Netflix to add three Grand Theft Auto games this December

Netflix subscribers can play all three classic titles from Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition on mobile platforms at no extra cost starting December 14, 2023. Users won't need a controller to play these games, and this was the case with other Netflix games as well.

The games in question are Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and users can now pre-register for them. Subscribers can access the trilogy through Netflix's mobile app, Google Play, and Apple’s App Store.

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Will GTA be a game-changer for Netflix?

The streaming platform's attempts at making inroads in the gaming sector have met with a mixed response, as merely 1 percent of its subscriber base reportedly downloads games. Grand Theft Auto, a cult franchise that sold nearly 405 million units worldwide as per data firm Statista, has the potential to change its fortunes.

However, Insider Intelligence analyst Ross Benes feels that the mobile platform may limit some features and offer an "inferior format" of the games users are familiar with.

He told CNBC,

“Playing Vice City or San Andreas on your phone is a cool feature for existing subscribers. (but they won't) access a game they're probably already familiar with so that they can play it in an inferior format.”

Rockstar Games originally released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition in November 2021 and received a mixed response from ardent fans of the franchise. It is priced at $59.99 and is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One/Series X.

The older GTA titles are coming to Netflix in a time where fans are waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6, the series’ first release in nearly a decade.

Last month, Rockstar Games said its first trailer will be unveiled in early December. However, it didn’t mention the exact date.

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Netflix has a plan in place to grow in the gaming sector

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the streaming platform has bagged a big-ticket franchise. It released Sonic Prime Dash, based on Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog, earlier this year.

The streaming platform launched its first games nearly two years ago, in 2021, with a catalog of 80 titles across genres. It began testing on PCs and connected devices this summer.

These efforts are a part of its plan to incorporate gaming into its core services and offer users better value for their money without including ads, in-app purchases, or extra costs.

Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, had hinted at the same in an interview about the Q3 2023 earnings.

He said,

“We’ve got ambitious plans there. We want to really grow our engagement by many multiples of where it is today over the next handful of years.”

Some of its recent game additions are based on popular series and films. Chicken Run: Eggstraction, for instance, is based on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Similarly, the platform offers an interactive game based on the Alvaro Morte-led series Money Heist and a role-playing game based on the fantasy show Shadow and Bone. A game based on Zach Snyder’s Rebel Moon films is also in the works.

Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will be available to Netflix subscribers in nearly two weeks, on December 14.