Netflix video game cloud streaming beta has already begun

08/15/2023

A select few Netflix subscribers in the UK and Canada are already able to try out Netflix’s new streaming service for games.

The miserable failure of Google’s Stadia service was not a very encouraging start for the concept of video game streaming, but despite its swift demise other, smaller, services have been quite happily chugging along, such as PlayStation Now, which is now part of PS Plus Premium, and the retro-themed Antstream.

And while they’re not making a big thing of it at the moment, cloud streaming is clearly at the forefront of Microsoft’s Xbox plans. After all, it was their potential domination of the market, not Call Of Duty, which was at the heart of monopoly concerns surrounding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Sony has also recently started testing its own 4K service, while Amazon and individual publishers like Ubisoft have their own alternatives too. And now so too does Netflix.

Netflix has become increasingly interested in video games in recent years, not just because of a number of successful shows but by offering mobile versions of indie titles through its service, including classics like Into The Breach and Immortality.

They’ve even bought a few developers such as Oxenfree maker Night School Studio and have established a new AAA studio, which includes veterans of Overwatch, Halo, and God Of War.

And now they’ve started a beta for a cloud streaming service that works through your TV, where you use a smartphone as a controller.

In a few weeks the beta will also be available via PC as well, where you can use a keyboard and mouse instead.

Only a select few subscribers in the UK and Canada can currently use the service, which at the moment only supports two games: Oxenfree and Mining Adventure.

Although it’s streaming you will need a compatible device, such as a Samsung or LG smart TV, Amazon Fire, Google’s Chromecast, or Nvidia Shield, with Netflix promising more devices being added over time.

‘We’ve been focused on creating a great gaming experience for our members since 2021 when we added mobile games to Netflix. Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth, and ubiquitous service,’ says Netflix’s Mike Verdu.

‘Today, we’re taking the first step in making games playable on every device where our members enjoy Netflix – TVs, computers, and mobile.’ Although he makes no mention of consoles.

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