Netflix Mobile Games Generate 13 Million Downloads as Streaming Giant Ramps Up Release Schedule

Netflix-published mobile games have generated more than 13 million downloads globally across the App Store and Google Play as the streaming giant ramps up its plans in the market, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data reveals.

To date, Netflix has published 24 mobile titles–which require Netflix account access to play–featuring exclusives, IP tie-ins, new titles and updated re-releases of older games. It follows on from its previous releases of interactive TV series like Bandersnatch, Minecraft: Story Mode, and the more recent Trivia Quest. The company recently unveiled a string of new titles it's set to publish in future, including The Queen’s Gambit Chess, Shadow and Bone: Destinies, and Too Hot To Handle–all of which have an associated Netflix series.

Millions of Players

The top Netflix-published mobile title by downloads to date across the App Store and Google Play is Stranger Things 1984, which has picked up close to 2 million downloads. Netflix Asphalt Xtreme ranks No. 2 with 1.8 million installs, while Stranger Things 3: The Game ranks No. 3 with 1.5 million. Please note that these estimates do not include downloads of the original release of Stranger Things: The Game from BonusXP, which generated 13.8 million downloads prior to its removal from the App Store and Google Play in 2021.

Since entering the games space, downloads for Netflix titles have ramped up to over 1 million per month. The company’s best month for mobile game installs so far was December 2021, when it generated 2.3 million downloads, while in May 2022 its portfolio of titles generated 1.4 million installs.

Stranger IP

Although Netflix has published a mix of licensed and non-licensed titles, utilizing its roster of IP is a clear part of the company’s strategy in the games space. Stranger Things 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game are two of its most downloaded mobile titles to date. Both games were able to take advantage of the hype around the release of the first seven episodes of Stranger Things season four on May 27, 2022, seeing a surge in downloads in the weeks after it began streaming. In the seven days between May 27 and June 2, 2022, Stranger Things 1984 downloads saw an approximately 2.6 times increase from the week prior to 115,000 installs. Stranger Things 3: The Game, meanwhile, saw a three times increase to 83,200 downloads week-over-week.

M&A Tales

While Netflix has published a number of games, the streaming giant has also made some acquisitions for in-house development. One of its purchases, Night School Studio, has worked on titles such as Oxenfree, which generated 2.1 million installs and accumulated $1.8 million from player spending on mobile. Another of the developer’s titles, Mr. Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n.ipa, in partnership with Telltale, picked up 56,000 downloads and $247,000 in revenue on mobile prior to its removal in 2019.

Another acquisition, Next Games, has generated 43 million downloads and approximately $187 million to date from its portfolio of mobile titles. Its top game, The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land, has generated 29.4 million downloads since its launch, racking up $128.4 million from player spending. The developer has a history of working on IP-based titles, including The Walking Dead: Our World, Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales and Blade Runner: Rogue.

Expanding Engagement

Netflix spearheaded the online TV and film streaming revolution, remaining one of the largest players in the space, and is now facing fierce competition from the likes of Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video, to name a few. Not content with this position, the streaming giant is now branching out into other media, with its sights firmly set on gaming. The move could open up options as a future revenue stream, engagement tool for its platform, and another way for consumers to interact with its increasingly broad IP portfolio.