Netflix Games lands major franchise: Grand Theft Auto trilogy
posted Sunday Dec 3, 2023 by Scott Ertz
Since Netflix first launched Netflix Games, the company has relied heavily on small games and in-house IP. This has included games with the backing of the Stranger Things and Love is Blind brands. Now, Netflix is leveling up its game offerings by bringing in one of the biggest gaming franchises in history: Grand Theft Auto.
What is Netflix Games?
Netflix Games is a feature offered by Netflix that allows subscribers to download and play a selection of mobile games at no additional cost. The games are available on Android and iOS devices, and they are free of advertisements and in-app purchases. The service includes more than 50 exclusive mobile games, ranging from action-packed shooters to peaceful world explorations. To access these games, users need to have a Netflix streaming subscription and a compatible mobile device.
The games offered by Netflix Games are diverse and cater to a wide range of interests. Some of the available games include Dust & Neon, a futuristic shooter game; Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story, a fast-paced rhythm runner; and Into the Dead 2: Unleashed, an action shooter set in a zombie apocalypse. The games are integrated into the Netflix app, but they can also be downloaded separately from the App Store or Play Store. To play the games, users need to log in with their Netflix account.
Grand Theft Auto trilogy
The introduction of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy to Netflix Games marks the first major third-party partnership for the platform. Sure, Sonic Prime Dash and TRANSFORMERS Forged to Fight are both available on the platform, but it's not quite the same. These games might have a big franchise attached, but neither are high-profile games in their own rights.
Grand Theft Auto is a major game franchise, and the three titles in the trilogy are all high-profile. The included games are 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. These games represent one of the heights of the franchise, and their inclusion in the lineup shows that Netflix is even more focused than ever on making this offering a success.
In addition to the success of these games, the next iteration of the franchise is on the horizon, with a trailer coming out this coming week. So, Netflix is hitting this franchise at the perfect time, with people likely to want to jump back in time and revisit the fictional Vice City, which is rumored to be the setting for Grand Theft Auto VI, the next game in the franchise.
Netflix Games on TV
One of the upcoming features of Netflix Games is the ability to play on a TV. The company launched a mobile controller without any public way to use it. Though, the company did confirm that it was testing a TV-based gaming experience with a mobile controller app. Unfortunately, no launch date or full plans were announced at the time.
This partnership could indicate that the offering is closer to launch and they are using Grand Theft Auto as its launch title. We won't have long to conjecture, though, as Grand Theft Auto arrives on Netflix Games this month.
