Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is bringing its video games to television screens for the first time, expanding one of its key growth initiatives beyond mobile devices.
Co-Chief Executive Officer Greg Peters announced the move on Wednesday at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles. Subscribers will now be able to play select games on TVs, using their phones as controllers.
The initial lineup includes group-friendly titles such as Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp and Lego Party. All the games are free for Netflix subscribers, though Lego Party typically retails for about $40. To play, users need a smart TV or a streaming device like Roku, and can connect by scanning a QR code on their phones.
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) began offering games four years ago as part of its plan to grow beyond movies and TV shows. Previously, users could only access them on mobile devices. The company hopes that bringing gameplay to the big screen will help it tap into a broader audience.
Alain Tascan, head of Netflix’s gaming business, said many entertainment companies have failed to enter the video game industry because “they took a short-term approach.” Tascan joined Netflix in July 2024 from Fortnite publisher Epic Games to help shape a longer-term strategy.
Netflix has identified four focus areas for its gaming push: games for kids, party games, mainstream hits like Grand Theft Auto, and titles based on Netflix franchises such as Stranger Things. The company has also been investing in cloud server capacity to ensure smoother gameplay as traffic increases.
“To entertain the world, we must include games,” Tascan said. “A lot of companies have a lot of users, but not that many have all these people on the main entertainment screen at home, the TV.”