The top downloaded app on Apple’s App Store ranking isn’t ChatGPT or Claude, it’s … Netflix Game Controller?
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On Monday, the simply titled accessory app from Netflix was No. 1 on Apple’s top free downloads chart. Below it were HBO Max — likely because of the “Euphoria” season three premiere — and the perennial frontrunner, ChatGPT. Claude, Google Gemini, and Meta AI followed.
Netflix Game Controller has been steadily rising up the charts. It was No. 1 on Saturday, when Meta’s Alexandr Wang was tracking Meta AI’s rise. It was also No. 1 last Monday, per a screenshot in the Game File newsletter.
Screenshot via Apple
It’s a positive sign for Netflix’s gaming bet, which has gone through leadership changes and layoffs. The app syncs with Netflix on TV, allowing users to control the game through their mobile device.
It’s not entirely clear why the app hit No. 1 at this moment. While the app has been around since 2023, it has surged in recent days. Analytics firm Apptopia tracked 991,000 downloads in the past seven days.
The app has received over 1 million downloads in April so far, per the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. That compares to March, where the firm found the app had 525,000 downloads over the entire month. That’s amounted to a 500% month-over-month increase in downloads, Sensor Tower found.
One likely reason is Netflix Games’ recently expanded catalog. Netflix added the popular “Overcooked! All You Can Eat” game to its hub in March. Last week, it added three Jackbox party games.
Screenshot
Another contributing factor could be spillover from its other launches. Netflix has spent the past week promoting its children’s gaming app, Playground. That app is only available on phones and tablets and doesn’t appear to promote use of the Netflix Game Controller.
Netflix declined to comment.
While downloads surge, AI companies remain in competition for the top spot, which can fluctuate frequently. Claude had a recent surge after OpenAI’s deal with the Department of Defense. Wang posted screenshots of the charts as Meta AI surged following the launch of its new model, Muse Spark.
The battle grew so fierce that, in August, Elon Musk sued Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of “manipulating App Store rankings.” (Apple previously said that the App Store was “designed to be fair and free of bias.”)
For now, none of the AI companies holds the throne. A virtual video game controller does.
