Threads is experimenting with gaming inside private chats, beginning with a simple basketball game that allows users to swipe to shoot hoops.

In-chat gaming could give Threads an advantage over rivals such as X and Bluesky, which do not currently offer built-in games. It may also position Threads as a competitor to Apple’s Messages, where users can already access chat-based games through third-party apps instead of relying on the platform alone.

Threads continues to expand its feature set with Communities and disappearing posts, although the platform still trails X in US adoption despite reporting 400 million monthly users worldwide.

Would you like to learn more aboutAI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!