Is Meta About to Give Threads Its Biggest Chat Advantage Yet? Here's What the Gaming Feature Could Mean

Meta is quietly experimenting with a move that could reshape how people interact on Threads: embedding games directly into private messages. Inside the company’s labs, developers are already running trials with a basketball-themed mini-game that lets users compete head-to-head through simple swiping mechanics and high-score leaderboards.

Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi first uncovered the prototype, revealing what appears to be a straightforward competitive game where friends can challenge each other without leaving the chat. While Meta’s official stance is that this remains in early-stage development with no public rollout timeline, the implications are significant.

Why This Matters for Threads’ Future

Currently, platforms like X and Bluesky don’t offer in-message gaming—a gap that could become Threads’ competitive weapon. Apple’s Messages already leverages this with third-party apps like GamePigeon, proving users enjoy quick gaming experiences within their messaging apps. If Threads launches this feature, it could attract users seeking more interactive and entertaining ways to connect with friends.

Meta has precedent here. The company previously embedded a hidden emoji game in Instagram direct messages, allowing users to compete for high scores—a feature that resonated with engaged audiences. Whether through emoji interactions or adults-only themed content, Meta understands that casual gaming drives message activity and keeps users returning.

The Bigger Picture

With approximately 400 million monthly active users, Threads still trails X significantly in the U.S. market, where engagement and user retention remain critical battlegrounds. Recent data from the Pew Research Center shows adults continue favoring X for daily usage, creating urgency for Meta to differentiate Threads.

Beyond games, Meta is rolling out other engagement boosters: enhanced Communities features and disappearing posts that auto-archive after 24 hours. These incremental improvements suggest the company is taking a multi-pronged approach to make Threads stickier and more feature-rich than its competitors.

The basketball game test could be just the beginning. If successful, expect more games, more reasons for users to stay in Threads longer, and a clearer path for Meta to close the gap with X.