Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos wants the company to invest early in cloud gaming on televisions. He sees opportunities in what he called a “post-console world.” At Bloomberg Screentime on September 30, Sarandos described mobile gaming as a path toward games streamed to TVs.
Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw asked whether Netflix would still be involved in gaming five years from now. Sarandos replied, “I think so,” and described mobile gaming as “a gateway to cloud gaming.” He was particularly interested in using phones as controllers for games streamed to TVs. GameSpot reported the exchange on October 2.
Netflix Wants Games on the TV
That experience already exists through Netflix Games on TV. On supported televisions, members can select a game in Netflix. A QR code connects their phone as a controller. The games are included with a Netflix membership and don’t require a separate console.
FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition uses that setup for football matches. Unhinged uses phone calls, messages and other interactions as part of its horror story. Netflix Minigolf brings Stranger Things, Squid Game and Bridgerton into a party game with themed courses.
Those examples connect to another part of Sarandos’ comments. He sees gaming as a way to extend Netflix’s shows and films into something members can play. He wants to offer games to members who would rather play than watch a show.
Netflix Is Continuing to Invest in Cloud Gaming
Netflix began its gaming efforts with downloadable mobile games before scaling back parts of its internal development operation. Sarandos’ comments put more emphasis on the company’s TV cloud gaming efforts, which have already been expanding throughout 2026.
In July, we reported that monthly active use of Netflix cloud games had increased elevenfold since October 2025. Co-CEO Greg Peters said adoption was faster than for Netflix’s earlier mobile games. He also reported better retention value. Netflix hasn’t disclosed the starting audience or current user totals, so the growth figure doesn’t tell us how many people are playing.
In September, we also covered Netflix’s search for a Director, Cloud Gaming Infrastructure. The role involves significant hardware investment to support what Netflix calls “massive concurrent user scale.” Netflix hasn’t provided a rollout timetable or a numerical target for simultaneous users.
Netflix’s TV and browser games remain in beta, with availability depending on the country and device. Sarandos sees room for Netflix to grow beyond movies and shows, with more people opening the app on their TVs to play games. Getting that experience onto more screens will be an important part of making that happen.
As always, remember to follow us on our social media platforms (e.g., Threads, X (Twitter), Bluesky, YouTube, and Facebook) to stay up-to-date with the latest news. This website contains affiliate links. We may receive a commission when you click on these links and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We are an independent site, and the opinions expressed here are our own.
