How to Play Netflix Games on Your TV and Computer

Updated October 2026: Netflix games have changed a lot since I first wrote this. I rewrote the whole guide with the new Games tab, the current TV lineup, the updated phone controller setup, and what happened to the mobile games.

Back in the spring of 2025, I was scrolling Netflix on my Chromebox when I spotted a row labeled "Games (Beta)." I clicked it, found Cozy Grove and OXENFREE sitting right there, and tried them out on my screen. Then life got busy, and I didn't open that row again for over a year.

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When I finally went back this month, it barely looked like the same feature. Games now has its own tab at the top of Netflix. The TV lineup is mostly party games you play with your phone, and some of the biggest mobile games are gone. Here's how Netflix games work on your TV and computer right now, what you need, and which games are worth a try.

⚡ Key Takeaways

• 🎮 Netflix games now have their own Games tab on TVs and Netflix.com, and every game is included with your membership with no ads, extra fees, or in-app purchases.
• 📱 On TV, your phone or tablet is the controller. You scan a QR code, and each player uses their own device. Regular gamepads don't work.
• 🌎 TV and browser games are still in beta, but they've grown from 8 countries to 20, including the US, Canada, the UK, Brazil, and Australia.
• 🎉 The TV lineup leans hard into party games like Codenames Party, Pictionary: Game Night, LEGO Party!, and Netflix Minigolf.
• 💻 On a computer, use Chrome or Edge at Netflix.com. Some games use a keyboard and mouse, and others still need your phone.
• 📉 The mobile library got smaller. Hades, Monument Valley, and the last GTA game are gone, but Red Dead Redemption and Netflix Puzzled are still there.

What's Changed With Netflix Games Since 2025

The biggest change is where you find them. Netflix used to tuck TV games into a single "Games (Beta)" row on the home screen. Now Games has its own menu tab right next to Shows and Movies, both in the TV app and at Netflix.com. On a computer, you can go straight to netflix.com/games.

The second change is what's actually in there. In October 2025, Netflix rolled out a batch of party games for TV built around group play, and that's become the main focus. Boggle Party, LEGO Party!, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Party Crashers came first. Overcooked!, The Jackbox Party Essentials, Codenames Party, and a brand new Netflix Minigolf game followed in 2026.

The beta also got a lot bigger. When I first wrote this post, it was limited to eight countries. Netflix's help page for TV and computer games now lists 20, including Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa. And the controller setup changed, too. Your phone or tablet is the only controller option on TV, and iPhone users now pair through a separate Netflix Game Controller app.

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Who Netflix Games on TV Are Best For

If you already pay for Netflix and like a casual game night, this is an easy win. Nobody has to buy a console or extra controllers, because everyone just uses the phone that's already in their pocket. Families, couples, and friend groups get the most out of it, since most of the TV lineup is built for 2 to 10 players.

It's not a great fit if you want long, deep games on your TV. For bigger PC games without pricey hardware, try a cloud service built for that, like the one I used to play inZOI with GeForce NOW. And if your TV is a few years old, it may not support Netflix games at all.

What You'll Need to Play Netflix Games on TV

Netflix keeps the list pretty short.

• A supported country. Right now that's Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• A compatible TV or streaming device. Netflix says games work on many recent TVs and streaming devices. Look for Games in the top menu of your Netflix app.
• A phone or tablet for every player. iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 17 or later, plus the free Netflix Game Controller app. Android devices use the regular Netflix app.
• A steady internet connection. Netflix recommends download speeds of at least 10 Mbps.

If you don't see Games on your TV, here's a tip I wish I'd known the first time. Go to the Manage Access and Devices page in your Netflix account and turn on the toggle that says "Show devices compatible with games." Netflix's help page doesn't list specific TV models anymore, so this is the easiest way to check. When I first tested TV games, I used a Chromecast with Google TV, and it worked without any trouble.

How to Play Netflix Games on Your TV, Step by Step

Once your TV is supported, it only takes a few steps.

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1. Open Netflix on your TV and pick your profile.
2. Select Games from the top menu, or scroll down to a Games row.
3. Pick a game and select Play Game. If a game doesn't have that button, it's a mobile-only game.
4. A QR code will show up on your TV. Leave that screen open.
5. Scan the code with your phone's regular camera app and connect. The steps for each type of phone are below.
6. Have everyone else scan the same code with their own phone, then start playing.

