If you haven't looked at the Netflix app on a phone or tablet lately, you might have missed that they are desperately trying to become a gaming hub. Tucked between the "Trending Now" and "Watch It Again" rows is a dedicated gaming section.

Stranger Things: 1984 was one of their flagship launches. It’s a top-down, 16-bit action-adventure game that looks like something we would have played on a Super Nintendo back in the day. You play as different characters from the show—starting with Chief Hopper—exploring Hawkins, collecting Eggos, and solving puzzles to unlock new areas.

Unlike Roblox or Fortnite, this isn't a social hang-out spot. It’s a single-player experience. There’s no chat, no "friends list," and no way for a stranger to slide into your kid's DMs while they’re trying to find a missing kid in the Upside Down.

Even though the graphics are "old school," the Stranger Things brand is absolute gold with the middle school crowd. It’s the "cool" show that feels a bit grown-up without being full-blown adult horror (usually).

The game taps into that "fandom" energy. Kids get to visit the Mirkwood Forest, the Hawkins Lab, and the Upside Down. Plus, each character has a unique ability—Lucas has his wrist rocket, Nancy has a bat—which adds a layer of strategy that keeps it from being total "brain rot." It’s actually a legitimate game, not just a 5-minute distraction designed to sell toys.

Here is the best part of this guide: This game will not drain your bank account.

We spend so much time worrying about how Robux is basically a second mortgage or how Brawl Stars lures kids into loot boxes. But because this is a Netflix game, it follows a completely different model.

There are:

If you have a Netflix subscription, the game is "free." It’s a closed ecosystem. In a world of predatory mobile gaming, this is honestly a breath of fresh air.

Learn more about how Netflix is changing the mobile game landscape

The App Store gives this a 12+ rating, and that’s pretty spot on, though a mature 10-year-old who handles spooky themes well will probably be fine.

Yes, you are hitting guards and creatures with bats and wrist rockets. When enemies are defeated, they kind of "poof" away in a pixelated explosion. It’s very "90s arcade" violence. There is some pixelated blood, but it’s a far cry from the visceral, high-def gore you see in the actual Stranger Things TV series.

The "Upside Down" sections of the game are dark and atmospheric. There are jump scares where enemies pop out of the shadows. If your kid is sensitive to "creepy" vibes or gets nightmares from Minecraft Endermen, they might find this a bit much.

This isn't an "infinite runner" where you just swipe left and right. Some of the puzzles are actually kind of hard! It requires persistence and logic. If your kid tends to throw the iPad when they can't figure out a level, you might be hearing some frustrated groans from the backseat.

Check out our guide to "cozy games" if this sounds too intense

This is the "gotcha." To play the game, the kid has to log in using a Netflix profile. If your kid is using your profile to play, they are one click away from exiting the game and opening the Netflix app where they could—theoretically—watch whatever R-rated movie you were halfway through last night.

Pro-tip: Set up a specific "Kids" profile on Netflix and make sure the game is launched from there. Better yet, use the Netflix parental controls to lock your adult profiles with a PIN.

Playing Stranger Things: 1984 will almost certainly lead to them asking to play Stranger Things 3: The Game, which is also on Netflix but is a bit more complex and follows the plot of the third season (which is significantly more violent). It will also lead to them wanting to watch the show if they haven't already.

Because there are no "natural stops" (like an ad break or a "wait 2 hours for more lives" mechanic), kids can get sucked into this for hours. It’s a narrative-driven game, so "just one more level" is a real thing here.

How to set healthy screen time boundaries without the drama

If your kid is playing this, it’s a great opening to talk about media styles.

It’s also a good time to discuss the difference between subscription-based games (like this) and "freemium" games (like Pokemon GO). You can explain that Netflix is using this game to keep us paying for our monthly subscription, whereas other games try to get us to buy "bits and bobs" inside the game. It’s a little lesson in digital literacy and the "attention economy."

Ask our chatbot for more conversation starters about gaming

Stranger Things: 1984 is a rare find in the mobile world: a licensed game that doesn't feel like a cheap cash grab. It’s nostalgic for us, exciting for them, and safe for the family budget.

If your child is 10+ and already lives in a world of Minecraft and Percy Jackson, they can likely handle the pixelated spooks of Hawkins. Just make sure your Netflix profile is PIN-protected so they don't wander from the game into the actual "Upside Down" of unsupervised streaming.

Check out our review of Stranger Things 3: The Game Explore other high-quality games included with your subscriptions