Today, Facebook is bringing a new HTML5 cross-platform gaming feature, Instant Games, to Messenger and News Feed on both its mobile apps and website. The experience is intended to help users more easily find, share and play games without needing to install additional apps.
To get started with Instant Games on the Messenger app, tap the new game controller icon just beneath the field for typing a message. You will be able to choose from 17 games, including Pac-Man, Galaga, Space Invaders, Arkanoid, Puzzle Bobble and Zookeeper, to begin with – and, through use of score-based games and group thread chats, play with anyone on Messenger.
Instant Games are also available on News Feed, where new games can be discovered through recommendations, challenges, posts and Facebook Pages. Plus, a dedicated Instant Games bookmark lets users view and quickly return to titles they have previously played, while gamers can keep control when they share their scores only with people they play with in Messenger.
In a post on its developers site, Facebook says that Instant Games is now available in 30 countries for devices running iOS 8 or later and Android 5.0 Lollipop or later. We should also expect the choice of Instant Games to expand as more developers provide new content.
