As part of an initiative to broaden its reach beyond TV shows and film, Netflix is adding party games to its programming lineup with a push beyond mobile. The streaming giant is offering diversions like “Pictionary” and “Boggle” to enhance fun for family and friends through the holiday season. “We’re creating a completely new way to play games — one that’s as easy as streaming a show on a Friday night,” Netflix explains, adding that all you’ll need to experience the gaming action is “Netflix and your phone.” Other games include “LEGO Party!,” “Tetris Time Warp,” “and a fresh take on the social deduction genre ‘Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends.’”

“The streaming service is making its video games available for play on TVs for the first time,” co-CEO Greg Peters said Wednesday at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles, taking “a major step forward in one of its key growth initiatives,” Bloomberg reports.

Netflix added games to its mix four years ago, but until now, play was limited to mobile devices. With these new games, “subscribers will use their phones as controllers, but much of the play will be on the big screen,” according to Bloomberg.

At the beginning of 2025, Netflix “made it clear that these kinds of cloud-based party games were a priority,” with an emphasis on multiplayer games, The Verge writes.

“Just scroll to the ‘Games’ tab on your TV,” choose a game and play, Netflix explains in an announcement. “You’ll be able to go from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ to party games for all your friends and family, without having to leave Netflix.”

Alain Tascan left Epic Games in 2024 to head Netflix’s gaming business. His goal: “to help reboot the company’s strategy and break the Hollywood curse when it comes to games,” Bloomberg says, noting “a number of film and TV companies have tried to enter the space without success.”

The strategy will be a money saver. “‘LEGO: Party!,’ a title that will typically cost you $40, will be included in the Netflix subscription cost,” Engadget writes.

“Management has since identified four categories to prioritize: games for kids, games for parties, mainstream hits like ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and games based on existing Netflix properties such as ‘Stranger Things,’” Bloomberg reports.

While Netflix did not announce a specific launch date for its first wave of multiplayer TV games, saying only that they’re “coming soon,” the company made clear they’ll be here in time for the holiday season, and some subscribers are already seeing the Games tab on their TV screens.

Related:
Netflix is Unlikely to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Would Rather Focuses on Internal Growth & Gaming, Cord Cutters News, 10/9/25
Beyond Streaming: Netflix’s Quiet Moves into Gaming and Live Experiences, The Motley Fool, 10/4/25