The first Netflix games are live, but probably not for you

By Phil Nickinson August 26, 2021

Netflix’s foray into gaming has begun. Slowly. And only in Poland.

The world’s largest streaming service has announced that it’s spun up two games — Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3 — and that you’ll be able to play without ads, without in-app purchases, and with everything included in your current Netflix membership.

But the vast majority of Netflix’s nearly 213 million paid subscribers don’t have access just yet, as the games have only launched in Poland. (And firing up a VPN instance in Warsaw didn’t make the games magically appear for us here in the United States.)

Netflix's "Stranger Things" games on mobile. — The first mobile games from Netflix are here, with two titles set in the Stranger Things world. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The initial rollout was discussed on Netflix’s Twitter accounts. “Today, members in Poland can try Netflix mobile gaming on Android with two games, Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3,” the company wrote. “It’s very, very early days and we’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead, but this is the first step.”

We’ve known for a couple months that Netflix was headed in this direction, courtsey of a brief mention in the company’s second-quarter 2021 earnings note. In the letter to shareholders, Netflix said:”We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV.” It announced then that the games would be included in subscriptions, and that it would focus on the mobile space at first.

The experiment into gaming is an interesting one, and in a lot of ways it makes sense. Netflix has a growing stable of original content on which it can piggyback. While not everything lends itself to the traditional gaming experience (The Crown or Bridgerton, anyone?), you could easily imagine expanded gaming experiences built around titles like Sweet Tooth, Warrior Nun, or even the underrated animated series Pacific Rim: The Black. (We wouldn’t hold out for a Netflix mobile gaming version of The Witcher, though, due to the obvious collision with the existing PC and console games.)

As for when we can expect Netflix’s gaming experiment to make its way out of the heart of Europe, that’s anyone’s guess. Stay tuned.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Section Editor, Audio/Video

Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…

Entertainment

3 movies like Netflix’s Reptile you should watch in October

The cast of Reptile in a poster for the film.

This week, Netflix has premiered Reptile, a new neo-noir crime thriller co-written by Benicio del Toro, Benjamin Brewer, and director Grant Singer. And it's a throwback to similar movies in the genre from the 1990s and early 2000s. Del Toro stars in the film as Detective Tom Nichols, a man who is tasked with solving the brutal murder of Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz). Summer's boyfriend, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), discovered her body, but he can't escape suspicion for her death. In fact, there seems to be no shortage of male suspects who were involved in Summer's life.

However, the film is about more than just the case. While Tom's wife, Judy Nichols (Alicia Silverstone), is able to share her insights into Summer's murder, her relationship with Tom may not be what it seems. And Tom's life will soon unravel before his eyes.

Entertainment

The best Netflix original series right now

The cast of One Piece.

Thanks to a decade of unparalleled spending, Netflix has an unmatched library of its own shows. But wading through this selection to find the best Netflix original series can occasionally be a challenge. Thankfully, it's not impossible, especially when shows like One Piece jump out of the gate so quickly that Netflix renewed the series for a second season right in the middle of the writers and actor strikes. The romantic drama, Virgin River, has proven to be a strong performer as well.

The new shows on Netflix almost always have a few surprises as well. For this month, it was Wrestlers, a documentary series about one of the minor league wrestling promotions and the people who dream of making it big in the industry. For next month, who can say which show will be the big breakout hit? As always, we'll keep our fingers on the streaming pulse with our updated list of the best Netflix original series right now.

Entertainment

9 Netflix shows you didn’t know existed

Lorenzo Richelmy in Marco Polo.

What's your favorite Netflix series? If you said something like The Witcher, Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, or Beef, then you may be unintentionally missing out on the hundreds of Netflix shows that you didn't know existed. Not every series created for Netflix manages to become a buzzy hit or an awards show favorite. Many shows simply appear for a season and quietly get canceled with little fanfare beyond the passionate few who managed to find and enjoy the series. This is the reality of the streaming era, especially on Netflix.

Every time something new arrives on Netflix, the streamer prioritizes the latest shows over the ones that didn't have a lasting impact. That's why we've put together this list of the 10 Netflix shows you didn't know existed. Or more likely, these are the series that you forgot about. But that doesn't mean that they don't deserve another chance to earn your attention. And if you're looking for something new to binge, you may find your next favorite show here.
Marco Polo (2014)