Netflix launches Game Controller app for playing games on your TV

Netflix has launched a new app that will soon allow subscribers to play games on their TV. The app, called Netflix Game Controller, will transform your phone into a controller that you can use to play games through Netflix’s platform.

Back in 2021, Netflix launched several mobile games that are free for subscribers to play through the service on your phone, including Stranger Things: 1984 and Shooting Hoops. The mobile game library has expanded since then, with more than 63 titles available at the time of writing.

Since the launch of Netflix’s mobile games, the company has been open about its plans to expand into cloud-based gaming. Back in 2022 at the TechCrunch Disrupt event, Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu told the audience that Netflix was “exploring a cloud gaming offering.”

Right now it’s not clear which games will be available for you to play on your TV with your new games controller (read: iPhone) and whether these will be Netflix’s mobile games we’re already familiar with. But we’re excited to see whether the mobile controller will be a hit.

Will cloud gaming push Netflix to new heights?

Several cloud gaming services have failed in the past, most famously Google’s Stadia. Will Netflix rise where similar offerings fell?

Right now it’s difficult to say. It’s promising that Netflix already has an established subscriber base. And anything the platform can do to make switching from streaming boxsets to gaming easy and seamless is going to be a smart move – using your phone as a controller is a good start.

While we wait for Netflix’s cloud-based game offering to officially launch, take this opportunity to get into mobile games. Not sure which service is best? Read our Apple Arcade vs Netflix Games guide.