TL;DR: If your kid is obsessed with Stranger Things, they’ve probably already found the "Netflix Stories" tab on your phone. Most of the games are harmless, retro-style adventures, but Stranger Things VR is a massive jump in intensity that lets kids play as the villain.
Quick Links:
- Best for younger fans (10+): Stranger Things: 1984
- Best for co-op play: Stranger Things 3: The Game
- Best for casual puzzle fans: Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales
- Proceed with caution: Stranger Things VR (Ages 13-15+ depending on horror tolerance)
We all know the show. It’s the ultimate "80s nostalgia" engine that somehow convinced our kids that mullets are cool again and that Kate Bush is a "new" artist. But over the last few years, Netflix has quietly turned into a gaming publisher, and they’ve used Stranger Things as their flagship.
When we talk about "the Stranger Things game," we’re actually talking about a handful of very different experiences. Some are pixelated "love letters" to the 80s that feel like playing an old Super Nintendo game. Others are mobile time-wasters. And then there’s the VR experience, which is basically a "trauma simulator" where you step into the skin of Vecna.
The cool thing for parents? If you have a Netflix subscription, almost all of these (except the VR and console versions) are free and have zero ads or microtransactions. That’s a huge win in a world where Roblox is constantly trying to pickpocket your bank account.
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If your kid is asking to play "the game on the phone," they’re likely looking at Stranger Things: 1984 or Stranger Things 3: The Game.
This is a top-down action-adventure game. It looks exactly like The Legend of Zelda from thirty years ago. You explore Hawkins, solve puzzles, and use different characters' unique abilities (like Lucas’s wrist rocket) to progress.
- The Vibe: Charming, nostalgic, and mildly spooky.
- The Risk: Very low. The "violence" is pixelated and cartoonish.
This one follows the plot of the third season (the mall season). It’s a "beat-em-up" style game. It’s a bit more combat-heavy than 1984, but it’s still done in that 16-bit retro art style. The best part? It has local co-op, meaning two kids can play together on the same screen if they’re playing on a console or PC.
- The Vibe: A digital version of the show’s third season.
- The Risk: If they’ve seen the show, there are no surprises here. It’s much less scary than the actual TV series because the graphics are so "old school."
This is a "Match-3" RPG. Think Candy Crush but instead of matching jellybeans, you’re matching symbols to help Eleven blast a Demogorgon.
It’s surprisingly addictive. It uses a "Gacha" mechanic—meaning you collect "cards" of different characters to build a team. Usually, this is where games become "predatory" (looking at you, Genshin Impact), but because it’s behind the Netflix paywall, you can’t actually spend real money to get ahead. You just have to play.
- Parent Tip: This is a great "waiting in the carpool lane" game for kids. It’s low-stress and focuses more on strategy than reflexes.
Okay, let’s talk about the Upside Down in the room. This is not a "cute" game.
In Stranger Things VR, you don’t play as the kids. You play as Vecna. You are the villain. The game walks you through Henry Creel’s transformation into the monster we see in Season 4.
The gameplay involves "invading the dreams and memories" of characters like Will Byers and Billy Hargrove. In VR, this is incredibly immersive and, frankly, pretty dark. You are literally using telekinetic powers to crush things and psychologically torment people.
Why this matters:
- Perspective: Playing as the hero is one thing; playing as the person inflicting the trauma is a different psychological experience for a child.
- Horror Jump Scares: Because it’s in VR, the scares aren't just on a screen—they are in your entire field of vision. The sense of scale of the Mind Flayer is genuinely overwhelming.
- Age Rating: While the mobile games are rated for 12+, the VR game is firmly in the "Teen" territory. Most VR headsets (like the Meta Quest 3) aren't even recommended for kids under 13 due to eye development and digital safety concerns.
Check out our guide on VR safety for kids
If your kid isn't playing the standalone games, they’ve likely seen Stranger Things content in their favorite "metaverse" platforms.
- Roblox: There have been official "Starcourt Mall" events. These are usually harmless mini-games. However, there are tons of unofficial Stranger Things "RP" (Roleplay) servers. These are user-generated, and like anything on Roblox, the quality and safety vary.
- Fortnite: Chief Hopper and the Demogorgon have appeared as "skins." This is purely cosmetic. It doesn’t change the gameplay of Fortnite, but it will definitely make your kid ask for V-Bucks.
- Dead by Daylight: This is a horror game where one player is a killer and four are survivors. They have a Stranger Things chapter. This game is Rated M (17+). It is gruesome, violent, and much more intense than the show itself. If your 11-year-old says they are playing "the Stranger Things game" on their PC, check if it’s this one.
How do you decide which "Upside Down" is right for your kid?
- Elementary (Ages 7-10): Honestly, the show itself is a bit much for most 7-year-olds, but if they’ve seen it, Stranger Things: 1984 is the safest entry point. It’s basically a digital toy box.
- Middle School (Ages 11-13): Stranger Things 3: The Game and Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales are perfect. They offer enough challenge without being "scarring."
- High School (Ages 14+): This is the group Stranger Things VR is built for. They have the emotional maturity to handle playing as a villain and the physical coordination for VR.
One of the biggest hurdles for parents is actually finding these games. They don't always show up in the App Store search results in a way that makes sense.
To play the mobile versions, you have to:
The "Gotcha": Because these games are tied to your Netflix profile, if your kid is playing on your profile, their progress is saved there. If you have "Kids" profiles set up (which you should!), the games will only show up if the maturity rating for that profile allows for "Teen" content.
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If your kid is diving deep into the Stranger Things games, use it as a bridge to talk about media literacy and perspective.
You can ask:
- "In the VR game, you’re playing as Vecna. How does that feel compared to watching Eleven fight him in the show?"
- "Why do you think the creators chose to make the mobile games look like they’re from the 1980s?"
- "Is the Demogorgon scarier when it's a bunch of pixels or when it's 'real' in the show?"
These questions help kids move from "passive consumers" to "intentional players." It helps them realize that the way a story is told (VR vs. 16-bit) changes how we feel about the characters.
The Stranger Things gaming universe is surprisingly high-quality. Unlike the "cash grab" games of the past, the Netflix versions are well-designed and free of the usual mobile game "junk" (ads and upsells).
The only red flag is the VR game. It’s a significant jump in maturity and psychological intensity. If your kid isn't ready for the "horror" aspects of Season 4 of the show, they definitely aren't ready to be the monster in VR.
Keep the mobile games for the long car rides, maybe skip Dead by Daylight until they’re older, and keep the VR headset in a common area where you can keep an eye on just how "dark" things are getting in the Upside Down.
Learn more about the best "cozy" alternatives to horror games
- Check your Netflix App: See if your kids have already downloaded the games on their devices.
- Verify Profiles: Ensure your kids are playing on their own Netflix profiles so they aren't accessing content rated above their age.
- Discuss VR: If you own a Meta Quest 3, have a conversation about Stranger Things VR before they buy it. It's a "villain simulator," and that's a conversation worth having.
Ask our chatbot for a curated list of retro-style games for kids