war and the family and friendships that wither through it all that focuses more on human stories rather than the bloody combat that games typically like to highlight.
While its story doesn’t feel quite as intertwined as The Great War’s, Coming Home is still enlightening, shining light on parts of the war that aren’t typically covered in your standard history class. I’d even recommend it as a good entry point for kids learning about World War I, especially because the game features plenty of collectible objects and facts that allow players to learn more about the battle. Like the best content on Netflix, it’s a creatively rich and additive experience.
It does all that with a minimalist style, as its characters speak in pantomime, only saying a word or two as a narrator eventually cuts in to fill in narrative blanks or give context on the state of the war. While it might seem disrespectful to represent such a brutal war in a cartoonish manner, the horrific moments stand out all the more clearly as a result. One particularly memorable set piece doesn’t contain any dialogue. It has the player walking across the bottom of the sea as you see bodies and ships from the Battle of Jutland sink to the seafloor. It’s equally awe-inspiring and horrifying, bolstered by Coming Home’s distinct visual style.

The gorgeous 2D art is colorful, looks hand-drawn, and almost feels kid-friendly despite how grave the subject matter it’s portraying is. Netflix is home to some great animation, so it would also make sense for that artistry to apply to its games. On the gameplay front, Coming Home is comparatively simple. Players use touch controls to easily walk around, climb, and interact with objects throughout the game to solve simple puzzles. Occasionally, some minigames with unique mechanics, like treating and patching up soldiers’ wounds, spice up the game. It is approachable in design and never particularly complicated, but that also means the gameplay never gets in the way of its storytelling and art.
The biggest downside to is that it’s regularly interrupted by loading screens. Even though they were very brief on my Google Pixel 7XL, they dampened some scenes’ artistic and emotional flow.
What makes a Netflix game?
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is a beautiful narrative-focused game that feelsat home on Netflix. It demonstrates how titles with compelling stories can be just as engaging on a phone as they are on PC and consoles. That mentality is a perfect match for a platform that made a name for itself mostly through serialized, story-driven TV shows and movies, and now also offers games with strong stories like Desta: The Memories Between, Before Your Eyes, and Immortality.

Gaming

Netflix adds Kentucky Route Zero and Twelve Minutes to its game lineup

Kentucky Route Zero

Netflix's game library continues to expand with today's addition of two very notable narrative-driven games from Annapurna Interactive: Kentucky Route Zero and Twelve Minutes.
Kentucky Route Zero is an episodic-narrative adventure game that's centered around the titular, mysterious underground highway. It took seven years for all of the episodes to release, but it's all now available in one package. It's hard to go into too many details without revealing spoilers, so suffice it to say that it's a fantastic, critically acclaimed experience that anyone who likes games with interesting narratives with enjoy.
Meanwhile, Twelve Minutes is a point-and-click adventure game starring Jame McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe about a man stuck in a time loop where a man breaks into his house and kills both him and his wife. While its premise and presentation are certainly eye-catching, the game proved to be pretty divisive upon its release due to an unsettling revelation in its ending. Players can now see what the fuss is about with both these games on mobile if they already have a Netflix subscription.
Netflix also announced that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and Vikings: Valhalla will come to Netflix in the first quarter of 2023. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a fun retro-style beat 'em up featuring the iconic characters that garnered a five-star review from Digital Trends earlier this year. We called it a "must-play for both TMNT and beat-’em-up fans alike."
Meanwhile, Vikings: Valhalla is a Netflix-exclusive game based on the show of the same name. Developed by Emerald City games and published by Tilting Point, Vikings: Valhalla is a strategy game where players build settlements and battle other Viking clans.
Kentucky Route Zero and Twelve Minutes are available on the Netflix app via iOS and Android. To download them, go to the Games tab on the Netflix app and choose the game you'd like to play. This will then bring you to App Store or Google Play Store, where you can download Kentucky Route Zero or Twelve Minutes and then start playing on a mobile device.