Instant games introduced by Facebook last November will now be available to all users: here's how to play and how to access the service
After launching in November 2016, Facebook has now decided to expand Instant Games to all Messenger users (more than one billion people). This is a platform for games integrated into the instant messaging application.
Games on Messenger are not new, in the past the platform had tested, only with some users, mini-games related mainly to soccer and basketball. Last year, however, Facebook decided to make things bigger by creating a free service within its messaging app. In this way you can challenge your friends directly from the chat. Facebook had already announced some important changes to the games during the F8 conference, such as the ability to play on rounds, the creation of tournaments and the inclusion of Game Bot to improve playability.
How to access Instant Games
To be able to play Facebook Messenger Instant Games we need to make sure we have updated the application to the latest version available. To check this, just go to the app store and see if "Update" or "Updated" appears next to Messenger. To access Instant Game with an iOS device, just click on the games icon at the bottom of the Messenger chat. At this point we can select the title and the friend to challenge. And we'll be ready to play. To access Instant Game with Android device we must open the Messenger app then click on a specific chat and at this point select the + icon at the bottom of the conversation. This will open a pop-up menu where we will select the item Games.
Play by yourself
If you don't want to challenge your friends, but just want to play by yourself, just go to the main Messenger screen (where all the chats are displayed) and scroll to the end. At the bottom of the app you'll find a section called Games. At this point the list of available titles will open up and we'll be ready to play on our own.
New features
Instant Games are an important turning point for Messenger. They could make the app's users more active and most importantly keep the messaging service on a growth path. In addition, the introduction of Game Bots will help game creators make exciting features like new levels and rewards. The moment developers start using these new possibilities, everyone will be able to take advantage of more dynamic and engaging gaming experiences. Not to mention, turn-based games could replace many of the similar apps that are now most commonly used, especially those on word games and quizzes on general knowledge questions. One of the first games that will take advantage of these new gameplay features is Words with Friends by Zynga. While Everwing by Blackstorm, will be among the first to introduce Games Bots. There are currently 50 titles available on Messenger, which may vary based on the user's location. However, Facebook has let it be known that they will soon become many more.