Crunchyroll removed its free tier, raised prices worldwide, and is now pivoting into original games with a Netflix-style expansion that aims to reframe value for anime subscribers.
Days before its games reveal, Crunchyroll confirmed a global subscription hike that will start hitting bills in early March 2026. In the US, every paid tier is climbing by $2 a month, with the highest one, Ultimate Fan, reaching $17.99.
These increases landed against a wider push to steer fans toward official releases as piracy losses surged worldwide. But to soften the blow, Crunchyroll tossed something unexpected into the subscription: original games.
Crunchyroll bets on games to sweeten the deal
Crunchyroll confirmed it is developing original video games under its Crunchyroll Games banner, with titles set to arrive as exclusives inside the streamer.
No actual titles have been revealed yet, but the originals will live inside the Crunchyroll Game Vault, the service’s games catalog launched in November 2023 for Mega and Ultimate Fan subscribers. The vault is already packed more than 80 titles, from visual novels to cozy indies, and Crunchyroll says it aims to hit 100 games by summer 2026.
New originals would sit alongside that growing library, created with Japanese publishers and global developers to tailor experiences around anime fandom.
To Crunchyroll, the inclusion of original games in the anime streaming platform is not a bolt-on. Terry Li, executive vice president of emerging business and general manager of Crunchyroll Games, revealed to Variety that the company saw a shared fandom between anime and games. “With original game publishing, we can craft bespoke interactive journeys that bring beloved and new characters to life,” Terry Li explained.
Alongside the originals, more titles are on the way to the vault, including Battle Chef Brigade, Cuisineer, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Pepper Grinder, and Pikuniku.
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