The best games to play on Netflix right now

Published:2024-09-08T17:00 / Source:https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/448049/the-best-games-to-play-on-netflix-right-now

Zagreus in Hades standing with a sword in front of a big building and a red background

Netflix may still be the first name you think of when you consider streaming a movie or TV show, but over the last several years, the streaming service has made in-roads toward gaming as well. In fact, your Netflix subscription actually gets you access to quite a few great games, with the one little caveat that you’ll have to play them on your phone or tablet. 

While those might not be many people’s preferred gaming platforms, that doesn’t mean there aren’t great options for how to spend your time on Netflix before you find your next favorite show. To help you out, we put together a list of some of the best games on the platform, and we’ve split them into categories to help you know which ones are right for you: 

Portability

Netflix games are only available to play on phones or tablets, which isn’t always the platform games were designed for. When picking the best games on Netflix, how they transfer over to a smaller screen or a touchscreen is vital.

Variety

Not everyone is drawn to the same kinds of games. We could fill this list with just puzzle games, or narrative-driven games, but the goal is for everyone to be able to find something they’d enjoy. So our list features titles from different genres and moods.

Fun

Yeah, everything else is important, but if the game isn’t fun, what’s the point? Each of these games come highly recommended by a staff member at Polygon.


Netflix’s best mobile games

This category is for more traditional mobile games, generally ones that have been released on app stores already. In other words, if you’re looking to supplement your other phone games with your Netflix subscription, this is the perfect category for you. 

Snake.io

Several virtual snakes pass each other in Snake.io

A  slight remix on the classic Snake formula, Snake.io throws you into a random lobby with dozens of other players each competing to become the largest snake and eat everyone else. It’s a great time and can be surprisingly compelling, especially if you’re good enough to rule over all the tinier snakes in your lobby. 

Bloons TD 6

Several balloons travel down a stone path while monkeys with darts try to pop them

A tower-defense classic, Bloons Tower Defense 6 offers a ridiculous number of upgrades to earn and levels to play through, all in the name of stopping the nefarious balloons from reaching their destination. 

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon 

A screenshot from Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon with Shovel Knight facing off against a golden knight

A spinoff of the excellent roguelike Shovel Knight, Pocket Dungeon is a roguelike puzzle game where you have to help Shovel Knight dig his way through a variety of levels, made up of enemies and dirt, with each being equally dangerous.


Great games that are a perfect fit 

These are solid games that don’t exactly feel like mobile games, but do work pretty well on the platform. They’re mostly (but not all) narrative games and make great experiences that rival some of Netflix’s best shows. 

Spiritfarer 

A screenshot from Spiritfarer as a girl in a hat and a moose hug on a boat above red water

Spiritfarer is a beautiful game that has you ferrying people into the afterlife. It’s a gentle, gorgeous game where most of the gameplay is about stacking things on your boat as carefully as you can, but the touching characters are the real star of the show. 

Kentucky Route Zero 

A screenshot from Kentucky Route Zero that shows a truck on broken bridge

Kentucky Route Zero is a wonderful adventure game that’s more or less about the strangest road trip you’ll ever take. The game mostly follows a truck driver trying to make a delivery, but the real draw is stopping by the side of the road every now and then to have conversations with some of the most unique and fascinating characters ever created for a game. 

Into the Breach 

Art from Into the Breach in which a giant mech stands on a cliff starring out at a city that’s been destroyed

Created by the developers of the tremendous roguelike F.T.L., Into the Breach is a fantastic turn-based strategy game about managing your army of mechs and sending them on missions. The one word of warning here is that this game is easily the most challenging of any on this list. 


Your mileage may vary 

Make no mistake, this is a category full of good, sometimes great games… but they’re also games that we can’t give a full-throated recommendation for (mostly) because if you’re playing them through Netflix, it means you’re playing them on a mobile device, and these were games designed for other platforms. Thankfully, you can also download games whenever you want with your subscription, so you might as well give the titles on this list a shot and see if the somewhat compromised controls bother you. Or if you’ve got a controller that works with bluetooth, connect it to your phone and have a blast with these.

The Grand Theft Auto series

A man with a gun walks forward toward the camera with a neon sign behind him

Netflix gives you access to Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, all good games on consoles and in their own rights, but the touchscreen controls are a big ask from these already buggy remakes. But with GTA 6 right around the corner, it’s at least a great time to jump back into the series. 

Braid 

A screenshot from Braid with several enemies wandering on platforms while a character in a suit jumps around them

A great puzzle-platformer with some fantastic gameplay and narrative twists, Braid works well enough on a phone to still make it worth experiencing. 

Dead Cells 

A character from Dead Cells’ 2D environment shoots at an enemy

A tough game in the best of conditions, the touchscreen controls are a little too much to ask of this 2D roguelike Metroidvania gem. That being said, if the controls work well for you, it’s one of the best games Netflix has to offer. 

Hades 

The key art from Hades showing Zagreus in front of an ornate building while holding a sword

One of the best roguelikes of the decade, Hadesexcellent characters and art design, mixed with its inventive weapons and precise combat made it an instant classic when it came out in 2021 and it hasn’t diminished with age. 

Football Manager 2024 Mobile 

A menu from Football Manager 2024 Mobile which shows a match between AFC Wimbledon and Stockport in League Two

This one controls just fine, but where the tough-to-swallow bit comes in is that it’s still Football Manager. You probably already know if you’ll like this one just from the title. If you’re uncertain, maybe try managing your own football team and guiding them to a Champions League title or World Cup glory.

Source:https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/448049/the-best-games-to-play-on-netflix-right-now

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