Game Quality Guidelines and Platform Quality Criteria

In addition to complying with Facebook’s Developer Policies and Platform Terms, all submitted games must pass an additional Quality Review to be allowed entry to the Instant Games Platform.

Developers must ensure that all of their approved games adhere to these Quality Guidelines. Repeated or egregious violations of quality guidelines may result in an enforcement action, including suspending or removing your Game, or removing your access and your Game’s access to the Instant Games platform.

The Instant Games platform also provides several options for distributing Games on Facebook. All Instant Games that comply with our Quality Guidelines can qualify for Play Tab or Play Lab distribution, depending on specific Platform Quality Criteria described in this page.

Quality Guidelines

All Instant Games must comply with these Quality Guidelines:

Honesty and Promotion

Games must be transparent and honest about the gaming experience they are providing to players.

• Game display title is consistent on loading screens and display titles.
• Game icon relates to the game/gameplay.
• Games should be accurately labeled by genre that aligns with the gameplay.
• Games should be your own original creation and not mimic or copy existing games.
• Games should not be emulators of modern or retro games.
• Games should not use any misleading imagery or content to falsely lead the player into choosing a game that is irrelevant in its offering.
• Game does not mislead the player in its offering

Monetization

Monetization mechanics must be appropriately implemented to enhance player experience.

• Monetization mechanics should not be overly disruptive to the game or generate unexpected user experiences. For example, games with interruptive ads that appear unexpectedly or that interfere with the gameplay may not be allowed.
• In App Purchase (IAP) monetization must not be required for players to progress in the game
• In App Advertising (IAA) monetization is meaningfully implemented (i.e. rewarded video ads help with progression of game/level, interstitial ads do not appear too frequently or create an overly disruptive game experience)
• Games should not serve primarily as ads nor should they be used primarily as a means to cross-promote other games.
• Cross-promotion, IAP, and IAA should all adhere to our technical documentation.

Understanding and Usability

All games should be accessible and functional, providing entertainment for players without hindering their experience by frequent game errors or unclear functionality.

• Game provides clear, understandable and platform specific tutorials
• Gameplay and controls/UI should be highly intuitive for most players.
• Progression is clear and follows a logical sequence
• All interactive elements are responsive

Playability & Retention

Game demonstrates solid and engaging gameplay mechanics

• Game promotes retention via gameplay features, game modes and incentives
• Game promotes replay appeal through key platform social features like Sharing, Friends Invites, Tournaments, etc.

Design and Aesthetics

All games should be fun, polished, and provide rich gameplay experiences for players.

• Game visuals should be polished, at the appropriate aspect ratio, and without distortion.
• Games should have clear undistorted audio
• Games should contain audio controls for Music and Sound Effects that persist
• Game experience is optimized for all target platforms

Platform Quality Criteria

The Instant Games platform is intended to provide quality content and promote a positive user experience. All Instant Games that comply with our Quality Guidelines can qualify for Play Tab or Play Lab distribution after passing Quality Review. The distribution model will be determined based on the Quality Guidelines and on the Platform Quality Criteria described below.

Platform Quality Criteria (PQC) will be passed by either:

• A modest 5000 Daily Active Players threshold
• Minimal 1000 Daily Active Players threshold, plus either 15% D1 Retention or $10K Monthly Revenue scores.

PQC requirements for the Play Tab Tier will not apply to newly launched Instant Games over the first 90 days in order to give them time to settle into the platform and demonstrate their performance capabilities. PQC qualification will also not disqualify the Game from the Play Tab tier for a daily shift above or below the threshold. The Game will have to perform below the threshold for a sustained period of time before it impacts your tier.

After passing Quality Review, your Instant Game will be evaluated against the Platform Quality Criteria, with both Game Quality Guidelines and Platform Quality Criteria defining the distribution tier for your Instant Game:

• Play Tab: Instant Games in the Play Tab tier will be distributed across our organic discovery surfaces (e.g. Facebook Gaming Tab, Post Play Session unit, Players’ shortcut to saved games) and available for potential promotion in editorial units. Editorial unit is a consistent fixed space in the Play Tab where the game icon and description is displayed.

• Play Lab: Instant Games in the Play Lab tier will be distributed on Facebook Play platform, but will not be distributed on our organic discovery or editorial surfaces. Instant Games in Play Lab will have the option to create a game page and grow their player base via paid user acquisition, social discovery, and community building. These Instant Games will be searchable within the Facebook app.

Notification Guidelines

App-to-User (A2U) game notifications inform users that something relevant to them has happened or is happening in a game on Facebook. Notifications may be triggered by:

• Social graph interactions: A friend played a game or shared an update from the game.
• User action confirmation: It was the recipient's turn in a multiplayer game, or a tournament they played in had ended.
• Game updates: New game content was added, or a new tournament in the game started.

These guidelines are enforced to protect the user experience, maintain trust, and ensure notifications stay valuable and effective. All developers are required to follow these guidelines. Failure to comply may result in notifications being blocked.

Principles

Notifications should:

• Be useful and relevant: Start with the most important information. Clearly state why the user is receiving the notification.
• Be objective: Do not use notifications for editorializing, swaying opinion, or forwarding a belief.
• Be clear and informative: Include as much pertinent information as possible, and only communicate one or two ideas per notification. Avoid vague, click-bait-y language or hiding information behind a click.

Criteria

Notifications may be blocked if they do not meet the following quality criteria:

• Relevance: Only include information directly related to the game.
• Timeliness: Dates must be relevant to users when notifications are delivered.
• Character limit: Notifications must be 84 characters or less, including the game title, which always appears first. This prevents messages from being cut off. See Best Practices for examples.
• Readability: Use correct spelling, casing, and grammar.
• Formatting: Write in full sentences.
• Personalization: Do not include the recipient's name (e.g., "Jimmy, come back and play the game"). This reduces clutter, avoids truncation, and prevents unnecessary competition for users’ attention. Including other names as part of social context is permissible (e.g., "James sent you an invitation to play the game")
• Tone: Do not use emojis or exclamation points in notifications. This keeps notifications clear, focused, and uncluttered.
• Emoticons: Do not use emoticons that may be misread by screen readers (e.g., (ツ)/ ).
• Forbidden characters: Do not use asterisks (*), en dashes (–), or semicolons (;).
• Repetition: Make each notification unique and engaging to users, like social updates and new features. Only repeat re-engagement messages when necessary, such as for recurring in-game events.
• Language: Must be written in the user's primary language.

Best Practices

• Write in the active voice, and in the voice of the game.
• Write in sentence case, not title case.
• Use entry point data to load the game appropriately after users tap notifications.
• Do not use jargon, especially if the notification is reaching a new user.
• Do not attribute notifications to Facebook.
• Do not link notifications to any app stores.
• Do not promote or advertise any game other than the one the user is playing.