Meta is quietly preparing the next twist in its Twitter rival: lightweight games that live directly inside Threads chats. Instead of sending a link out to a separate app, users will be able to tap a prompt in a conversation and start playing without ever leaving the thread. The feature is already in testing, which means the idea of shooting hoops or trading high scores in your DMs is not a distant experiment but a near-term shift in how Threads wants people to talk, compete, and stick around.
The move builds on a year of rapid changes that turned Threads from a simple broadcast feed into a more social, message-driven space. With chat-based games now in the pipeline, Meta is betting that playful interactions can deepen the appeal of Threads at a moment when every major social platform is scrambling for new ways to keep users engaged.
Games are coming straight into Threads chats
The clearest signal of where Threads is headed is that the company is actively building what it describes as lightweight, in-message games that run directly inside conversations. Instead of full-scale titles, these are designed as quick, tap-friendly experiences that can be launched from a chat and resolved in a few moments, the kind of thing you might fire up while waiting in line or killing time between meetings. Reporting on the product roadmap notes that Threads is developing lightweight in-message games as a new engagement hook, with the work described as a 6 Min Read overview of how these features are expected to function.
Internally, the pitch is simple: if people are already chatting, why send them elsewhere to play? The games are meant to feel like a natural extension of the conversation, not a separate destination, and early descriptions emphasize that they will be simple enough to load instantly on mobile connections. The same reporting highlights that this work was updated very recently, with the project framed as a quiet but deliberate step in Threads’ evolution, and it explicitly names Threads, Jan, Last, and the figure 58 as part of the current snapshot of the initiative.
The first test: a basketball mini-game in private messages
The first concrete example of this strategy is a basketball mini-game that lives inside private chats. Instead of downloading a separate sports app, users can trigger a small virtual court inside a DM and try to flick a digital ball into a hoop, competing on accuracy and streaks. Coverage of the experiment explains that Threads might let users play games while messaging in private chats, with the first test centered on a basketball experience where people tap to send a virtual ball into a hoop, and the report is credited to Ijaj Khan with the note that it was Published at 10:47 am IST and invites readers to Read the news in brief form.
The design is intentionally familiar, echoing the kind of casual basketball challenges that have circulated in other messaging apps, but here it is tightly integrated into the Threads interface. The same reporting stresses that this is happening inside private conversations rather than public posts, which signals that Meta wants games to feel like a shared inside joke between friends rather than a public spectacle. The feature is framed as a way to make chats more interactive and to give people a reason to linger in DMs a little longer, with Threads and Jan explicitly identified as the context for the test.
Why Meta thinks chat-based gaming will keep people hooked
Meta’s bet on chat-based gaming is not just about novelty, it is about retention. Social apps have learned that small, repeatable interactions inside messaging threads can be powerful drivers of daily use, especially when they tap into friendly competition. Analysis of the basketball experiment notes that the idea behind the game is to let friends compete to see who can score the most baskets, a mechanic that mirrors other mobile basketball titles and encourages people to keep coming back to defend their high score. One report on Threads’ broader product strategy explains that the idea behind the game is to mimic other mobile basketball games and that launching in-message games could help Threads stand out among users who are also experimenting with alternatives like Bluesky, where one cited figure is 4% of people who have used that rival service.
From Meta’s perspective, every extra tap inside Threads is a chance to deepen habit and reduce churn to competitors. If a user knows they can challenge a friend to a quick basketball shootout without leaving the app, they are less likely to drift back to older platforms when a conversation slows down. The same analysis links this to Threads’ algorithmic changes, which are designed to show more content from accounts people follow, suggesting that games are part of a broader push to make the app feel more alive and responsive. By tying playful features to the feed and messaging, Meta is trying to turn Threads into a place where people not only read and post but also play.
From simple DMs to social hubs: how Threads messaging evolved
The arrival of games in chat only makes sense when you look at how aggressively Meta has been upgrading Threads’ messaging layer. What started as a basic direct message tool has been reworked into something closer to a full social inbox, with features that make conversations feel more natural and communal. Reporting on this shift notes that Threads is finally turning its in-app messages into something a little more social, describing how, After months of gradual updates, the app’s chats now support richer interactions that make back-and-forth exchanges feel a lot more natural. Meta has been explicit that messaging is central to how it wants people to use Threads. In a broader product update, the company framed the feature as a way to help people connect with communities they already follow on the platform, not just with close friends. The official description explains that Introducing Messaging and Highlighted Perspectives was meant to support the way As the app grows, many people are connecting with communities they only follow on Threads, and that Messaging helps make these exchanges easier. In that context, games are simply the next layer on top of a messaging system that is already being positioned as a core part of the Threads experience.
