Snap Games: Will They Ever Return?

Remember the times when people used to play games with their friends on Snapchat? It was revolutionary. This was one of the first apps that featured a gaming session, which kind of made it unique.

Most people think that Snapchat is only for using filters and taking photos, but this app has been through a lot, and Snap Games was probably one of its most revolutionary features.

But where is this feature now? I know many people went through the Snapchat app looking for Snap Games, which are nowhere to be found.

So, does Snapchat still have games that you can play with your friends, or is this feature long gone?

The End of Snap Games

Unfortunately for some users, Snap Games, which was a feature introduced back in 2019, letting you play multiplayer games like Bitmoji Party or Snake Squad in chat, is gone. The Snake Squad game was incredible and plenty of fun.

After a few years, Snapchat decided to pull the plug on Snap Games and officially discontinued Snap Games in February 2023.

But why did they decide to remove games from the Snapchat app? To be honest, this feature sounds revolutionary, and I know that many people would love to play games with their friends.

So, does it have to do with game variety, where most of us got bored with the same old games?

There are no official statements from Snapchat explaining why they’ve removed this feature.

Yes, some people loved it, and some hated it, but many of us played the games for sure.

So, is the death of Snap Games a result of inactivity or any other issues? Well, I don’t think it is because people didn’t play the games. Yes, most of us used the app only for taking pictures, but certain users played these games, which boosted engagement on the app.

There is a chance that the problem with Snap Games was in the game development sector. This was a demanding project that required a lot of processing, and constant investment in games. On the other hand, Snap Games was only a side feature of the app, which means that they don’t really have a chance to monetize the games.

So, Snap Games was expensive to run, and it only increased the engagement of a small number of people who played such games.

With the removal of Snap Games, many users who once turned to Snapchat for quick, casual fun have started looking elsewhere. While those mini-games were simple and easy to access, the demand for bite-sized entertainment hasn’t gone away. Some users now turn to casual games available on other platforms, like online roulette sites, which offer a similarly effortless way to pass the time. With just a tap, players can spin the wheel and enjoy a burst of fast-paced excitement—no downloads or long tutorials needed.

Games like these don’t require long play sessions or complex learning curves, just a few minutes and a bit of curiosity. Whether it’s spinning a roulette wheel or tapping through a round of cards, the appeal lies in how easy it is to jump in, play for a short while, and move on—much like how Snap Games used to fit naturally into people’s daily scrolling habits.

Alternative Social Features

Yes, Snap Games might be gone, but Snapchat offers tons of other features that kind of capture the same playful spirit. We have incredible AR lenses, which are the cornerstone of the app, and some of them even include a multiplayer experience, where your friends can join you in real-time, like dueling with virtual AR graphics on your screen or completing a quiz.

These lenses are accessible via the camera, and most of the Snapchat users today are using the app only for this reason. They also have a feeling of mini-games, and some of them feature incredible designs where you’ll spend hours trying out new AR filters.

So, Snapchat decided to focus on its camera features, which is kind of obvious since the app was developed for that purpose from day one. This means that the only option for Snapchat users is to take a photo or video, post a spotlight, use AR filters, and chat with their friends.

Third-Party Gaming Integrations

Snapchat may have ditched native games, but some users are finding workarounds through third-party integrations in 2025. Social media posts suggest using Snapchat for Web to connect with friends via voice or video calls, which can pair with external gaming platforms. For example, you could snap a friend to coordinate a match on a separate mobile game, using Snapchat’s chat for real-time banter.

Some apps promote “Snapchat-friendly” games via Spotlight, where creators share links to external titles playable with friends. These aren’t official Snapchat features, but they show how users adapt, especially younger audiences who blend social apps with gaming.

So, if you want to play games with your friends, Snapchat isn’t really the perfect app to do that. You are much better off trying some browser multiplayer games, rather than trying to find a workaround.

We don’t think that Snap Games will ever return to Snapchat, but not many people would miss it. Snapchat experienced a drop in users in 2018 and 2019, which is why maybe they went into full creative mode, trying to win some of the users back by including games.

But since then, Snapchat has been consistent in daily active users, and it has been growing ever since, so maybe Snap Games isn’t the right feature that this app needs.