Messaging game modes
Overview
Messaging is a distinct medium with different constraints, interaction patterns, and design spaces compared to mobile apps, consoles, or browser games.
A common question for developers entering this ecosystem is how a messaging game operates and whether the entire gameplay must occur inside message threads. To help answer this, we've developed a framework that we want to share with the developer community.
In our model, messaging games are not defined by a single format, but rather sit on a spectrum of distinct modes. The defining characteristic of each mode is how the messaging layer shapes the player experience.
The messaging game spectrum
Messaging games generally fall into three categories based on where the game is played and the primary role of the messages.
| Notifications | Mixed Mode | All Chat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where games are played | On the web | On the web and in chat | In chat |
| Role of messages | Push notifications replacement | Notifications and gameplay | Gameplay |
Notifications
In the notifications mode, the game lives entirely on the web, and text messages serve primarily as a replacement for traditional app push notifications.
This is a common approach that builds on familiar mobile app models. Because messaging is more immediate and personal than standard push notifications, upgrading the notification layer can meaningfully improve player re-engagement and fundamentally reshape the retention curve.
Mixed mode
In a mixed mode model, gameplay is split between the web and the chat interface. Messages do more than simply notify players; they actively coordinate, prompt, and shape the gameplay experience.
This model leverages the unique strengths of the messaging medium:
- It is conversational.
- It is social by default.
- It supports asynchronous play that still feels live.
- It fits naturally into daily routines.
Beyond bringing familiar mobile games to this ecosystem, leaning into these strengths opens up new mechanics designed explicitly for the messaging format.
All chat
At the far end of the spectrum is all chat. Here, the entire game lives in the thread. Messages are the gameplay, with turns and actions happening directly through conversation.
This approach won’t work for everything. Messaging has real constraints: limited screen size, restricted interaction formats, and higher cognitive load.
But when applied to the right genres - like social deduction, trivia, turn-based strategy, roleplay, or lightweight async competition - all chat can be groundbreaking. The key is to design explicitly for what messaging does best.
Choosing your mode
A messaging game is not strictly defined by whether it lives entirely within a text thread; rather, it is defined by how the messaging layer integrates with and enhances the overall player experience.
When deciding which mode to build for, consider your game's core loop, your target audience, and the conventions of your genre. Whether you are building a rich web game with a highly optimized notification layer, or experimenting with entirely chat-native mechanics, each mode offers unique opportunities.
Because this is such a new and evolving medium, there are still so many mechanics and interaction patterns waiting to be discovered. We'd love to partner with you on these experiments and build the next generation of messaging games together.