Facebook Gameroom for PC Gaming
Due to the ongoing consolidation of the gaming ecosystem at Facebook, we have introduced important changes to the Web Games on Facebook and Facebook Gameroom platforms that might affect your games. To learn more read our blog post.
Overview
Facebook Gameroom for PC gaming is a Windows-native client available as a free download for players worldwide. Within the new Facebook Gameroom, players can experience both web games and also native games built exclusively for the platform.
Building native games for Facebook Gameroom brings many benefits for you and your players:
- Gameroom focuses on gameplay for players, ensuring an exclusive and immersive gaming experience.
- Developing Gameroom native games takes less time: it’s easier compared to HTML5 and gives better solutions around threading, debugging, networking and memory management.
- Gameroom provides better performance in terms of app launch timings and memory consumption in native games.
Only games built in Unity (version 5 or newer) and Unreal are supported.
Download Unity with Facebook Games
Download and install the Unity with Facebook build support (available from 5.6 onwards):
Must Haves
For your game to be approved for Gameroom, it must:
Utilize the keyboard and/or mouse, with an in-game tutorial to explain usage.
Open links to Facebook Pages or external websites correctly in a browser.
If your game is cross-platform and also available on Facebook Web, you need to detect and support the Gameroom client by detecting an additional user-agent string (e.g., FacebookCanvasDesktop [FBAN/GamesWindowsDesktopApp; FBAV/1.3.0.0] ).
Do not allow “Guest mode” for players.
Do not allow players to Log Out of Facebook within your game.
Best Practices
These are recommended best practices that we have compiled from top performing titles:
Utilize the Login permissions requested by your game.
Continue the player’s progress on different platforms. (e.g., mobile, Facebook.com and Gameroom)
Maximize the graphics area in the Gameroom client.
Allow the player to choose between low, medium and high quality graphics.
Keep the loading time under 10 seconds.
Build a skippable and replayable tutorial with an easy learning curve.
Configure all required Permissions under App Center.
Upload all creative assets in App Center.
Promote your Gameroom page (ex. https://www.facebook.com/gameroom/?app_id= ) from your Facebook Page and website.
Check whether your game is 18+, and fill in the System Requirements.
Build your Downloadable Game
Due to the ongoing consolidation of the gaming ecosystem at Facebook, we have introduced important changes to the Web Games on Facebook and Facebook Gameroom platforms that might affect your games. To learn more read our blog post.
Now that you have all the tools you need, it’s time to build, configure and test your game in Facebook Gameroom.
Create a Test App
You should create a Test App for development, and switch back to your Production App when you are ready to release your game.
In your App Dashboard, click the drop-down arrow next to your app name. Select the Create Test App button to create a Test App. The Test App is created with a snapshot of your Production App’s settings. Changes made in either app will not affect the other app.
You should note the following differences between Test Apps and normal (Production) apps:
Test App
- Visible to admins, developers and testers of your app
- Uses a different App ID from the Production App
- Allows you to test your app while in development for Gameroom
- Does not have an App Review section
Normal (Production) App
- Visible to public once live
- Uses a different App ID from the Test App
- The production version of your app played by the public
Build your game in Unity
Go to File > Build Settings, then select Facebook as your Platform and click Switch Platform.
Click Player Settings and enter your AppID.
Configure the resolution and window settings to the following:
- Capture single screen — ON
- Display Resolution Dialog — Hidden By Default
- Resizable window — OFF
- Allow fullscreen switch — OFF
Note: If you don’t see Facebook listed as a Platform, it means that the required Facebook libraries are not installed in the editor. Rerun the installer to install the missing modules, and make sure you select Facebook Games Build Support to add the component.
Test your game in Gameroom
A Windows machine is required to fully test the game.
To test whether the game integrates correctly with the SDK, you need to install the Facebook Gameroom client from www.gameroom.com.
Via Build and Run
Select the Facebook platform and click Build And Run. This will launch your game locally in Facebook Gameroom.
Via Debug Menu
Click on your profile icon at the top right corner of the screen.
Select [DEV] Debug Unity, and open the local .exe file that you have built.
Via Command Line Option
You may also launch your game locally via the following command:
Via Gameroom search bar
(Only for approved, uploaded .zip files)
Once you have uploaded a .zip for the first time, you will need to submit it for App Review. Make sure that you do not see the following message in your hosting card:
After approval, your game should be visible to all admins and developers of your app. Configure this in the Roles section of the App Dashboard.
Type the App Name in the search bar of Gameroom to find your app:
Hosting your game on Facebook
Hosting requirements
Facebook offers free hosting for games up to 5 GB per .zip binary. For any extra assets, you will need to handle the hosting and downloading in your game.
For more information on Facebook Hosting, you may take a look at the documentation.
Uploading your game to Facebook Hosting
Once you are satisfied with your testing, prepare your game for upload to Facebook Hosting. In Build Settings, select Package build for uploading.
This step will package your game by zipping up the data directory and game executable (shown below), creating a .zip file. If you are manually creating a .zip file, make sure that the .exe and data folder are in the root of the zip.
If you have installed Unity with Facebook Games, you can upload the build directly from the Unity Editor. Follow Option A if you have the Unity. Otherwise, you should follow Option B to manually upload your build via the App Dashboard.
Open the App Dashboard in your browser:
Option A: Upload build from Unity
Under Canvas Hosting, click the Get Asset Upload Access Token button.
Copy your Upload Access Token:
In the Unity Editor, under Player Settings > Publishing Settings, paste your Upload Access Token:
Under Build Settings, enter an upload comment and click Upload last build to Facebook. If this button is disabled, you need to select Package build for uploading and click Build again.
Your build should now appear in the App Dashboard with your upload comment.
Option B: Upload build from the App Dashboard
In Web Hosting > Facebook Gameroom, click the Upload Version button.
Directory upload
Zip upload
In the latest Chrome or Firefox, you will see the following upload dialog:
Choose the directory containing your game executable and data folder, and we will handle the zip and processing on your behalf.
On unsupported browsers, you will see the following upload dialog:
Choose your .zip file to upload instead.
Push to Production
Once the upload finishes, click the star button to push your game to production.
Launch
Now that your game is built and tested, it’s time to launch it to Facebook Gameroom.