Netflix party games vs Hangtime: what's the difference?
It's a good sign for everyone who loves this kind of game night: Netflix now has party games where the TV is the board and everyone plays from their phone. If you've seen them in the Games row and wondered how Hangtime is different, here's an honest rundown.
How Netflix's party games work
On a supported TV or streaming device, you open the Games row in the Netflix app, pick a game, and everyone scans a QR code to use their phone as a controller. The lineup has included Boggle Party, Pictionary: Game Night, LEGO Party!, Tetris Time Warp and Party Crashers. They're included with a Netflix membership. Netflix adds and removes games over time, so check the app for what's there now.
Where Hangtime is different
- No subscription. Trivia Board, Doodler and Wordy Birdy are free forever with no account. The other four games are a single $5 payment for the host. Nothing renews.
- Any screen with a browser. A laptop on the coffee table, an iMac, a projector, a cast Chrome tab, or a smart TV's browser. You don't need a device on anyone's supported list.
- Different games. Indian 13-card or American Rummy with your hand private on your phone, Bowl Game (Fishbowl in two teams, up to 16), a whodunnit in Who's Lying?, and Jeopardy-style Trivia Board with Bollywood categories and fresh daily ones.
- Make it about your people. Write your own trivia category in a few minutes, and it plays on the board next to the built-in ones.
- Remote mode. Most Hangtime games can run entirely on phones, for friends on a video call.
| Netflix party games | Hangtime | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included with a Netflix membership | 3 games free; 4 more for $5 once. No subscription |
| Runs on | The Netflix app on supported TVs and devices | Any web browser: laptop, TV browser, cast tab, projector |
| Controllers | Phones | Phones |
| Games | Boggle, Pictionary, LEGO Party and more | Trivia, drawing, word race, bluffing, Fishbowl, Rummy, fill-in-the-blank |
| Your own content | No | Write your own trivia category |
| Play over a video call | Not really | Yes, remote mode on phones |
So which one?
If you pay for Netflix and your TV supports its games, they're a nice bonus, and Boggle Party is a lot of fun. Hangtime is for everyone else, and for groups who want more than what's in that row: no Netflix needed, no subscription, games built for big families and mixed ages, and it runs on whatever screen you've got. Plenty of families will happily use both.
Put a game on the TV, everyone joins from their phone. Three games are free, no app or account.
Start a free gameNo group handy? Try Wordy Birdy solo, free, in 10 seconds →Questions
Are Netflix games free?
Netflix's games are included with a Netflix membership at no extra cost, so you need an active Netflix subscription.
Is there a party game like Netflix's that doesn't need a subscription?
Yes. Hangtime runs in any web browser with phones as controllers. Three games are free forever, and four more are a one-time $5 for the host.
Can I play Hangtime on an Apple TV?
Yes. Start the game in a browser on a Mac and use AirPlay Screen Mirroring to show it on the Apple TV.
Is Hangtime affiliated with Netflix?
No. Hangtime is an independent game site.