Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Netflix games may be coming to TVs soon, as revealed by new iOS app

Tomas Franzese
By
A Netflix controller app shows gamepad buttons on screen.
Netflix

It looks like Netflix might be expanding its gaming offerings to TVs soon, as a Netflix Game Controller is now on the iOS App Store. Netflix has yet to announce or comment on the purpose of the app, but a message shown when the app boots up confirms that it’s coming.

Netflix has slowly made its way into the gaming industry over the past couple of years, acquiring studios and adding a dedicated game section to its mobile app that lets players download premium mobile games. The library includes some great games like Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, but has yet to break into the mainstream, likely due to its somewhat obscure availability. This new app, which was preemptively listed on Apple’s storefront by Netflix and lines up with leaks from earlier this year, indicates that Netflix Games are coming to the TV. The message that appears when booting up the Netflix Game Controller app.

Recommended Videos

The description for the app states that “this Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device.” After downloading and booting up the app, Digital Trends discovered two more messages asking players to “choose a game on your TV and follow the directions to connect” and that “Netflix Games on TV are in beta. Some devices may not be supported at this time.”

Related

All of this points to an impending beta rollout for games on Netflix’s TV apps, which has not been announced yet. As such, we don’t have any idea about which televisions or games the iOS app or Netflix Games on TV will support just yet. Regardless, this looks like a massive evolution for Netflix’s gaming efforts, especially as it gears up to release a cloud gaming service.

Netflix declined to comment on the program when asked by Digital Trends, but it did refer us to previous statements it made about its intentions to break into cloud and TV game streaming.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
How to continue to play Fortnite on Android and iOS
Someone playing Fortnite on a phone.

It's been an eventful few days for Epic Games. In response to Epic allowing players to purchase V-Bucks directly -- at a 20% discount, no less -- Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store. A cascade of lawsuits and corporate flexing followed, in what appears to be a coordinated effort to reduce app store fees across Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store. Regardless, Fortnite is no longer available on the App Store or Google Play. Hope isn't lost for Fortnite fans, as there are still ways to play Fortnite on Android and iOS. Here's what you need to know.

Further reading

Read more
Apple iOS 14, iPadOS 14 deliver major gaming improvements
apple ios 14 best new features screenshots availability home screen

Apple's recently announced iOS 14, macOS, iPadOS 14, and tvOS promise several major improvements that could make gaming on them feel more like playing on a console or PC.

Apple released new details about its upcoming operating systems this week, including a rash of new game-controller support functions, like button remapping, rumble, and motion controls. As long as developers code those features into their games, players with traditional game controllers will be able to swap their buttons, feel vibrations during gameplay, and more.

Read more
Apple Arcade’s iOS 13 beta launch surprises game developers
sayonara-wild-hearts

Apple Arcade Preview — Coming Fall 2019

Apple's monthly gaming subscription service Apple Arcade isn't scheduled to launch until September 19, but iOS 13 beta users were able to access it early this week. This news came as a surprise to many, but it also came as a surprise to some of Apple Arcade's game development partners, as well.

Read more