By Sagar V. Mankar Netflix ventured into the gaming sector in 2021, but it hasn’t achieved as much success as it did with the recently launched GTA trilogy.
The streaming giant added three remastered Grand Theft Auto games to its Netflix Games platform in December 2023, shortly after unveiling the trailer for GTA 6. This strategic timing paid off in a big way.
How Are GTA Games Performing on Netflix?
According to data from Appmagic (noted by mobilegamer.biz), the three GTA games have now surpassed 30 million downloads on Netflix Games.:
- GTA San Andreas: 20.5 million
- GTA Vice City: 6.5 million
- GTA 3: 3.3 million
This made the GTA trilogy an immediate smash hit that surpassed all previous Netflix games.
Interestingly, the iOS platform has been the dominant platform for these games, with San Andreas racking up 15.8 million installs on iOS compared to 4.7 million on Android.
Similarly, Vice City and GTA 3 experienced higher adoption rates on iOS, with Vice City achieving 15.8 million installs on iOS compared to 4.7 million on Android, and GTA 3 reaching 2.4 million on iOS versus 929,000 on Android.
It also helped Netflix to increase user engagement to 10% from before the GTA launch, where only 1% of Netflix’s 274 million global subscribers actively played its games.
Where Are the Players Coming From?
While the GTA Trilogy has garnered a global audience, the data reveals that the majority of players hail from the United States, with each game boasting more than 23% of its user base from the region.
The market split of GTA San Andreas downloads:
- USA – 25%
- Brazil – 11%
- India – 8%
- Mexico – 8%
- UK – 4%
The market split of GTA Vice City downloads:
- USA – 23%
- India – 18%
- Brazil – 5%
- Turkey- 5%
- UK – 5%
The market split of GTA 3 downloads:
- USA – 25%
- India- 12%
- Brazil – 6%
- Mexico – 5%
- UK – 5%
Why Did the GTA Trilogy Succeed on Mobile?
The GTA trilogy’s astronomical popularity can be attributed to a few key factors:
- It Brought a Major Gaming Franchise to Platform for the First Time: Netflix’s gaming platform, primarily featuring games based on their own series and some indie hits, lacked a major AAA title until the GTA Trilogy filled the gap.
- The Timing Coincided With Hype for GTA 6: By releasing the old games right after the GTA 6 trailer drop, Netflix brilliantly capitalized on revitalized interest in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Fans wanted to revisit the previous games while awaiting GTA 6 until 2025.
- The Games Were Free With a Netflix Subscription: Making the trilogy free for Netflix’s 274 million subscribers removed a major barrier to entry. This allowed the games to reach a massive audience of both hardcore and casual gamers.
What’s Next for Netflix Gaming?
Buoyed by the GTA trilogy’s runaway success, Netflix is doubling down on gaming.
Rumors suggest the platform may add even more classic GTA titles like the original top-down games and GTA 5.
Last week, they announced 14 new games coming soon as well, including mobile adaptations of popular shows like Perfect Match and The Dragon Prince.
Additionally, the streaming giant revealed that Mike Verdu is departing from his role at Netflix Games and transitioning to establish a new “games innovation” team within the company.
With its blockbuster IPs, strategic marketing timing, and vast subscriber base, Netflix Games is slowly trying to capture a significant share of the $100 billion mobile gaming market.