Netflix Games now available on iOS, iPhone, iPad
Netflix Games finally comes to iOS after first being launched on Android devices earlier this month. It provides access to five launch games including Stranger Things: 1984, Stranger Things 3: The Game, Shooting Hoops, Teeter (Up), and Card Blast.
The company has also said that recently Riot Games announced a new game called Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story, which is coming to Netflix Games at some point after its release on PC and Nintendo Switch. The game will be included in the app for Netflix subscribers.
According to The Verge, the gaming service will use Apple’s in-app payment system, yet the main Netflix app does not.
“We’re just getting started. We’re excited to continue improving our mobile gaming experience and adding to our entertainment offering in the months ahead,” Netflix said in a statement.
On Android, users can download the available games from the Google Play Store and play them directly through the Netflix app by going to the dedicated games tab. On iOS as well, users will have to download the games from the App Store.
One thing to remember, Netflix Games does not provide a streaming service, hence, each game must be downloaded. There will be no ads or in-app purchases, either.
Competitive extra charge
In terms of the cost, Netflix has said in the past that the company’s plan is to make Netflix Games as an additional value alongside its standard pricing and won’t charge extra for it.
Those initial plans could easily change in the future if Netflix’s game receives positive reviews and shows increasing numbers, but at the moment, it will be just an extra feature on top of your standard Netflix subscription price.
Currently, the pricing tiers are $9, $14, and $18 respectively, with the number of screens you can use at once. But even at the basic $9 tier, you can get access to the Netflix games library.
What makes it interesting is all five available games through Netflix are exclusive to the service and have not been available on other devices. Stranger Things 3, a retro RPG for the third season of the Netflix series, was made available for several platforms but was taken out before the Netflix Games service launched.
After a launch price of $20, it was sometimes lowered to $10 for promotional purposes and often went on sale for $5. Now it’s included with your standard Netflix subscription along with several selections of other games.
How it works
Netflix Games require you to download the games directly onto your device, unlike Microsoft Cloud Streaming (Xbox Cloud gaming), Google Stadia, or Sony’s Playstation Now.
A lot of people perhaps raise their eyebrows at this decision since Netflix, which is a company known for its streaming video service. Netflix has yet to reveal its plan to introduce a streaming game service, but this is the “early days of creating a great gaming experience.”
For international users, the games are available in several languages, so any games you download will be accommodated to the language preference from your Netflix profile. You can also download the games for each profile on your account across multiple devices, and some games will be available even without an internet connection.
In the future, Netflix has expressed its intention to cater to “every kind of player,” from beginners to more experienced gamers.
Parental controls extension
Netflix Games won’t be available on kids’ accounts. PIN can be used both to protect your adult profiles and to access Netflix Games, so, the parental controls features are basically an extension of the controls that already available on your regular Netflix account.
