Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

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

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.

Recommended Videos

Both reports are based on specific code found within Netflix’s iOS app that says: “A game on your TV needs a controller to play. Do you want to use this phone as a game controller?” Availability for Android users isn’t mentioned in either report, though it’s likely it would come at some point.

It’s not clear if and when Netflix will release the feature to its global community of around 230 million subscribers, but the plan fits with the company’s recent comment that it wants to make games “playable on every Netflix device that you have.”

Netflix launched its gaming service in 2021, though various reports have suggested it’s struggled to gain traction among subscribers to its video streaming service. Data from an app analytics firm last year, for example, said Netflix games had been downloaded just over 23 million times and played by 1.7 million subscribers daily, equalling around 1% of its global subscriber base.

But in its determination to give its community more value for money in the face of growing competition from rival streaming services, Netflix is set to double down on its gaming efforts with the release of 40 more titles before the end of this year, according to a news release shared by company executive Leanne Loombe last week.

Loombe also said that Netflix has 70 games in development with various partners and 16 more being prepared by its in-house game studios.

The plan is to release new games “every month,” with subscribers offered “indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures, puzzle games, and everything in between.”

Whether the addition of more games to its platform helps boost engagement remains to be seen, but bringing the service to TVs would surely persuade at least some folks to try out more of the offerings when they’re not binge-watching movies and TV shows.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Here’s one fella who can’t wait to get his hands on the iPhone Air
Alleged concept render of the iPhone 17 Air in black.

The so-called “iPhone Air” is apparently on the way, despite Apple remaining characteristically tight-lipped about such a device. 

Numerous leaks have suggested that the iPhone Air, which is expected to launch this fall along with the iPhone 17, will be just 5.5mm thick, making it easily Apple’s slimmest handset yet. 

Read more
The foldable iPhone could become a yearly staple for Apple
Semi-open state of a foldable iPhone concept

South Korean tech site ET News has released a report suggesting the foldable iPhone will get an annual refresh starting in 2026. It would replace the Pro Max as the top-of-the-line iPhone model and get updated every year just like the rest of the core lineup.

The launch date for the "iPhone Fold" is still up in the air -- so while ET News is betting on 2026, we don't know if that will turn out to be accurate or not. Either way, the hype around this rumored new model is continuing to build with every new leak we get.

Read more
Word of notch-less and bezel-less iPhone in 2027 is refusing to die down
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen.

In just two years, the world-dominating smartphone will celebrate its 20th anniversary -- and it looks like Apple has big plans for it. Reports from Bloomberg and The Information suggest the company is aiming for a curved and completely bezel-less display with no notches or cutouts for cameras or sensors.

We've already seen plenty of "curved" and "edge-to-edge" displays from manufacturers like Samsung, but current approaches only curve along the left and right edges of the device. Apple, on the other hand, reportedly wants to go all-in with a glass display that curves around all the edges and corners of the phone.

Read more