Netflix to Delete Indie Games, Shifting Focus

Netflix is changing its gaming strategy, and several indie titles are set to disappear. Popular games like Hades and Braid, Anniversary Edition will be removed next month, signaling a shift towards original series tie-ins and mainstream titles.

Upcoming Game Removals

Starting July 2025, Netflix will remove several games from its service. The first to go will be Hades, on July 1st. Other games, including Katana Zero and Braid, Anniversary Edition, will follow on July 14th. Carmen Sandiego is also slated for removal, but a specific date hasn’t been set.

The news was initially revealed through notifications within the Netflix app itself. These games were exclusive to the streaming platform, meaning that after their removal, they may no longer be playable on Android or iOS devices.

Developer Response

Digital Devolver is considering re-releasing some games, such as Poinpy, Katana Zero, and Death’s Door, as paid titles on app stores. Nigel Lowrie, a spokesperson for Digital Devolver, shared this information on June 25, 2025. Each game developer has their own timeline regarding these changes.

“Like Poinpy, Katana Zero and Death’s Door to the application store as a paid title.”

—Nigel Lowrie, Digital Devolver Spokesperson

The game developers have varying plans regarding this change. A representative from Color Gray Games, the developer of The Case of the Golden Idol series on Netflix, stated on Discord that the news was acceptable. However, Andrejs Klavins, the main designer and programmer, indicated that most third-party developers were caught off guard, suggesting a less-than-long-term strategy from Netflix.

Strategic Shift

This move signifies a significant shift in Netflix’s gaming strategy. The company is moving away from acquiring games on a large scale. In October 2024, Netflix stopped acquiring games on a large scale and even shut down a studio before it could release an AAA game.

Netflix is now concentrating on titles that tie into its original series, multiplayer games, children’s games, and games that already have a large fan base. This shift reflects a broader trend in the mobile gaming market, with companies increasingly focusing on established franchises and in-house development. In 2023, the mobile gaming market generated $92.2 billion in revenue, showcasing the industry’s financial potential. (Newzoo, 2023).

The most popular game on Netflix is currently Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with around 37 million downloads. Squid Game: Unleashed, based on the popular Korean series, comes in second with under half the downloads of San Andreas. These two titles are not scheduled for removal.

Games Being Removed from Netflix

• Battleship
• Braid, Anniversary Edition
• Carmen Sandiego
• CoComelon: Play with JJ
• Death’s Door
• Diner Out: Merge Cafe
• Dumb Ways to Survive
• Ghost Detective
• Hades
• 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

With this new focus, Netflix is aiming for a more streamlined approach to its gaming offerings.