On July 1, your Netflix subscription will be worth less.
Not worthless, but you'll be getting less content for your money because nearly two dozen games are leaving Netflix Gaming next month, including hits like Hades, Death's Door, and Monument Valley.
The games getting axed will depart throughout the month, with Hades leaving on July 1 and Death's Door sticking around until July 14. Some of these games have no other mobile versions, at least not at the time of writing, so you might have just a few days left to play them.
Here's a look at all the games that are leaving, some good news, and alternatives to Netflix Gaming.
My favorite mobile gaming service just got a lot worse
A staggering 22 games are leaving Netflix Gaming next month, including nearly 20% of the service's entire game library. The titles getting axed are some of the best Netflix Gaming had to offer, too, like Hades, the Monument Valley series, Death's Door, and Katana ZERO.
Netflix subscribers were previously able to play all of these games for no extra charge on iOS and Android (with Hades being the only exception for Android users). However, in a matter of days, that will no longer be case and most of these games don't have mobile editions outside of Netflix Gaming (yet, anyway).
The full list of games being removed from Netflix Gaming includes nearly two dozen titles, as originally reported by Engadget:
- Battleship
- Braid, Anniversary Edition
- Carmen Sandiego
- CoComelon: Play with JJ
- Death’s Door
- Diner Out: Merge Cafe
- Dumb Ways to Die
- Ghost Detective
- Hades (iOS/iPadOS only)
- Katana ZERO
- LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
- Ludo King
- Monument Valley
- Monument Valley 2
- Monument Valley 3
- Rainbow Six: SMOL
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- SpongeBob: Bubble Pop F.U.N.
- TED Tumblewords
- The Case of the Golden Idol
- The Rise of the Golden Idol
- Vineyard Valley
It's not all bad news, though. Monument Valley 3 is leaving Netflix Gaming, but it will return with a regular mobile release that doesn't require a Netflix subscription. The first two games in the series are already available as stand-alone titles.
Similarly, Devolver Digital said in a statement to The Verge that it's working to get its Netflix titles back on mobile platforms "as soon as possible," including two of my personal favorites, Death's Door and Katana ZERO.
Hopefully that will also be the case with other titles impacted by this change, particularly hits like Hades.
Best alternatives to Netflix Gaming
While I'm obviously disappointed that Netflix Gaming is losing many of its gems, including some of the best games the service had, it's not the only option for mobile gaming.
The first alternative, and possibly the best one, is the growing library of games with mobile ports outside of Netflix Gaming, including some titles that have separate "Netflix Editions." Dead Cells is a perfect example. There's a Netflix version of it, but you can also just buy the game by itself on iOS and Android.
There are also plenty of great mobile games beyond Netflix Gaming. Dredge, Stardew Valley, Prince of Persia: Lost Crown, Slay the Spire, the Kingdom series, Limbo, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Minecraft, and more are all natively available on mobile and aren't dependent on Netflix Gaming. While you have to pay for them, you're getting a full game that doesn't rely on a subscription.
It's also worth mentioning cloud gaming services, such as Nvidia GeForce Now. While it's not a perfect solution since it requires a fast internet connection, cloud gaming allows you to play PC games on your phone. I've had a great time using GeForce Now with my Nothing CMF Phone 1 and a Razer Kishi Ultra controller.
If you have a large PC library you wish you could play on the couch or while traveling, cloud gaming could be worth considering (and costs about the same as a Netflix subscription).
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