While most gamers use Discord to stay connected with their teammates during intense gameplay sessions, Discord has been at work developing a gaming experience within the platform. Called Channel Games, you can play these games on Discord servers with server members without leaving the chat app. In this article, we have explained how you can access and play Discord channel games.
Play Discord Channel Games (2022)
Discord is still testing channel games at the moment. As of now, channel games are available through the company’s Games Lab server. However, we have also included a method that you can use to play channel games on any Discord server right now.
List of Available Discord Channel Games
Discord currently offers a total of 10 channel games. Of the 10 available games, two games (Word Snacks and Sketch Heads) are meant for all servers, while the other eight games will eventually require at least a Level 1 server boost for access. With that out of the way, check out the complete list below:
- Word Snacks
- Sketch Heads
- Poker Night
- Chess in the Park
- Letter League
- SpellCast
- Checkers in the Park
- Blazing 8s
- Land-io
- Putt Party
Play Channel Games on Discord Games Lab
1. Use the invite link and join the official Discord Games Lab server. If you open the link in a browser window, Discord will automatically redirect you to the app. You can also choose to continue in the web version of Discord.
2. You should now go through the server’s rules and accept them. Click “Submit” to join the Discord Games Lab server.
3. Next, join a voice channel and click on the rocket icon next to the video and screen share buttons to start a new game on the server.
4. From the list of available games, pick the game you are interested in playing. As a side note, you can also use YouTube Watch Together integration to watch YouTube videos with friends on Discord.
5. Now, click on the “Authorize” button to allow the app to access your account details.
6. Discord will now take you to the game you launched. Click on “Start” to start the game.
7. As you can see below, the game will now open up, and you can start playing it. If you are looking to play with friends, you can invite them to the game too.
8. To invite friends to the Discord channel game, click on the “Invite To Activity” button at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
9. You can use the search box to look for Discord friends and invite them to the game. There’s also the option to copy the activity invite link that expires in 7 days. That said, do note that the Discord Games Lab server has hit the maximum number of activity invites for now.
Join a Channel Game on Discord Games Lab
1. Open the Discord server with an active game session and scroll down to the voice channels section. Then, hover the cursor over the voice channel, and you will see the “Join Activity” button to join the channel game.
2. Up next, click on the “Authorize” button to allow the game to access your Discord account details.
3. You can now play the game together with your Discord friend and other server members.
Play Channel Games on Your Discord Server
As mentioned above, these games are not available on all Discord servers at the moment. However, there exists a handy Discord bot that brings channel games to your server. Aptly named Activities, you can use this invite link to add the bot to your Discord server.
1. Invite the Activities bot to your server and click on the “Authorize” button to add the bot.
2. After adding the bot, use the slash command “/activity” to create a new game activity. Here, you will have to specify the voice channel to host the activity in and the game you plan to play.
3. Pick one of the voice channels in your server and press Enter key to proceed further.
4. You should now pick the activity. Here, activity refers to the channel game. Choose the game you’re interested in playing with server members.
5. After picking the game, hit the Enter key to run the command.
6. Activities bot will now send you the game’s link. Everyone interested in playing the game should click the link to join the voice channel.
7. The game will now start on your server, and all server members can join in and enjoy the game night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can we play games on Discord?
Yes, you can use the new Discord channel games feature to play games right from Discord.
Q: Can I play Discord channel games from mobile?
No, channel games are limited to the desktop and web versions of the platform at the moment. We will have to wait to see if Discord has plans to bring these games eventually to Android and iOS.
Q: Are Discord channel games available on all servers?
No, channel games are primarily limited to the Discord Games Lab server at the moment. However, you can use a bot to play channel games on your server right now.
Play Games with Friends Right Inside Discord
Discord channel games offer a neat space for communities to play games without having to visit one of those crowded multiplayer browser games websites. Meanwhile, if you’re not interested in playing games within Discord, but would rather play established titles with friends instead, feel free to check our roundups of the best Fortnite Discord servers, best Rocket League servers, and the best Minecraft servers to find new gaming buddies.
