6 nostalgic Facebook games we all used to play

When you log in to Facebook today and start scrolling through your homepage, perhaps you will see the usual news article, a photo album of your friend’s vacation, and an infinite number of funny videos and memes. 

But let’s rewind 10 to 15 years and go back to the early days of Facebook, and you will see very little resemblance to what the app is today. Before it became the world’s largest social media platform with almost 3 billion users, Facebook was a simple website where you could post small day-to-day updates, poke your friends, and play games for hours on end. 

For many of us, what intrigued us to create a Facebook account back in 2008 was not just the promise of social networking and connection. It was the allure of the different Facebook games, ranging from virtual worlds to Tetris Battle, which got us addicted and kept us going back to the site. 

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and remember these 6 classic Facebook games that are sure to evoke nostalgia for the simpler times. 

FarmVille

It would be a crime to have a list of classic Facebook games and not start with the phenomenon that started it all back in 2009. FarmVille is an agriculture simulator that lets its players harvest crops, earn money, and expand their humble plot into a multi-acre farm estate. From teenagers to titas, so many Filipinos of all ages created their first Facebook account because they wanted to try their hand at being a farmer in Farmville.  

FarmVille was created by Zynga, which was the undisputed king of social games during Facebook’s early years. Aside from Farmville, Zynga is also the mastermind behind the wildly successful Ville series, like CityVille and CastleVille, as well as several other simulation games. 

Can I still play Farmville?

The original FarmVille game on Facebook was officially shut down on December 31, 2020, along with other Flash Player-dependent games on the website. For those who want to continue harvesting crops, Zynga has already developed two apps available on mobile: FarmVille 2 – Country Escape, and FarmVille 3 – Farm Animals. These two apps extend the farming gameplay but retain the addicting yet relaxing quality of the original.  

Pet Society

Another crowd favorite during the early 2010s was Pet Society, a Tamagotchi-inspired pet simulator game where players could take care of their virtual pet, design their house, dress them up, and pay their other friends’ pets a visit. It was a massive hit upon its release, due in part to the adorableness of the pets and the high level of customization allowed in-game compared to similar pet simulators.

Can I still play Pet Society?

Unfortunately, Pet Society was as cute as it was short-lived. The game developer Playfish ceased activity in 2013 upon order by its parent company Electronic Arts. Following this decision, all Playfish games were subsequently retired, which included The Sims Social, Madden NFL Superstars, and Pet Society. 

For people who miss playing with their adorable virtual pets, Pet Paradise is a mobile game released in 2018 that takes cues from Pet Society, from the look of the pets down to the nostalgic animation.

Restaurant City

People seem to love simulation games that allow them to build a business from scratch and expand it to their heart’s content. That’s why FarmVille lovers also surely enjoyed Restaurant City, where players got to operate a virtual restaurant of their own. You can plan out new dishes, decorate the place, hire new employees, and watch as your restaurant grow and gain more customers.

Can I still play Restaurant City?

Restaurant City is another example of a Facebook game that was gone too soon. Another game created by Playfish, Restaurant City was one of the first games of the developer that was retired, shut down in June 2012. However, several restaurant simulator games that carry a similar vibe to Restaurant City are available to play on mobile, such as Restaurant Story and Cafeland.

EverWing

Everybody who was on Facebook back in 2017 remembers getting flooded with daily notifications from their friends and their new high scores in EverWing. If you’ve never played this addictive game, EverWing is a scroller shooting game where you control a team of Guardians and Dragon sidekicks to fight hordes of different monsters and bosses. Aside from an endless solo mission, you can also play with your friends and enter game modes like Boss Raids and Tournaments.

The ease of gaming (you can play straight from Messenger) and the game’s simple, casual yet competitive gameplay made EverWing a massive success, especially in the Philippines. At its peak, EverWing recorded over 7 million active Filipino users in 2017. 

Can I still play EverWing?

Yes, EverWing remains available free to play as part of Facebook’s gaming platform. You can also access the game through Messenger, which makes it easy to create a group and instantly play EverWing with your friends. 

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Candy Crush Saga

Before it became a mainstay app on all of our mothers’ phones and tablets, Candy Crush Saga had its start as a browser game for Facebook in 2012. Who knew a simple match-three game featuring multi-colored candies would be such a phenomenal hit? 

Millions of people were understandably obsessed with Candy Crush during the first years of its release, delighted with the casual gameplay and countless levels. And even after it launched a mobile version, Candy Crush remains as one of the most-played mobile games. Even today, the game app records over 250 million monthly users.

Can I still play Candy Crush Saga?

Yes, you can still play Candy Crush Saga on Facebook by accessing it through your browser. However, game developer King suggests that you play the game using the mobile app or Windows version. You can easily connect your Facebook account to the game, so you don’t lose any of your data. 

Tetris Battle

Ah, the game that broke a thousand friendships. It’s the familiar gameplay of classic Tetris, but in Tetris Battle, players play against one another in hopes of earning Stars and moving up the ranks to become the God of Tetris. You are rewarded Stars when you win a match, and you get deducted when you lose. 

In Tetris Battle, you can have an opponent from anywhere in the world, but many players choose to play against their Facebook friends. It’s a highly competitive game that people loved and enjoyed, proven by the over 20 billion games played since its release in 2010.

Can I still play Tetris Battle?

Millions of Tetris Battle players were saddened when developer Tetris Online announced that all Tetris games on Facebook would be discontinued by May 2019. This included Tetris Battle, Tetris Friends, and Tetris Battle Drop. 

What happened to Facebook Games?

After different updates and iterations of Facebook through the years, the site has deprioritized its Gameroom space which has been steadily declining in popularity. While several games like EverWing and Jetpack Joyride are still available to play on Facebook, there will no longer be any new games launched on the site. Instead of hosting web games, Facebook Gaming is now focused on being a game streaming platform, similar to Twitch or YouTube Gaming.  

Most of the early Facebook games like FarmVille and Tetris Battle required Flash Player to run. After Adobe and web browsers stopped supporting Flash on December 31, 2020, these games were either discontinued, transferred to a different platform, or rebranded as mobile apps. 

Old Facebook games bring us back to an era when social media was less complicated, less stuffy, and more fun. While many of them have already been long retired, they will always remind us of the simpler days when we would log in to Facebook, plant some carrots on our farm, and just have a good time.