If people choose to take the streaming Netflix service at face value, they may grow bored of it quickly. I do not say this because the platform lacks entertainment. I say it because they seem to try and jam the same hundred shows and movies down everyone’s throats, and if you just follow their (honestly, very limited) genre selection you SEE, you will feel like you are tapping the well dry in a quick amount of time. When, in fact, there are a great deal of Netflix tricks and Netflix hidden categories you can mess around with and find if you just put a little time into it.
Don’t worry. It is not arduous, ends up being five to ten minutes of work tops, and the end result is about 100 more categories and about a million more shows and movies you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise, as well as a better looking and better playing Netflix. these tricks definitely open up the platform a great deal and makes it a lot more enjoyable for all the people who pay for the service and want to make the most out of it.
So here are some Netflix tricks as well as a way to access to massive amount of Secret Netflix categories buried on the site.
(MAYBE) Get a VPN
If you are a geek you should already know this, but if not, get a VPN (virtual private network) right now. They can be free and some can cost a tiny bit (worth it) but what that will do is mask your location (among other things) which ultimately makes Netflix able to play more than just the movies they have regionally coded to specific countries. Yes, for those who don’t know, different countries have very different films and shows available to them. The United Kingdom and the United States.
But also let it be know, some people have trouble with Netflix when they use a VPN and some don’t. But some swear using a VPN and changing the VPN’s base country can open up new and different films and categories. As far as which VPN to get, it is a heated online debate about which is best so do some online research to find one you feel most comfortable with, reputation wise.
Netflix Hidden Categories
When you peruse Netflix, all of us see the same basic genres. Action, horror, drama, romantic comedy, and about five to seven others (kids, international, etc) but the reality is, Netflix has hundreds of sub-genres created in algorithms based off the main categories. A perfect and very precise example would be “Mockumentaries” a sub-genre I, myself, adore. Good examples being movies like This Is Spinal Tap and Borat.
Now one would assume that mockumentaries is not a sub-genre on the ‘Flix, but they would be wrong in that assumption (and in doing so, they’ve made an ass out of us both).
But this is where the (rather simple) fine print comes in and you all have to d a little work on your end to reap the benefits.
How Do YOU Access The Array of Netflix Hidden Categories?
This is the one of the main Netflix tricks you need to learn to optimize the platform. As you see in the picture above, B-horror movies eveb have their own sub-genre. (And yes, I will admit, another biased genre choice by me, as B-horror movies are usually terribly awesome, which I call the “B-movie paradox®” and trademarked the term because I get schwifty).
By making a very small tweak to the basic Netflix URL in your browser bar, it presents you a bevvy of new film categories, as long as you know how to adjust said URL properly in conjunction with the site and category you want.
Honestly, a whole new world opens up (don’t you dare close your eyes)!
And about those codes you need to know, here they come….
Here Are The Codes You Need for Secret Categories
Netflix hidden categories are very easy to find if you know the codes to type in at the end of the Netflix URL, and those are the exact codes I am about to give you. Keep in mind, it is VERY safe to assume there are more hidden genres people have not yet fully discovered, which makes all this even cooler, but here are some of the most popular hidden Netflix categories, by code:
ACTION & ADVENTURE
1365 = Action & Adventure
77232 = Asian Action Movies
46576 = Classic Action & Adventure
43040 = Action Comedies
43048 = Action Thrillers
8985 = Martial Arts Movies
2125 = Military Action & Adventure
7442 = Adventures
10118 = Comic Book and Superhero Movies
7700 = Westerns
10702 = Spy Action & Adventure
9584 = Crime Action & Adventure
11828 = Foreign Action & Adventure
COMEDY
6548 = Comedies
869 = Dark Comedies
4426 = Foreign Comedies
1402 = Late Night Comedies
26 = Mockumentaries
2700 = Political Comedies
9702 = Screwball Comedies
5286 = Sports Comedies
11559 = Stand-up Comedy
3519 = Teen Comedies
4922 = Satires
5475 = Romantic Comedies
10256 = Slapstick Comedies
CULT
7627 = Cult Movies
8195 = B-Horror Movies
1252 = Campy Movies
10944 = Cult Horror Movies
4734 = Cult Sci-Fi & Fantasy
9434 = Cult Comedies
4195 = Independent Comedies
DOCUMENTARY
6839 = Documentaries
3652 = Biographical Documentaries
9875 = Crime Documentaries
5161 = Foreign Documentaries
5349 = Historical Documentaries
4006 = Military Documentaries
180 = Sports Documentaries
90361 = Music & Concert Documentaries
1159 = Travel & Adventure Documentaries
7018 = Political Documentaries
10005 = Religious Documentaries
2595 = Science & Nature Documentaries
3675 = Social & Cultural Documentaries
Also, try some four digits code you DON’T see listed. You just might get some insane results you had no idea existed, real talk.
Pretty Impressive Array Available
As you can see from the versatile sub-genres listed above, it is actually quite impressive and makes looking up specific genres you like much easier and also , much more rewarding, as we all sometimes stick to main page on Netflix because it is easier. But with minimal effort on our part, there is much more to be seen and enjoyed than many of us had first assumed.
The coolest thing about this ‘trick’ is that these codes work in ALL REGIONS, meaning readers in the U.K or from New Zealand can utilize these codes with as much efficacy as people in the U.S can (which is not usually the case, as many of you international readers know).
“Netflix Party” and Other Tricks You Don’t Know Exist on the ‘Flix
What! you didn’t know there is a basic Chrome app that allows you and a bunch of friends from wherever to all watch the exact same thing at the same time (what is essentially a non-interactive LAN party without the gaming)? Well, not only will I tell you that Netflix Party exists but I will also link it because, well, this is the penultimate Netflix article so I am going balls deep, raw dog style.
You can also be a Netflix test rat, too (not as scary as it sounds, I am one and it rocks). Go to your account and select Test Participation, then make sure to turn it on. You may not notice the small changes that take place on your Netflix until you go use someone else’s but it really fine tunes your viewing experience, especially over time.
Literally Ask Them to Add Movies and Shows You Like
This one bugs people out because they forget we live in a democratic world (hahaha, well, not anymore) where the PEOPLE are what matters, and so does their voice, even to Netflix. You go here, you can ask for up to three things (movies or shows) you want on the service and once enough people have asked, Netflix WILL try to get it.
No joke, I have had one of my requests met in last six months, and it is pretty awesome to experience that level of customer service.
Netflix Roulette
A big setback to Netflix can sometimes be that there is SO MUCH to pick from (which I only added to by writing this list) that it can be hard to actually pick something. That is where this site comes in handy. The idea being, much like Russian roulette but without the bullets, you just kinda hit the button and it picks a movie or show for you.
What is even cooler than that, though, is you can tweak the parameters of the genres you want and whatnot so the horror fan is not given a Disney musical and vice versa.
Improve Your Own Buffering
This one I am gonna put last because it is so DUH that most people should know but I have been over people’s houses where the movie we were watching froze and they just kinda acted passive about it. You can literally go in and tweak your own buffering so that the video actually plays and doesn’t stutter or bring your soiree’ to a screeching halt. The video quality may suffer slightly but it is better than looking like a living DERP or even when alone, lower quality at times is better than having a good move freeze on you.
You want to learn how, just click here. God, I love you Reddit. You make my job so much easier!
And there you have it. Follow these rules and you be the master of your own Netflix domain in no time!
I still want to know why they made the secret categories secret in the first place. Why not just make them readily available, and on all devices? What the heck, Netflix.