You may not readily think of Netflix when your mind wanders to the subject of video games. But the fact is that the world’s largest streaming service has been offering its subscribers access to video games since November of 2021. And there’s a lot to be found in the Netflix catalogue, from retro platformers such as Sonic the Hedgehog to mobile adaptations of Grand Theft Auto titles to the newly released FIFA World Cup game.
Parents of little ones, however, may be far less interested in that grown-up gaming catalogue than they are the new Netflix Playground app that just released in April. This gaming application is designed specifically for toddlers and preschool kids. The games are free with any standard Netflix membership. And you can download all of the titles onto your phone to play offline.
What’s on the Netflix Playground?
So what will young kids encounter here? Well, first of all, the games feature Netflix cartoon characters that a lot of kids might recognize, such as individuals from Gabby’s Dollhouse, Peppa Pig, Bad Dinosaurs, Dr. Suess and Sesame Street. And even if they’re not instantly recognizable to your tykes, they’re still colorful and cute.
As far as the games are concerned, they’re all pretty accessible for the under-8 crew. There are jigsaw puzzles, pattern and shape recognition challenges, sticker books, hidden object games, coloring activities and the like. Most are simple to play and easy to navigate. But a few are a little more challenging.
One of my personal favorites was a fun game in the StoryBots section. In a way, the game acts like a simple introduction to coding for little kids. The player uses directional arrows (up, down, left and right) to program their robot avatar and navigate past obstacles and through transporting portals on a path to reach their goal in a limited number of moves. That may sound really easy, but the challenges get steeper with each victory.
Will Kids Enjoy Their Time on the App?
Of course, as a very non-kid myself, I was curious how easily a little one might navigate their way without a lot of grown-up help. Would the app be tough for a child to understand? Would the games be fun? Boring? So I asked my granddaughter, who’s 4, to give the app a try.
Now, full disclosure: My granddaughter is one of those rare kids who’s purposely been kept away from smartphone and tablet games. So a game about drying paint would have been a new experience for her. But long story short, she was able to get around the playground with intuitive ease.
My granddaughter loved the variety of fun things to do. (The Gabby’s Dollhouse games and coloring books were her favorites.) And when she played the matching games, she’d throw her arms up in the air in celebration as the game rewarded her with confetti showers upon a successful match.
In other words, the app was a winner.
Will Kids Be Safe on the App?
As far as potential content issues are concerned, there’s not a lot here to be wary of with the current lineup. The Bad Dinosaurs characters were consistently gassy (which happens to be their M.O.), and many winking giggles were made about that. But that’s about all I found. Netflix has stated that KPop Demon Hunters, My Little Pony and Paw Patrol games are slotted to join the lineup soon.
On that note, I should also mention that Netflix currently does not offer specific controls to restrict any games in its Playground catalogue. So at this point, if you download one, you download them all.
To recap, if you want the Netflix Playground for your littles, you’ll need a Netflix subscription and a compatible device to download it to—an Android phone or tablet running Android 8.0 or later, or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS/iPadOS 15 or later. You’ll also need an internet connection to download the app and enough storage to hold the app (although once it’s downloaded, it works offline): Netflix recommends having at least 1.5 GB of available memory on your device to ensure smooth downloading and installation.
Of course, there’s also the question of whether or not you should want an app designed to gobble up your toddler’s time like a gas-passing baby T. rex. But … that’s another blog.
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