Skip to main content

Facebook Messenger ups its game, lets users play ‘Pac-Man,’ more with friends

facebook messenger instant games launch
Facebook Messenger is getting just a little more fun-friendly. While the service was relaunched as a fully fledged platform just this year, its game selection was a little limited. — until now, that is.

Facebook has announced that Messenger now supports a feature called Instant Games — which is exactly what it sounds like. Now, while you’re waiting for your flaky friend to message you back, you can fire up one of these instant games and potentially set high scores around the world.

Instant Games isn’t a total surprise — we knew that Facebook was testing the feature earlier this month. It’s just that now, the feature is out and available to use.

“Messenger just got way more fun — or competitive — depending on how you look at it, with the ability to play games right in your messaging conversations,” said Facebook in a blog post.

So what kind of games can you enjoy? Well, turns out there are some pretty sweet titles to choose from. For starters, there’s Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends Frenzy. All the games load in a matter of seconds — they use the HTML5 web standard instead of having to be downloaded before use.

Of course, the games aren’t just there to pass time — you can also compete against your friends, which Facebook hopes will be a good reason to keep you in Messenger. Facebook could also use Instant Games as a way to make more money by eventually advertising within those games.

Instant Games is launching today in 30 countries with 17 games from developers like Bandai Namco, Konami, and Taito. You can access the games on both iOS and Android, and you’ll find them by hitting the game controller button in Facebook Messenger next to the photos and stickers buttons.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Facebook will move Instant Games to main app, further simplifying Messenger
facebook to move instant games out of messenger

Facebook will be moving Instant Games into the social network's main app, a change that will further simplify Messenger.

Facebook launched Instant Games on Messenger in 2016, with titles such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Words With Friends Frenzy. The platform is popular with casual gamers due to its social nature, as they can play with their friends or with other people.

Read more
No more moon showers as Facebook Messenger’s dark mode gets official rollout
how to use find my friends woman using smartphone

Facebook Messenger is now offering more straightforward access to its dark mode, allowing all of its users globally to ease the strain on their eyes when using the messaging app in low-light situations.

Announced on Monday, April 15, Messenger’s dark mode can be activated by tapping your profile photo in Messenger to access settings, then toggling on dark mode to switch the chat display from white to black.

Read more
Facebook Messenger adds quoted replies to better organize group chats
facebook messenger 2017 android

Facebook Messenger is getting a new feature that may make organizing a group chat that little bit easier. The new feature, which is rolling out today, allows you to reply to specific messages within a group chat.

The feature is basically an expansion of the existing reaction emojis. So now when you hold down on a message, you'll be able to add a reaction, or hit the "reply" button and add a reply to that message. The message that you reply with does appear in line with the rest of the group chat, so it will still show up at the bottom of the chat as usual, but the message you're replying to will be quoted, ensuring that members of the chat know what you're talking about.

Read more