Meta is internally testing games inside Threads chats, starting with a simple basketball game.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the feature is still a prototype and not available to the public.
The game was discovered by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who shared a screenshot showing users swiping to shoot virtual basketballs. The idea appears to focus on friendly competition between people in a chat, similar to casual mobile games.
#Threads is working on a basketball game 🏀 for chats 👀 pic.twitter.com/LGp22SLwRI
— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) January 4, 2026
If launched, in-chat games could give Threads an advantage over rivals like X and Bluesky, which currently do not offer built-in gaming features. It could also help Threads compete with Apple’s Messages, which supports games through third-party apps.
Meta has experimented with in-message games before, including a hidden emoji game in Instagram DMs. The prototype arrives as Threads continues adding features like expanded Communities and disappearing posts, while the platform works to close the usage gap with X in the U.S.
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