Amazingly, Netflix has just found a way to make Thanksgiving and Christmas with friends and family even more stressful if you have uber competitive family members. Five new TV party games are available on the streamer as of today (November 14), including Boggle Party, Party Crasher: Fool Your Friends, Lego Party, Pictionary: Game Night and Tetris Time Warp.
Excited to try one out right away? Here's a quick rundown on how to start playing:
- Select a game to play, then press the Play Game button.
- Open your phone's camera and scan the QR code on your TV screen.
- Open the Netflix controller pop-up on your device.
- Your controller and TV will be paired, and the game will start.
This isn't the platform's first foray into the world on TV gaming. Many Netflix IPs, including Virgin River Squid Game and Stranger Things, have their own 'story mode' games, but these usually focus on individual players or households. However, our new titles listed above are all multiplayer games, with your phone acting as a controller.
For me, my opinion is split. I love the fact that Netflix is actively bringing people together and encouraging them to do a collective activity – especially in a time when we're in such desperate need for community.
If, like me, playing traditional board games with your loved ones is a bad enough experience, I think moving them to the small screen is going to be my personal hell. All of the shouting, petty arguments and grudges held for years, magnified by our logins and saved activity.
However, there is one game that I think could win me back around, or even start a brand-new obsession. But for some reason, it doesn't even have a release date.
I'm not fussed by these new Netflix TV party games, but the Knives Out 3 solve along could change my life
Look me in the digital eye and tell me you've never fancied yourself as a super sleuth. Whether I've binged Broadchurch or Dept. Q, I've always thought I could do a good, if not better, job of cracking the case. I've even been to solve along game nights for hit crime series like Murder, She Wrote (yes, I know I'm dating myself with that reference).
But for me, the Knives Out franchise takes the playfulness possible in whodunnits to a new level. Even if I haven't enjoyed the movie, I've been enthralled with Daniel Craig's flamboyant detective, Benoit Blanc. Add to that that Wake Up: Dead Man (aka Knives Out 3) is my favorite of the bunch, and I'm incredibly excited about Netflix's themed 'social deduction game'.
What do you mean I get to outwit my mother at something she's always proclaimed she's the best at? What do you mean I can get game-revenge on my dad, who always considers me a traitor when I play against him? It could be the ultimate battle of the armchair detective, and I'm ready to win.
Sadly, Netflix hasn't given a release date for this yet, but it's likely to be some time after December 12 (which is when the movie drops). In essence, I've got a month to brush up on my gaming and crime-solving skills... and what better way to do that than by binging all of Netflix's glorious crime content?
I'm hoping I get to be Blanc himself in future gameplay, but even if I'm virtually cast as Kathryn Hahn in Glass Onion, I can live with that.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best TVs
1. Best overall:
LG C5
2. Best under 1000:
US: Hisense U8QG
UK: TCL C7K
3. Best under 500:
US: Roku Plus Series
UK: Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
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