One of the most common questions we get is: what is a messaging game?
Is the entire gameplay inside of the threads?
How does that work?
What are the limitations?
It’s a fair question. Messaging is a different medium than a mobile app, a console, or a browser game. The constraints are different. The interaction patterns are different. And because of that, the design space is different too.
Here’s how we think about it:
The Messaging Game Spectrum
| Notifications | Mixed Mode | All Chat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where games are played | On the web only | In chat and on the web | Entirely inside the messaging thread |
| Role of messages | Messages replace app push notifications. They bring players back to the web experience. | Messages support gameplay. They coordinate, prompt, and sometimes move players to the web. | Messages are the gameplay. They power turns, actions, and interaction. |
Explaining the Spectrum
Messaging games aren’t one thing - they sit on a spectrum.
1. Notifications (Where We Are Today)
Today, most messaging games are in the “Notifications” phase - a natural starting point that builds on the familiar mobile app model. The game lives on the web, and text messages replace app push notifications.
That alone is powerful. Messaging is more immediate, more personal, and often more engaging than traditional push notifications. You don’t need full gameplay inside chat to build something successful. Simply upgrading the notification layer can meaningfully improve retention and re-engagement.
2. Mixed Mode (Where Things Get Interesting)
Over time, we believe developers will increasingly move toward Mixed Mode.
In this model:
- Some gameplay happens in chat.
- Some gameplay happens on the web.
- Messages do more than notify - they coordinate, prompt, and shape the experience.
This is where the medium starts to shine.
Messaging has unique strengths:
- It’s conversational.
- It’s social by default.
- It’s asynchronous but feels live.
- It fits naturally into daily life.
Leaning into those strengths opens up new kinds of mechanics. We can expect innovation here - not just ported mobile games, but experiences designed for messaging.
3. All Chat (Where the Medium Becomes the Game)
At the far end of the spectrum is All Chat.
Here:
- The entire game lives in the thread.
- Messages are the gameplay.
- Turns, actions, and interaction happen through conversation.
This likely won’t replace every genre - and it shouldn’t. Messaging has constraints: screen size, interaction format, cognitive load.
But in specific genres - social deduction, trivia, turn-based strategy, roleplay, lightweight async competition - All Chat could be incredibly powerful.
It’s not about forcing everything into chat. It’s about designing for what chat does best.
The Big Idea
A messaging game isn’t defined by whether it lives entirely in a thread.
It’s defined by how messaging shapes the experience.
Today, “Notifications” is a powerful starting point.
Tomorrow, “Mixed Mode” will unlock new design space.
In the future, “All Chat” will emerge as a distinctive mode in the right contexts.
A Call to Developers
We’re at the beginning of this medium.
Messaging games won’t evolve by accident - they’ll evolve because developers experiment with them.
If you’re curious about what happens when:
- Notifications become conversations
- Conversations become mechanics
- And messaging becomes a game surface
Come experiment with us.
Let’s figure out what a messaging game can really be.