Does Snapchat Still Have Games in 2025? Here’s What You Need to Know

Snapchat no longer offers games in 2025. The platform removed its games feature in February 2023, ending what users once enjoyed as a popular interactive element.

Snapchat games attracted many users to the platform. The launch of Snap Games in 2019 proved successful quickly. By 2021, more than 200 million people played these interactive games within the app. The platform had nearly 30 million monthly active players who enjoyed games with friends. The games’ popularity couldn’t save them from financial pressures. Snap cut 20 percent of its workforce because of poor revenue growth and removed the gaming feature.

This piece dives into how Snapchat games rose and fell, including fan favorites like Bitmoji Party and Snake Squad. We’ll learn about why these games disappeared and if they might come back. The story also reveals Snapchat’s new direction as it moves toward community growth, revenue development, and augmented reality.

The Rise of Snapchat Games

Snapchat took a bold step into interactive entertainment by launching its gaming platform in spring 2019. The company revealed Snap Games at its first-ever press event, the Snap Partner Summit in Los Angeles, on April 4, 2019. This expansion came after Snap quietly bought PrettyGreat, an Australian game studio with talent from HalfBrick (creators of Fruit Ninja), in late 2017.

How Snap Games Started and Why

Snap Games started with the company buying PlayCanvas in 2017. This cloud-based platform became the backbone that would power most games on the service. The company wanted to create smooth social gaming experiences without the usual hassles of mobile multiplayer games.

“It’s hard to get everybody to install the same game, then find friends to play with and it’s hard to chat. There’s way too much friction,” Will Wu, director of Snap Games, explained during the launch event. “So even if you’re playing together, it doesn’t really feel like you’re hanging out. Snapchat has the right ingredients to break down these barriers.”

Snap Games stood out from its rivals by living right inside the Snapchat app. Users could jump into games straight from their chats without downloading anything else. This simple approach made multiplayer gaming more available – players could start games right from their conversations and stay connected while playing together.

The platform let friends talk to each other while playing games. This social focus matched Snapchat’s main goal of deepening their commitment between friends.

Popular titles that defined the platform

The platform launched with six exclusive titles that showed what it could do:

1. Bitmoji Party – Developed in-house by Snap, this Mario Party-style collection of mini-games featured users’ personalized Bitmoji avatars competing in whimsical challenges
2. Tiny Royale by Zynga – A top-down battle royale shooter reminiscent of a Game Boy version of Fortnite
3. Snake Squad by Game Closure – A reimagining of the classic Snake game set in outer space
4. C.A.T.S. Drift Race by ZeptoLab – A cute racing game adaptation
5. Zombie Rescue Squad by PikPok – An action game where players rescued survivors from zombie-infested cities
6. Alphabear Hustle by SpryFox – An ever-changing word puzzle game

The platform grew substantially over time with new titles. “Ready Chef Go!” became the first third-party game to use 3D Bitmoji avatars in early 2020. Other hits included “Aquapark IO” from Voodoo, which attracted more than 45 million players, and “Ludo Club,” which rode the wave of board game popularity during the pandemic.

Snapchat started with multiplayer games but later added Leaderboard Games – single-player casual games where friends competed through rankings. New Snappables (augmented reality games) came out weekly.

Snap Games became a soaring win. By 2021, more than 200 million Snapchatters had played games on the platform, double the 100 million from the previous year. About 30 million users played Snap Games monthly. The PlayCanvas cloud-based platform attracted 80% of Snap Games developers to build their creations.

These games helped Snapchat boost user activity while growing beyond just messaging. The platform ended up offering almost 50 games and became a major force in casual mobile gaming – before shutting down in 2023.

How Snap Games Worked

Traditional mobile gaming required separate app downloads, but Snapchat built games right into its messaging platform. This smooth gaming experience made Snap Games easy to access and naturally social.

Accessing games through the chat interface

Snapchat cleverly built games into its chat features to remove typical multiplayer gaming barriers. Users could open any chat – with a friend, a group, or even themselves – and tap the rocket icon above the keyboard. Games were just a tap away during regular conversations.

The “Games and Minis Drawer” showed up after tapping the rocket icon, displaying all gaming options. Users could see both Snap’s own games and titles from other developers. Games started right away without downloads or setup – a game-changing approach that made mobile gaming much smoother.

