Sure, Netflix has some glorious video games, however nobody’s enjoying them. In accordance with a latest report, lower than 1 p.c of people that subscribe to the streaming service really avail themselves of its free video games. That stat certainly isn’t helped by the method you’ve gotta undergo to play, which, whereas not completely byzantine, is extra sophisticated than it must be.

Learn Extra: Netflix Has Some Nice Video games However No person’s Enjoying Them

Netflix signaled its foray into video games early final yr, when it kickstarted a expertise hunt for execs from the gaming business. By November, the streamer added 5 video games to its cell app, although the preliminary choices had been disappointing, to say the least. (Who actually wants extra phoned-in video games based mostly on Stranger Issues?)

Now, the library—which is playable at no additional value to subscribers—accommodates some true diamonds within the tough, just like the tactical recreation Into the Breach, the physics platformer Poinpy, roguelike-lite Moonlighter, and the narrative gut-punch Earlier than Your Eyes.

How do you play video games on Netflix?

For now, you may’t play Netflix video games on a wise TV or, mockingly, a gaming console’s Netflix app. You’ll want both an Android gadget (up to date to at the least the Android 8.0 software program) or an Apple cell gadget (operating iOS 15 or later). From there, observe these steps:

1. Open the Netflix app, then scroll down till you see the Video games row. There’s no separate tab that collects all of the video games collectively.
2. Click on on the sport you need to play. That’ll take you to the storefront to your gadget—App Retailer for Apple telephones and tablets, Google Play for Android ones—at which level you’ll be prompted to obtain the sport onto your cellphone. It’ll present up as an unrelated app, although you’ll see the Netflix brand within the higher left hand nook of its icon.
3. While you boot up the sport, it’ll ask you which ones Netflix account you’re utilizing. (When you signal into one recreation, it appears to maintain you logged in for different video games, too.)

Positive, it’d be good to only…play these video games contained in the Netflix app—y’know, the identical method you watch any of the service’s films or TV reveals. Nonetheless, the method isn’t horrible. This morning, I attempted Into the Breach, which just lately obtained an enlargement so giant it could as effectively be a sequel, and located it simply as enjoyable on cell as it’s anyplace else. I additionally messed round with Poinpy and needed to tear myself away after the tutorial or else it will’ve legitimately derailed my day. Man, what an immediately compelling little recreation…

There are some quirks, nevertheless: I couldn’t get the audio for both recreation to work until I plugged in headphones. (Subway riders of the world ought to rejoice figuring out that Netflix’s wave of free video games gained’t contribute to the cacophonous noise air pollution that already plagues America’s transit programs.) And the service isn’t fairly on the dimensions to compete with a few of the greatest mobile-gaming subscription providers, like, say, Xbox Recreation Cross or Apple Arcade. However as an avenue for a handful of easy-access video games, I’m impressed.

What video games does Netflix have?

At the moment, Netflix helps the next video games, although notes that not all video games can be found on all units:

• Arcanium: Rise of Akhan
• Asphalt Xtreme
• Earlier than Your Eyes
• Bowling Ballers
• Card Blast
• Dominoes Café
• Dungeon Dwarves
• Dragon Up
• Exploding Kittens
• Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story
• Into the Breach
• Into the Lifeless 2: Unleashed
• Knittens
• Krispee Avenue
• Mahjong Solitaire
• Moonlighter
• Poinpy
• Relic Hunters: Rebels
• Shatter Remastered
• Capturing Hoops
• Stranger Issues: 1984
• Stranger Issues 3: The Recreation
• Teeter (Up)
• This can be a True Story
• Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt
• Wonderputt Perpetually

Netflix plans to deliver that quantity to 50 earlier than April of subsequent yr, per The Washington Submit’s reporting. That tally will finally embrace video games developed in-house, too. Final yr, it acquired Night time College, the studio behind hit journey recreation Oxenfree. (Night time College showcased the sequel, Oxenfree II: Misplaced Alerts, at this yr’s Tribeca Competition.)

It’s unclear if there are any plans to make video games out there natively throughout the major Netflix app, or to spin off the sport library right into a supplemental software. When reached for remark, a Netflix spokesperson directed Kotaku to an organization weblog put up revealed final November.

“We launched video games on our service lower than one yr in the past,” the spokesperson mentioned. “It’s nonetheless early days and we acknowledge that we have now rather more work to do to ship an excellent Netflix cell video games expertise.”