Here's How To Start Arcade Classics Pac-Man, Galaga, And Space Invaders In Facebook Messenger Instant Games

Facebook announced this new gaming platform for Messenger today under the Instant Games initiative. Accessing these games is as simple as opening a conversation and tapping on the game controller icon that shows up in within the Messenger app. From there, you will be able to discover new games and waste time away tapping on the screen to achieve the highest score in Arkanoid or Galaga.

“After you finish a round, people in the conversation will see your score and will have the opportunity to challenge you back,” writes Facebook Messenger Product Manager Andrea Vaccari. “People can also discover games within the Messenger search field, or on Facebook News Feed where they can play solo or challenge friends back in Messenger.”

Instant Games is a HTML5-based cross-platform gaming experience, and can be accessed via traditional web browsers, the mobile web, and of course via apps for dominant smartphone platforms like Android (version 5.0 and above) and iOS (version 8.0 and above). Facebook is telling game developers that Instant Games has the potential to reach nearly 1.8 billion people on Facebook and over 1 billion on Facebook Messenger. There’s a huge potential here for developers, as the rather basic basketball and soccer games that we mentioned early have been played 2.5 billion and 250 million times respectively by Facebook Messenger users.

“We are excited to work with Facebook to feature two of our classic IP's, PAC-MAN and Galaga on the new Instant Games platform. To give the opportunity for our global fans to access these classic titles on mobile and web, we are working with Facebook to allow users to play Instant Games on Messenger and Facebook News Feed, both of which have significant reach around the world,” said Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

Here’s a full list of the 17 available launch titles, which will be available in 30 countries around the globe:

• 2020 Connect (Softgames)
• Arkanoid (Taito)
• Brick Pop (Gamee)
• Endless Lake (Spilgames)
• EverWing (Blackstorm)
• Galaga (Bandai Namco)
• Hex (FRVR)
• Pac-Man (Bandai Namco)
• Puzzle Bobble (Taito / Blackstorm)
• Shuffle Cats Mini (King)
• Space Invaders (Taito)
• Templar 2048 (Vonvon)
• The Tribez: Puzzle Rush (Game Insight)
• Track & Field 100M (Konami)
• Wordalot Express (MAG Interactive)
• Words with Friends: Frenzy (Zynga)
• Zookeeper (Kiteretsu)