These are the best Netflix games available.
Netflix is probably your first port of call when it comes to movies and TV shows, but it also has a variety of games on offer too, all included within a Netflix membership. Netflix buckled down and invested in both licensing and developing games, using their most popular properties such as Stranger Things and making new forays into mobile with games like Knittens, a match-three game with surprising puzzle mechanics that come into play.
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For no extra cost, you might as well see which true gems among their selection are worth the extra attention. You never know — you just might find a new favorite.
Do you remember I Spy books from grade school? They're picture books that encourage young kids to pour over each detail to find themed items on each page, often paired with a cute, anecdotal story. Krispee Street is in the same vein as the I Spy books, but with a unique animated style of its own.
The game is the definition of calming: you don't have a timer to race unless you want to, and the music is atmospheric and implements small changes depending on where your current objective is located. All of that plays second to the art of the game, with hooded figures of all shapes and colors, and dog-like creatures who hold their eyes in their mouths. Each piece of art hides secrets to discover.
At first glance, Knittens is a regular match-three game along the same lines as Candy Crush and the like. But take a closer look, and you'll see that the cats have completely taken control of the game. At the end of each level, mice appear to take count of each power-up you didn't use, while small kitty paws reach out and try to grab the mice as quickly as they can.
Despite the kitten-themed dystopia, Knittens is another game you can log under calming and relaxing, so long as you have enough moves to finish later puzzles in the game. Better still, once you reach the end of a certain number of levels, you'll be able to knit your gear for your chosen kitten.
If you're into either the League of Legends universe or rhythm games in general (strange mash up, but you'll see where it's going), then Netflix has Hextech Mayhem, where the rhythm you move to isn't dancing, but bombs. You play as the Dean of Demolition, Ziggs, friend, and annoyance of Heimerdinger, from the original game and the movie Arcane as well.
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The game strikes a balance between moving in time to the beat of the song and being able to throw your bombs at the right points to make the beat go boom with a little extra TNT. There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to keeping in time with the beat, but if you can manage to dance the dynamite disco with the Dean of Destruction, then you're going to make the game explode with style.
Live out your kingdom-building aspirations in Townsmen - A Kingdom Rebuilt. You're the fallen lord from a nearby kingdom, set with the task of building something of your own as you come to know your new citizens.
There are different scenarios you can start the game from, with the hardest starting you off in the cold, barren winter with no food. Although the game has been out for a while, the Netflix version removes all the in-game monetization and adds exclusive bonuses as a thank you for playing. If governing and micromanaging a kingdom into infamy sounds like a good time to you, this game is an easy pickup.
Games that look the simplest tend to be the most difficult, and that also rings true for the puzzle game Teeter. The premise of the game is simple: get the ball into the hole by moving each side of the platform.
If you happen to be the type of person that presses the screen passionately, then you're going to have a hard time. The game is surprisingly good at detecting the amount of pressure you place onto the screen, and your ball will end up leaving the side of the platform often because of how sensitive the controls can seem. Beware of the goals with the skulls over them — they'll start your level over.
A shop simulator by day and a roguelike dungeon crawler by night, Moonlighter pays homage to its Legend of Zelda roots with both the cute references NPCs make during conversations you have with them, and its top-down design.
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You play as Will, the last of the Moonlighter family. You dedicate yourself to keeping the shop open by going on adventures to keep the store stock up. Combat is in real-time, and you have both a regular attack button and a charge button that launches you toward the monsters. These monsters dwell in the mysterious caves opened to different dimensions for brave, and possibly foolhardy, adventurers.
If top-down combat isn't your forte, Arcanium is a single-player strategy card game that's combined with roguelike mechanics and a non-linear approach to both the story and the map's maneuverability. There are many characters to choose from — you start the game with three of them, unlocking more as you progress.
You and your band of heroes set off on the arduous task of saving the world from Akhan the Calamity and the world of Arzu from absolute destruction. The combat incorporates a day-and-night cycle that affects the playing field in multiple ways, such as making you more vulnerable to ambushes at night and having tiles on the battlefield becoming corrupted, infecting your whole party. Defeat the three acts to stop the calamity.
Relic Hunters: Rebels takes place on planet Moniris IV, and the main cast ends up there after a failed attempt to gain the relic of the void. The relic has been stolen, along with the literal past, and it's up to your squad to unite the conflicting factions on Moniris IV to rescue the past once and for all.
The game is bright with beautiful neon colors, and is fully voice-acted with an interesting story that takes fun twists throughout. The gameplay is fluid and smooth, and each playable character comes with a unique ultimate move to help against the hoard of angry space ducks who are coming for you.
One of the few games created specifically with Netflix, Stranger Things: 1984 is a loose reimagining of the first season of the popular show. You start off playing as Hopper, a sad and lonely officer of the Hawkins Sheriff's Office who has been informed that four kids are missing.
With each kid you find, you can then play as them and get into places you couldn't before. In this game, you jump head first into Hawkins National Laboratory with nothing but sheer determination and an enlarged punching hand that breaks down walls. It's a pixel lover's paradise, as it borrows its style from the NES era of games and pairs it with smooth animations.
It might be a little unfair to place Stranger Things in back-to-back spots, but each one is great, and they vary in terms of gameplay as well. Where 1984 leaned into the faster-paced action route, Stranger Things 3 slows down the tempo and opens the town up, giving you places to explore and side quests to fulfill.
The visual components are also enhanced and are given more dimension than its 8-bit predecessor. Following the same plot beats as season three of the show, you start by playing Mike and Lucas trying to sneak into the theater. The world opens up the more characters you unlock — only then will you be able to find the secrets spoilers.
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Rena is a writer at TheGamer.com. She loves to learn and research for fun in her spare time. You can find her on Twitter @RenaDarling2U