Each phone becomes its own controller, which is how the game tells players apart.

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Pairing an iPhone or iPad

Point your camera at the QR code until a link pops up, then tap it. That opens the Netflix controller pop-up, and your phone connects. If you don't have the Netflix Game Controller app yet, you'll be prompted to install it. You also need iOS or iPadOS 17 or newer. And if your camera won't read the code, you can scan it from inside the Netflix Game Controller app instead.

Pairing an Android Phone or Tablet

Scan the QR code with your camera and tap the link that appears. If the Netflix app isn't installed, it'll send you to download it. Once it's installed, scan the code a second time, and your phone connects as a controller. You don't have to be signed in to Netflix on the phone for any of this to work.

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How to Exit a Game on TV

When you're done, press the Netflix N button on your phone's controller screen, or press back on your TV remote. Then choose Exit Game.

How to Play Netflix Games on Your Computer

You can also play some of these games at Netflix.com, which is how I first found them on my Chromebox. You'll need Google Chrome (any Chromium-based browser should work) or Microsoft Edge. Sign in, pick your profile, click Games at the top, choose a game, and click Play Game. When I tried it the first time, the game opened in full screen, so it felt a lot like playing on a small TV.

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What you play with depends on the game. Some use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad. Others, especially the party games, still ask you to scan a QR code with your phone. Netflix's help page only mentions keyboards, mice, trackpads, and phones for computer play, so I wouldn't count on a gamepad here. To leave a game, hold Shift + Tab and click Exit Game.

Which Netflix Games Can You Play on TV Right Now?

The lineup changes often, so think of this as a fall 2026 snapshot. Here's what's on the TV and web side now, based on Netflix's own listings and What's on Netflix's full games list.

Party Games for Game Night

• Codenames Party (1 to 10 players): the popular word-guessing board game, with a new one-against-all Party Mode. It joined in September 2026.
• Pictionary: Game Night: one person sketches, and everyone else races to guess.
• Boggle Party (up to 8 players): race the clock to find words in a scrambled letter grid.
• LEGO Party! (up to 4 players): a mix of minigames and challenges.
• Tetris Time Warp: a party spin on Tetris where you compete with friends for the high score.
• Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends: one player secretly doesn't know the topic, and everyone else tries to spot them.
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat: the chaotic co-op cooking game.
• The Jackbox Party Essentials: a bundle of Jackbox favorites, including Drawful 2 and Fibbage 4.
• Netflix Minigolf (up to 4 players): more than 60 levels themed around Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Bridgerton.
• Netflix Is a Joke Presents GIFTED: a meme and GIF party game.

Any of these would make a cheap at-home date night, too. I've got more ideas like that in my list of date ideas that go beyond Netflix and chill.

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Story and Horror Games

Not everything is a party game. The Conjuring: Unspoken came out on October 13, 2026, from Supermassive Games, the studio behind Until Dawn. Your TV shows the haunted house, while your phone becomes your ghost-hunting kit, working as an EMF reader, spirit box, and thermal camera. Its Netflix listing calls it a single-player interactive story that runs 60+ minutes, and it's rated 16+. Unhinged, a horror game starring Zoë Kravitz and Sadie Sink, and Dead Man's Party: A Knives Out Game are in the lineup, too.

Sports, Arcade, and Cozy Games

Soccer fans can play FIFA World Cup Launch Edition, which came out on June 11, 2026, with your phone as the controller. A few games from the original beta are still listed, too, including Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, OXENFREE, Link Twin, and the Atari Recharged games like Centipede, Caverns of Mars, and Missile Command. I was happy to see Cozy Grove still hanging on, since it was one of the first games I saw in that old beta row. Cozy game fan? Check out my list of cozy gaming groups, subreddits, and YouTube channels worth joining. One game that didn't make it is the Reigns game I mentioned in my original post. Reigns: Three Kingdoms left Netflix in December 2025.

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What Happened to Netflix's Mobile Games?

Mobile games are still a big part of Netflix, and they're still included with your plan. You download them through the Netflix app or your phone's app store and play them on your phone or tablet. Mobile games can't be played on your TV, even when you see them listed in the Games tab.

