Netflix isn't giving up on gaming just yet
You can now stream Netflix games to your TV and computer
Slowly but surely, Netflix is expanding its reach into video games. The popular streaming platform has offered mobile games for a while now – with little success – but now it’s taking a leaf out of Apple’s book by allowing you to play games on your TV or computer, albeit via streaming.
A beta test for Netflix’s new gaming push is now live in Canada and the UK for TVs, with support for PC and Mac coming in the coming weeks. Testers can try Oxenfree and Molehew’s Minin Adventure, but unlike the best Apple Arcade games, which let you play with a PS5 or Xbox controller, you’ll need to use your phone. Thankfully, games played on a computer will work with a keyboard and mouse.
“This limited beta is meant to test our game streaming technology and controller, and to improve the member experience over time,” Netflix said. It remains to be seen whether Netflix can offer a seamless experience, as cloud gaming can be problematic. Input latency and image quality are often the main concerns, something which Xbox Cloud Gaming is still trying to perfect.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Netflix gaming push
🕹️ Netflix is stepping up its gaming offering
📺 Canada and UK subscribers can now stream games to a TV
💻 Support for PC and Mac streaming is also on the way
🤷♂️ Netflix isn’t giving up on gaming just yet despite a lack of interest
However, you’d like to think that Netflix has a good grasp on cloud technology, considering how they revolutionized video streaming. However, streaming a video is a far simpler process than streaming a video game. We’ve seen countless companies struggle to offer a comparable experience to native console gaming and Google shut down Stadia last year after failing to disrupt the market.
Netflix will be hoping by offering its games on more devices it’ll gain more users. In 2022, a report revealed that 99% of Netflix subscribers don’t play its games.
If you’d like to try out Netflix’s gaming experience on TVs, you’ll need either an Amazon Fire TV, a Chromecast with Google TV, an LG TV, an Nvidia Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung smart TVs or Walmart ONN. More devices will be added later.
“By making games available on more devices, we hope to make games even easier to play for our members around the world. While we're still very early in our games journey, we're excited to bring joy to members with games,” Netflix Games boss Mike Verdu said. “We look forward to hearing feedback from our beta testers and sharing more as we continue on the road ahead.”