The Best Snapchat Games You Can Play Right Now
Some people like to argue about whether smartphone games are “real” video games (Zynga especially), but I’ve always thought that a game is a game, no matter where you play it. Playing on a smartphone is no different than playing on a console or PC in my book – and right now, nearly 100 million people are playing Snapchat games in all places.
While Snapchat’s games are geared towards small, day-to-day experiences, its gaming service is surprisingly reliable. In fact, the inclusion of voice chat and features such as simple gameplay prompts makes it better than more “hardcore” gaming platforms (* cough * Nintendo * cough *).
The real judge of a gaming service is its games, and the Snap game library offers a wide variety of styles and qualities. You will find a variety of titles: puzzle games, lifestyle simulators, platform games, and even a few low-stakes games. Some games even allow users to import 3D versions of their Snapchat Bitmoji and use them as playable characters.
Personally, I find Alphabear Hustle quite fun. This is a unique Scrabble style puzzle game that can be played with friends or alone. The real catch, however, is the secondary village building system. You earn points based on the length and letters used for each word you play during the puzzles, and then you can use those points to customize and update the tiny village between rounds, just like the Nintendo Animal Crossing series, albeit in much more limited form.
Another standout game is Tiny Royale , which takes the wildly popular King of the Hill gameplay from games like Fortnight and PUBG and combines it into a faster, mobile-friendly package with touch controls and a top-down perspective.
Sure, just like Fortnite, PUBG has mobile versions, and you should probably stick with those if you want a more tactical experience on the go, but Tiny Royale is a good entry-level battle royale experience. In my experience, it’s much more interesting than the service’s other shooter, Zombie Rescue Squad .
There are over a dozen other games on the service, and at least seventeen more will be added to the list in the near future , so chances are you will find something awesome to play.
How to play games on Snapchat
- Open Snapchat.
- Swipe through the chat menu.
- Tap a contact or group to open or start a new conversation. Some Snapchat games can be played alone, but can only be played from chat.
- Tap the rocket icon on the chat keyboard to open the game menu.
- Scroll through the list of available games. When you find the one you want to play, tap the thumbnail to launch it. You will need to briefly preview the download if this is your first time playing the game, but it’s fast.
- The game should now be open and ready to play. (Game compatibility and performance may vary depending on your device and, in some cases, your internet connection.)
- When you’re done playing, tap the X icon to close the game window and return to your conversation.