Netflix Launches Playground, a New Game App for Young Kids

Netflix adds a separate home for kids’ games

Netflix is giving its family-friendly games effort a more focused identity with the launch of Netflix Playground, a new app built for children aged eight and under. As with the rest of Netflix’s gaming catalog, the titles in Playground are included with a Netflix subscription and come without ads or in-app purchases. A rare instance of a large streaming company offering something to children without also asking for another payment.

The app is available now in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand. Netflix says it will expand to the rest of the world on April 28.

A launch lineup built around familiar kids’ brands

The initial selection is made up mostly of games tied to well-known children’s shows, including Peppa Pig and Sesame Street. The latter is also now streaming on Netflix.

Netflix’s VP of Animation Series + Kids & Family TV, John Derderian, said in a statement, “We’re creating a seamless destination for discovery, learning, and play.”

Netflix narrows its gaming ambitions

Playground arrives as Netflix continues to refocus its gaming strategy. The company has been moving away from indie titles and more ambitious projects, including Spry Fox’s MMO Spirit Crossing.

Alongside family-friendly games, Netflix is also testing cloud-based TV games. One of those upcoming projects is a FIFA game expected to arrive in time for the World Cup.

Netflix first added games to its service in 2021, but the effort has yet to make a major dent, even with headline-grabbing releases like Grand Theft Auto. The company has also seen several setbacks, including studio closures such as Boss Fight, the team behind Squid Game: Unleashed, as well as a mysterious AAA studio that shut down before releasing anything at all.

In 2025, Netflix games president Alain Tascan laid out a new direction centered on TV and family-friendly games. “We need to find our voice,” he said at the time. Playground is the latest attempt to do exactly that, only with more cartoon animals and less existential dread.