Facebook has announced that it is launching its Messenger Instant Games to all gamers worldwide.
Last November, Facebook brought Instant Games to Messenger to the United States, where the players are. About 17 games have been announced for availability, including the classic Pac-Man, Zynga's scrabble game Words With Friends: Frenzy, and the hit shooter game EverWing, developed by Blackstorm Labs.
For people raring to play a game with friends, or just by themselves, here is a guide how to enjoy these free games on your Messenger.
Download Updated Facebook Messenger
Of course, one cannot play Instant Games without the Messenger app. To download, the user simply needs to go to Google Play Store (for Android ) or App Store (for iOS ). The app is stand-alone and doesn't require the main Facebook app to use. It also doesn't require a Facebook account.
The user must make sure the app is updated to its latest version. Simply go to the App store and tap "Update."
Play With Friends
For iOS users, they need to open a chat with a friend. Then look for a game pad icon on the bottom menu where the chat, photo and emoji icons are. Tapping this icon will bring up the list of games available. Tapping a game will send a challenge to that friend.
For Android users, the game icon is a little different. After opening a chat, there is a small circle with a "+" sign inside. Tapping this will bring up a menu with colorful bubble icons; the Games bubble will bring up the games list.
The games are free to play and don't need downloads or installation. Just hit the game and play!
Or Play Games Solo
If the user wants to play a game by himself, doing it is easy. He only needs to open Messenger and scroll down to see a section called Games. Tapping it will bring up the games list and he can play without going through chat.
If he can't find the Games list, there is a workaround: just open a chat with himself and do the aforementioned steps to challenge himself to a game.
More Games To Play
In December 2016, Facebook announced a lineup of games that will be playable in Messenger Instant Games. The lineup of game creators include renowned developers like Bandai Namco, Konami, Zynga, Taito, and Blackstorm Labs.
Initially, there were 17 games available. These included classic games like Pac-Man and Galaga, and modern hits like Words With Friends: Frenzy and EverWing. When Facebook announced the worldwide rollout, it mentioned that pool game 8 Ball Pool will be added to the list.
Here's the complete lineup:
Pac-Man
Galaga
Arkanoid
Space Invaders
Track & Field 100M
Shuffle Cats Mini
Words With Friends: Frenzy
Hex
EverWing
Endless Lake
Templar 2048
The Tribez: Puzzle Rush
2020 Connect
Puzzle Bobble
ZooKeeper
Brick Pop
Wordalot Express
During its recent F8 conference, Facebook announced a slew of "rich gameplay features" that will soon come to every game, such as game bots, leaderboards, and turn-based gameplay.