Starting a game in a chat automatically sent everyone an invitation to join. This simple notification system made it easy to get friends together compared to other gaming platforms.

Multiplayer and solo gameplay options

Most Snap Games focused on multiplayer action with real-time social features. Players who joined a game could:

1. Play together in real time
2. Send text messages using the chat box below
3. Talk through the microphone icon

This complete communication setup let friends chat while playing games. Will Wu, who leads Snap Games, pointed out during launch that this fixed a common issue where “even if you’re playing together, it doesn’t really feel like you’re hanging out”.

Snapchat later added solo play options. Players could enjoy games alone while waiting for friends or try games made specifically for single players. The platform added “Leaderboard Games” where friends competed by comparing scores on rankings.

Integration with Bitmoji and Minis

Snapchat raised the bar for personalization by bringing Bitmoji avatars into its games. Many titles, including “Bitmoji Party,” showed players’ custom Bitmoji characters in the game. Players felt more connected as they saw themselves and their friends in these virtual worlds.

Bitmoji soon expanded beyond Snapchat. “Bitmoji for Games” let developers add users’ avatars to their mobile, PC, and console games. Players could now use their personalized characters in different gaming platforms.

Snapchat launched “Minis” in 2020 – small HTML5 apps that lived next to games in chat. These compact programs let users buy movie tickets, match schedules, or do guided meditation without leaving the app. Games and Minis shared similar technology, and neither needed traditional installation.

Snap Games turned gaming into a natural part of conversation instead of a separate planned activity. Friends could start playing together spontaneously through their messaging app, which changed how people think about mobile gaming.

Why Snapchat Removed Games

Snapchat pulled its popular gaming platform from the app in February 2023. Many users wondered what happened to their favorite in-app games. The platform had drawn approximately 30 million monthly players by 2021.

Official statements and SEC filings

The first warning signs appeared in August 2022. Snap Inc. filed a document with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company revealed its plans to stop investing in several areas, including Snap Games. The filing made it clear that games and other projects “couldn’t contribute to the company’s priorities of community growth, revenue growth, and augmented reality”.

Snapchat’s support team announced the app would now focus on products that benefit creators and viewers. The company’s support website confirmed they removed the games feature completely, which ended an era of interactive entertainment on Snapchat.

Shift in company priorities

A major restructuring effort to streamline Snapchat’s business model drove this decision. CEO Evan Spiegel shared a new direction in a memo on the company’s blog: “We are restructuring our business to increase focus on our three strategic priorities: community growth, revenue growth, and augmented reality. Projects that don’t directly contribute to these areas will be discontinued or receive substantially reduced investment”.

The company decided to end support for Snap Games among other features like Snap Originals, Minis, and the Pixy drone. This move showed how Snapchat’s leadership wanted to put resources toward what they believed would bring long-term success.

User engagement vs. business goals

The removal of games showed a classic conflict between what’s popular and what’s profitable. The gaming platform had millions of active players but didn’t generate enough revenue to keep it running. Money became a pressing concern as Snap cut 20 percent of its workforce because of poor revenue growth.

Market experts pointed out Snapchat’s challenges in making money from its gaming platform. The mobile gaming market proved too competitive for Snapchat to stand up against other players or turn gamers into paying customers. The platform ended up being financially unsustainable because very few players spent money on games.

Snapchat’s choice to remove games disappointed users but made business sense. The company needed to protect its financial health and stay competitive in the digital world.

The Impact on Users and the Community

Snapchat’s decision to remove Snap Games in early 2023 created a stir throughout its user community. Users expressed genuine disappointment about losing access to what had become their cherished social feature.

How users reacted to the removal

Snapchat’s official discontinuation of games and minis sparked waves of nostalgia among its loyal users. Research showed users felt deeply nostalgic as they remembered competing with friends in the platform’s mini-games. These games had become an essential part of their social experience on the app. The news hit harder because roughly 30 million Snapchat users played Snap Games monthly before their removal. This massive player base suddenly lost access to what they considered one of the app’s most engaging features.

