News Gaming Facebook Gaming App Launches on Android Earlier Than Expected An iOS version is expected soon by Senior News Editor Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Rob LeFebvre Published April 20, 2020 02:42PM EDT Tweet Share Email Gaming Phones Internet & Security Computers Smart & Connected Life Home Theater Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming View More Mobile Android gamers waiting for some Facebook-powered game streaming can now hop on a new app, pushed out early in this time of pandemic and staying at home. Original image: Geeky Facebook pushed out its mobile gaming app to Android, making it available to users much earlier than expected. According to the New York Times, Facebook planned to release the app in June, but decided to launch early to meet the needs of stuck-at-home gamers. Why gaming? The Times notes that Facebook claims 700 million monthly users are already "engaged with gaming content." The new mobile app will capitalize on the $160 billion global games industry, letting users create and watch live gameplay, much like Amazon's Twitch, Microsoft's Mixer, and Google's YouTube Gaming. The app itself: Launching on Android (with iOS soon to come) will get you a few setup screens, asking you to choose your preferred language(s), which games you'd like to follow, and a list of Facebook-affiliated gaming streamers that you can curate. Once on the main screen, you can Go Live with your own gaming on Facebook, reducing the friction for users to add more content for others to consume. You can see the list of games and streamers you follow, along with game-related groups you're a member of. There's also an odd activity feed that seems imperfectly connected to gaming content (there were completely non-gaming posts from some friends in our feed). Facebook says: “Investing in gaming in general has become a priority for us because we see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people,” Facebook's Fidji Simo told the Times. “It’s entertainment that’s not just a form of passive consumption, but entertainment that is interactive and brings people together.” She also added that the company has been seeing a big rise in gaming during quarantine, which prompted Facebook to move faster on this and other gaming projects. Bottom line: Android gamers wanting to get in on the action can head to Google Play to download the app; iOS users will have to wait, but it's likely it won't be too long. Learn More About Game Streaming Twitch: Everything You Need to Know How to Live Stream With YouTube Gaming What Gamers Need to Know About Microsoft's Mixer Streaming Service Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit