Netflix released Unhinged on June 30, 2026 as an interactive thriller played on a supported television with a phone serving as the controller. A Netflix account, the TV app and a compatible phone are the only requirements: Netflix says the game is exclusive to the service and carries no ads and no in-game purchases. Netflix frames a session as roughly the length of a television episode rather than a multi-hour campaign.
What you need, and how to start
Select Unhinged from the Games row in the Netflix TV app, then scan the on-screen QR code with a phone to link it as the controller. Availability still depends on Netflix's television-games rollout, so a missing Games row usually means the current device or country is not supported yet rather than a broken account. Netflix's own title page and in-app listing are more reliable than third-party compatibility lists.
Story Mode and Standard Mode are not the same game
The mode choice is the single decision that most changes the experience. Story Mode runs without a timer and will not let the player die, delivering the narrative straight through. Standard Mode adds a shrinking timer bar during high-stakes moments, forcing a quick scan of the room for the object needed to survive; running out of time kills Ava, but the game restarts from the last checkpoint rather than ending the run. Players who want the thriller without the reflex pressure should choose Story Mode deliberately at the start.
The phone is part of the fiction, not just an input
Physical movement of the phone tracks with Ava's hands in the game, which is how the player aims her flashlight through a dark apartment. When Ava receives a call or text, the player's real phone rings, vibrates and plays that audio through its own speaker while environmental sound continues through the television. That split is the design: Unhinged is neither a streamed film with occasional choices nor a mobile download mirrored to a TV, so the phone connection is a requirement rather than an optional control scheme. Keep it charged and on the same network as the television.
Who made it and who stars
Unhinged was developed by Night School Studio, the Netflix-owned team behind Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. Zoë Kravitz voices Ava, trapped in her building by a Category 5 hurricane; Sadie Sink voices her friend Claire, calling from across the street; and Troy Baker voices Ben, the building's superintendent. Jason Hill, who scored Mindhunter and Gone Girl, composed the audio, with sound-design work from Ren Klyce. NexusGG has not played the game; setup, mode and cast details here come from Netflix's official guide.
