Netflix is giving away one of the best ever indie games for free

Two characters in Oxenfree standing in a cave, looking anxious
(Image credit: Night School Studio)

Beloved indie adventure game Oxenfree is now available through Netflix, as the streaming platform shores up its fledgling gaming wing.

One of the best indie games around, the mystery thriller is free to download for all Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android. You can find Oxenfree: Netflix Edition in the Google Play Store and App Store.

Originally released on PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2016, Oxenfree is a supernatural thriller that follows a group of teenagers as they explore a mysterious island. You’ll gradually unravel its secrets and weird ghostly happenings through a coming-of-age story that shares more than a few similarities with Stranger Things.

Going gaming

“You play as Alex, a 16-year-old being introduced to her new stepbrother, and while meeting up with some friends on a remote beach you accidentally open a rift through time, unleashing spirits who threaten your very existence,” said Oxenfree lead writer Adam Hines in a press release.

“The gameplay is all about exploration and conversation, as you juggle dealing with the supernatural and the personal relationships within your high school clique.” 

Oxenfree is only the latest standout indie game to make its way to Netflix. Back in June, the streaming giant added beloved tactical turn-based strategy game Into the Breach, and brought shopkeeping action RPG Moonlighter to the platform in May. The addition of Oxenfree is little surprise, given Netflix acquired the game’s developer, Night School Studios, in September last year.

More games are coming to Netflix in the future. Acclaimed point-and-click adventure game Kentucky Route Zero will be added down the line, alongside original TV spin-offs Narcos: Cartel Wars and Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales.

The streaming giant has bet big on mobile games over the last few months, even though it seems like nobody’s actually playing them.

Callum Bains
Gaming News Writer

Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.