The library is smaller than it used to be, though. What's on Netflix counted around 100 games in mid-2026, and a bunch of well-known titles have left. Hades and all three Monument Valley games were removed in July 2025. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the last GTA game on the service, followed in December 2025. Farming Simulator is leaving now, too.

There's still plenty to play. When I looked, the mobile rows had Red Dead Redemption, Sonic Mania Plus, Squid Game: Unleashed, Solitaire, and Netflix's own puzzle game, Netflix Puzzled. Parents should check out Netflix Playground, a kids' game app that launched in April 2026. And Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise is on the way to mobile.

Is There a Catch? Things to Know Before You Play

The main downside is that it's still in beta. Netflix says it isn't available in every country or on every device yet, and Roku's Netflix games support page says even a compatible device might not get access right away. Games can also disappear for a bit while they're being updated. If you see "We can't play games right now," that game is under maintenance, so try another one or come back later.

If your phone screen turns off, the controller can disconnect, and you may need to scan the QR code again. Before a long game night, I'd plug in or bump up your screen timeout. Netflix also suggests turning off any VPN if your controller keeps dropping. A few other messages you might run into:

• "Your connection is unstable": Netflix suggests unplugging your modem and router for 30 seconds, plugging them back in, and trying again once your Wi-Fi is back.
• "Too many people are playing games on your account right now": someone else in your home is playing, so stop that game or close Netflix on the other device.
• "Too many people playing right now": demand is high on Netflix's end, so try another game or wait a little while.

Ratings vary a lot, so check before the kids grab a phone. Codenames Party is rated 7+, but The Conjuring: Unspoken is 16+. On the plus side, there's nothing extra to pay. Netflix says every game is included with your membership, with no ads, fees, or in-app purchases.

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Is Netflix Gaming on TV Worth Trying Again?

I think so, especially if you have people to play with. Setup is just a QR code scan, nobody needs a console, and the party lineup is way stronger than the handful of games I found back in 2025. It won't replace a PlayStation, and the beta label still shows now and then. But for an extra that comes with a subscription you already pay for, it's a fun way to turn a regular Friday night into game night.

If you want to try it, open the Games tab on your TV or go to netflix.com/games on your computer and pick a party game. If Games doesn't show up, turn on that "Show devices compatible with games" toggle in your account settings first. What would you play first?

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Netflix games free with a subscription?

Yes. Netflix says every game, on mobile and on TV, is included with your membership with no ads, extra fees, or in-app purchases. That's a big difference from most free mobile games, which make their money through ads or paid upgrades. You don't need a separate gaming plan, either. The only thing you need is a phone or tablet to use as a controller on TV, which most people already have. Mobile games do download to your device, so you'll need some free storage space. Netflix's games help page lays out all the details.

Can I use an Xbox or PlayStation controller for Netflix games on TV?

Not right now. Netflix's help center says gamepads and other controllers aren't supported for TV games. Your phone or tablet is the controller, and every player needs their own. Each phone acts as a separate controller, so the game can keep track of who's who, which matters a lot in party games. iPhones and iPads need iOS 17 or later along with the Netflix Game Controller app, and Android phones use the regular Netflix app. You can find setup steps on Netflix's phone controller help page. On a computer, some games use a keyboard and mouse instead.

Why don't I see the Games tab on my TV?

A few things can cause this. First, make sure you live in one of the 20 supported countries. Next, your TV or streaming device might be too old for games, or it may just need a software update. Netflix also has a toggle on the Manage Access and Devices page called "Show devices compatible with games," which shows which of your devices can play. Since TV games are still a beta, some members don't get access yet, even on a compatible device. Roku says the same thing on its Netflix games support page, so it's worth checking again later.

How many people can play a Netflix game at once?

It depends on the game. Codenames Party and Pictionary: Game Night allow up to 10 players, which is the most of any Netflix game so far, according to What's on Netflix. Boggle Party supports up to eight players, while LEGO Party! and Netflix Minigolf top out at four. Story games like The Conjuring: Unspoken are single-player. Every player needs their own phone or tablet, so a 10-person Codenames night means 10 phones. If you get a "too many people" message, someone may be playing on another device on your account.