The community’s response wasn’t all negative, notwithstanding that. Some users adapted by learning alternative entertainment options within Snapchat, while others managed to keep hope that gaming features might return someday. In fact, this move led to noticeable changes in engagement patterns as users started to find different aspects of the platform.

Loss of social interaction features

Snap Games offered unique continuous connection that users found hard to replace. The games had promoted a type of metacommunication among younger users, especially when you have teenagers who counted on gamified features to build and strengthen their friendships. The removal also eliminated a smooth way for friends to participate in shared activities without leaving the app.

Users experienced multiple types of loss after the removal:

• Media loss (inability to access game content)
• Context loss (breaking conversation continuity)
• Meaning loss (disruption of social rituals built around games)

Users created workarounds and shared saving practices to make up for these losses, showing how deeply games had integrated into their communication patterns.

Effect on Snapchat’s brand perception

The games’ removal changed how users viewed Snapchat’s identity and priorities. The platform already struggled with user retention amid competition from TikTok and Instagram. This change reinforced users’ concerns about Snapchat’s direction. The company had already faced criticism over a major redesign in 2018, which many users called clumsy and alienating.

Snapchat’s core identity as a platform “about enhancing relationships with friends and family” took a hit after removing features that helped create these connections. Of course, this decision might strengthen negative stories about social media platforms that value business metrics more than user experience.

What This Means for Snapchat in 2025

Snapchat has changed direction dramatically after dropping its gaming platform, which has transformed its identity in 2025. The platform now serves 432 million daily active users and has evolved beyond simple messaging into a comprehensive social platform with clear goals.

Snapchat’s current focus areas

Snapchat’s 2025 business strategy revolves around three main goals: growing its community, increasing revenue, and developing augmented reality. The platform has made AR technology its priority, and about 300 million users now participate in AR experiences daily. This commitment has made Snapchat a leader in AR innovation among other platforms like TikTok.

The platform has made great strides in AI integration. Users can now:

• Create full-screen memory collages and video playbacks
• Design AI-generated movie posters
• Use problem-solving tools that translate menus and identify plants

Snapchat plans to launch its “Simple Snapchat” interface in early 2025. This new design focuses on three basic functions: chatting, creating snaps, and watching video content. The streamlined interface should help users stay more engaged.

Will games ever return?

Snapchat shows no signs of bringing games back to its platform. The company’s SEC filings clearly state that games “couldn’t contribute to the company’s priorities”, which suggests games won’t return anytime soon.

All the same, Snapchat’s growing subscription service might open doors for games to return differently. Snapchat+ reached 11 million subscribers in Q2 2024, and exclusive gaming features—such as casual puzzles or even live casino-style interactions—could add value for paying users. This approach matches the company’s plan to find new revenue sources beyond advertising.

What users can expect going forward

Snapchat users should prepare for more AI and AR-focused experiences. The platform expects to reach about 441 million daily active users by Q3 2024, with more growth predicted throughout 2025.

Money looks good too – Snapchat should generate USD 8.34 billion in advertising revenue by 2027. These strong finances will help support new innovations across the platform.

Creators should see 2025 as their breakthrough year. The platform will emphasize educational content and niche creators who build genuine connections with their communities. The Snapchat+ subscription keeps adding new perks, with more than 40 premium features already available to subscribers.

Conclusion

Snapchat games once drew 30 million monthly players, but now they’re just a memory. Money matters ended up outweighing user interest, which led Snapchat to pull the plug as it shifted focus. The company decided to zero in on three main areas: growing its community, boosting revenue, and developing AR technology.

The story of Snap Games teaches us something important about how social platforms change. The features we love today might vanish tomorrow as platforms adjust to new business realities. Snapchat showed this clearly when it made the bold move away from gaming, even though users weren’t happy about it.

Snapchat fans wanting their favorite games back should probably lower their hopes. The platform isn’t looking back – it’s pushing forward with AR innovations and AI features instead. Notwithstanding that, Snapchat+ subscription service might open a door for games to make a comeback, but only for those willing to pay.

Snapchat keeps changing beyond its roots as a messaging app in 2025. Its new “Simple Snapchat” design, growing creator tools, and better AR features show a company that knows exactly where it’s headed – even if that means cutting popular features. So while games might be gone, Snapchat’s drive to try new things will give users fresh ways to connect and get involved.