Netflix just added free games for kids to your subscription. Here’s how to access them |
Netflix just added free games for kids to your subscription. Here’s how to access them
The streaming giant’s new app lets kids play games with familiar characters while giving parents more control over screen time.
BY María José Gutierrez Chavez
From Peppa Pig to Sesame Street, kids will be able to step into their favorite character’s universe in a new Netflix gaming app for children launching Monday.
Aimed at children ages 8 and younger, Netflix Playground is the streaming giant’s latest app offering age-appropriate games and activities included in all Netflix memberships.
“We’re building a world where kids can not only watch their favorite stories, they can step inside them and interact with their favorite characters,” John Derderian, Netflix VP of animation series and kids and family TV, said in a press release announcing the app.
Netflix Playground is now available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and the Philippines. The app will be rolled out more broadly via Apple’s App Store and Google Play starting April 28.
Netflix first introduced mobile gaming in 2021, linked to popular franchises like Stranger Things. But, despite the streamer’s popularity, the gaming offering failed to gain traction. A year after its introduction, less than 1% of Netflix users had interacted with the streamer’s video games.
A second shot at gaming
Experts had pointed out that one of the major challenges with early adoption of Netflix Games could be linked to the games not being instantly playable, a criticism that Netflix has since addressed with the children’s app.
Netflix Playground is a part of the streaming giant’s ongoing bet on video games, with a shifting and more intentional strategy revealed last year, including a move to to make games instantly playable .
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