Netflix Drops Spirit Crossing, and You Must Move Your Save to Steam Yourself
Netflix has terminated the mobile publishing agreement for Spirit Crossing, the cozy life-sim from Cozy Grove studio Spry Fox, weeks before the game was due to launch in full. The game itself is not cancelled, but the version inside the Netflix app will stop being published, and anyone playing it now has to move their save to Steam by hand.
Spry Fox announced the decision to its community on Tuesday. The studio said it was notified last week that Netflix was ending the deal because of the streaming service's "ongoing strategy shift", and that the game will now ship as an independent release.
Is Spirit Crossing cancelled?
No. Spry Fox was direct about it: the termination "does NOT mean that Spirit Crossing itself is canceled", and the studio still plans to launch before the end of 2026. The company spun out of Netflix in January as an independent studio and says it set aside enough money at the time to finish the game and support it after release. No layoffs are planned.
What changes is who publishes the mobile build. Netflix will stop distributing Spirit Crossing on iOS and Android, and the studio says it does not yet know the exact date that happens. Between the Netflix version going dark and the independent version arriving, there will probably be a stretch where you cannot download or play it on a phone at all.
How do you move your Spirit Crossing save?
Spry Fox is adding an account migration tool in an upcoming mobile update that moves your progress from Netflix to Steam. This is not automatic. The studio said migrating "WILL require action on your part" and that step-by-step instructions are coming in the next few weeks.
- Keep the game installed and watch for the update that adds the migration option.
- Do the migration before the Netflix version is pulled, since no date has been given.
- Your account moves to Steam, so a PC Steam login is the destination for existing progress.
Anyone who has been in the beta for months has real time invested here, and the window to act is undefined. That is the part worth handling early rather than waiting for a shutdown notice.
What is happening to Netflix Games?
This is the latest in a run of retreats. Netflix bought Spry Fox in 2022, then sold the studio back to its founders at the start of this year while saying it would still publish Spirit Crossing on mobile. That commitment is now gone. Netflix also shut down Night School Studio, the developer behind Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.
The pattern points away from the narrative-driven indie games Netflix leaned on when it launched the gaming tab, and the company has been steering its games effort toward party titles and TV-based play instead. For subscribers, the practical effect is that a game bundled with a subscription can leave on a publisher's timetable, the same way a series can. Netflix has been trimming its catalogue elsewhere too, with Halo leaving Netflix in the US on October 1.
Does this affect your Netflix subscription?
Not in price or plan terms. Nothing about billing changes, and the games tab stays in the app. You lose access to one title in it once Netflix stops publishing the game, and you keep whatever you migrate.
It is a reminder of how much of a streaming subscription is rented rather than owned, a point that also surfaced when Netflix episode runtimes broke across the app in August. If mobile gaming is the reason you open Netflix, it is worth having something installed that does not depend on a publishing deal — our list of the best Android games under 100MB is built around titles you download and keep.
Netflix has not published its own statement on the Spirit Crossing decision, and the company has been busier promoting its crossover wins, including the GTA 6 extended look that topped its charts with 31.1 million views. The gaming division is being reshaped quietly, one deal at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spirit Crossing cancelled?
No. Spry Fox says the game is still launching before the end of 2026. Netflix has only terminated the mobile publishing agreement, so the game will now be released independently rather than through the Netflix app.
Will Spirit Crossing be removed from the Netflix app?
Yes. Spry Fox says Netflix will soon stop publishing Spirit Crossing on iOS and Android, but no date has been given. The studio expects a gap during which the game is unavailable on mobile before the independent version arrives.
How do I transfer my Spirit Crossing progress?
Spry Fox is adding an account migration tool in an upcoming mobile update that moves your account from Netflix to Steam. It will not happen automatically. The studio will publish instructions in the coming weeks, and you should migrate before the Netflix version is pulled.
Why did Netflix drop Spirit Crossing?
Spry Fox says Netflix cited an ongoing strategy shift in its gaming division. Netflix sold Spry Fox back to its founders in January and has also closed Night School Studio, the developer of Oxenfree, as it moves away from narrative indie games.
Does this change my Netflix subscription or price?
No. Your plan and billing are unaffected and the games tab stays in the Netflix app. The only change is that Spirit Crossing will no longer be one of the titles included with your subscription.
