Netflix's gaming ambitions have taken over both Google Play and the App Store, with free Netflix games topping the charts on both stores.
Two years ago, Netflix announced it would start adding games to its subscription. Netflix now has 86 games available to download and play on mobile, and the streamer has even conquered both the Google Play and App Store digital marketplaces with its latest release. With the help of Rockstar Games' mega-popular Grand Theft Auto franchise, of course.
In a surprising move, Netflix teamed up with Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to launch the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition mobile port on the service. Actually, launch is a bit of a misnomer; Netflix subscribers can download a special version of the GTA games on both mobile stores. These versions are separate from the base games in the newly-released GTA mobile trilogy, which are sold at $19.99 a piece.
The Netflix version of GTA San Andreas is the #1 top free game on both the App Store and on Google Play. This is a significant achievement for Netflix's gaming division and speaks of extremely high levels of engagement with the games and the subscription itself.
Early reports from CNBC indicated that less than 1% of Netflix users had actually played the games available on the service. That's certainly changed thanks to the GTA launch.
Netflix is playing the long game with its interactive entertainment plans, with a mix of both first-party content and third-party games being incorporated free of charge without microtransactions or ads. It's a big push against services like Apple Arcade and Google's own Play Pass, but Netflix is also hoping to grow subscribers and retain the ones it already has.