Group chats, EU expansion, and why games fit the new scale
Games inside chat become more compelling as Threads’ group messaging footprint grows. The platform has already rolled out group DMs that can include large numbers of participants, which turns a simple mini-game into a potential party activity for entire communities. One detailed breakdown of the feature notes that Threads Adds Group Chats for 50 Users, Expands to EU Market, explicitly stating that the app now supports group chats for 50 Users and that this rollout is tied to an Expands strategy in the EU Market within a broader Social category, with the development dated to Oct and framed under the phrase Threads Adds Group Chats for.
Other coverage of the same shift underscores how these group DMs are meant to be easy to start and inclusive of a wide range of contacts. One report explains that Threads now supports group DM and that, But the messaging feature remains mobile-only for now, while also noting that users can Just start a new message and add anybody who follows them, including people they do not follow back. In a room that can hold dozens of people, a simple basketball challenge or similar mini-game can quickly turn into a shared event, which is exactly the kind of high-energy interaction Meta wants to cultivate as it brings Threads to more regions.
How the basketball test actually works inside a chat
While Meta has not published a full technical breakdown, the available descriptions of the basketball test sketch a clear picture of how it behaves inside a conversation. A user in a private chat can trigger the game, which then appears inline as a small interactive element rather than a separate screen. Tapping on it lets participants take turns flicking a ball toward a hoop, with the interface tracking scores and streaks so that bragging rights are built into the chat history. One detailed account explains that Threads is testing games inside private chats, starting with a basketball game that aims to add a light competitive element within conversations, and it explicitly identifies Threads and Jan as the context for this experiment. The key design choice is that the game is woven into the flow of messages rather than interrupting it. People can play a round, send a few texts, then pick up the game again without switching contexts, which keeps the experience casual and low friction. The same reporting emphasizes that the goal is to make conversations more interactive, not to turn Threads into a full gaming platform, and that the basketball test is a proof of concept for how small, self-contained challenges can live comfortably inside a chat window without overwhelming it.
Threads’ broader push to rival Twitter and other feeds
Chat-based games are also part of a larger competitive story. Threads has been positioning itself as a direct challenger to Twitter-style feeds, and Meta is looking for features that can differentiate its app beyond simple text posts. One analysis of this rivalry notes that Threads is developing in-message games as it takes on X, explicitly stating that Threads is exploring games in chats and that the work is being tracked by Aisha Malik, with the piece identifying Oct, the time zone PST, and the figure 39 in its metadata while explaining that the company is testing out games in Threads messages as part of a broader communities push.
By embedding games directly into conversations, Meta is trying to create a stickier environment than a simple scrolling feed can offer. Twitter has long relied on real-time conversation and trending topics to keep people engaged, but it has not leaned heavily into native mini-games inside DMs. Threads, by contrast, is layering communities, group chats, and now in-message games into a single product, hoping that the combination will make it feel more like a place to hang out than a place to simply broadcast. The explicit mention that these games are being developed as Threads takes on X underscores that Meta sees playful features as part of its competitive arsenal, not just a side experiment.
What early testing reveals about Meta’s priorities
The way Meta is rolling out these features also says a lot about its priorities. Rather than launching a full catalog of games at once, the company is starting with a single, easy-to-understand basketball mini-game and limiting it to private chats, which lets it observe how people actually use the feature before expanding. One report on the testing phase notes that Threads reportedly testing chat-based gaming is framed as an experiment in Meta’s Twitter-like mobile messaging app, with the coverage credited to Colin Kirkland and introduced with the phrase As Threads continues to grow, explicitly tying the new Threads basketball game to the platform’s broader expansion.
Starting small gives Meta room to refine the mechanics, adjust how scores are displayed, and decide how aggressively to surface game prompts in chats. It also lets the company gauge whether users see the feature as a fun bonus or an annoying distraction. The fact that the testing is happening while Threads is still actively tuning its algorithm and messaging tools suggests that Meta is willing to iterate quickly, folding in feedback from early adopters as it decides whether to roll out more games or keep the feature limited to a handful of simple challenges.
How in-chat games could reshape everyday Threads use
If Meta pushes ahead, in-chat games could subtly change how people think about opening Threads in the first place. Instead of treating it purely as a place to check the latest posts, users might start to see it as a casual hangout where they can chat, share links, and fire off a quick game when the conversation slows. That shift would align with Meta’s stated goal of making messaging central to the Threads experience, as outlined in its own description of how As the app grows, people are connecting with communities they only follow on Threads and using Messaging to deepen those ties, which is detailed in the same official messaging update.
For everyday users, the impact may be as simple as having one more reason to stay inside a chat instead of bouncing between apps. A group of friends planning a night out could punctuate the logistics with a few rounds of basketball, while a community discussing a live event could use games as a quick icebreaker. Because the experiences are lightweight and embedded, they do not require the commitment of a full gaming session, which makes them easier to fit into the fragmented attention patterns that define modern social media use. If Meta executes well, the result could be a Threads that feels less like a clone of older platforms and more like a distinct, playful space built around conversation.
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