Netflix Launches Free Kids Gaming App to Compete With Apple Arcade - MacRumors
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Netflix Launches Free Kids Gaming App to Compete With Apple Arcade

Netflix today launched a new Netflix Playground app designed for kids who are eight and under. Playground offers a selection of games with popular characters from shows like Sesame Street and Peppa Pig, with no ads and no in-app purchases.


Playground is included in all Netflix memberships, and it is an expansion of the existing gaming options that Netflix offers. Netflix has had games available since 2021, but now there is a dedicated space for games aimed at children. Netflix Playground is a standalone app that users can sign into with a Netflix account, and it is available on the iPhone and iPad.

With Netflix Playground, Netflix will compete with Apple Arcade, which is Apple's subscription gaming service. Like Playground, ‌Apple Arcade‌ games have no ads, fees, or in-app purchases, with one monthly fee unlocking all content. Apple has hundreds of titles, and it does not have an all-in-one subscription option with both streaming content and gaming access like Netflix does.

Apple does have an Apple One bundle that combines Apple TV, iCloud+, Apple Music, and ‌Apple Arcade‌ for $19.95 per month, but the ad-supported Netflix plan that includes TV shows, movies, and games for adults and children is cheaper at $8.99 per month. Ad-free Netflix is about the same price as ‌Apple One‌ at $19.99 per month.

Netflix's children's app launches as multiple countries have introduced stricter app restrictions for minors and age verification requirements for app users. The renewed focus on content that children are exposed to has likely pushed parents to look for simple, kid-friendly content like Netflix is making available.

The new Netflix Playground app is available in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, Philippines, and New Zealand today, and it is launching worldwide on April 28. [Direct Link]

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Top Rated Comments

jz0309 Avatar
7 months ago
Targeting kids 8 and under ...
I sure am glad my kids grew up before all this crap...
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
7 months ago

This headline is misleading - it's not free, it is part of a subscription.

Also, it should be required for people to review the effects of screen time on kids when kids are the main target.
Like the time I got a free car by buying a $50,000 keychain.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jsavvy Avatar
7 months ago
This headline is misleading - it's not free, it is part of a subscription.

Also, it should be required for people to review the effects of screen time on kids when kids are the main target.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
7 months ago
Money might be better spent buying your kid a bike or a baseball or puzzle or watercolor painting kit. 🤔
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
7 months ago
Cancelled Netflix with the last price hike.

Apple Arcade has been an awesome thing to have around with the kid in the mix. Every time she wants a new game I can just let her go crazy on there and know that nothing will have IAPs or intrusive ads or any of the crap that comes with so many games now. And because of how Parental Controls work, I get a popup on my devices when she wants to download anything, which I can review and approve (or not).
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
7 months ago
A nice excuse for yet another price increase in the near future.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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