FanWhen Facebook was the biggest game console in the world
Between 2008 and 2012, a huge share of Facebook users played games in their browser. Zynga, Playfish and Playdom built games around your friends list: you sent gifts, visited neighbours and begged for help with your farm, restaurant or city. Then players moved to smartphones, the studios followed, and most of these games were switched off between 2012 and 2016. The end of Adobe Flash on 31 December 2020 closed the last holdouts, including the original FarmVille.
Gone but not forgotten
Old Facebook games that no longer exist
FarmVille
- Zynga
- 2009–2020
Plant crops, raise animals and help your neighbours' farms. FarmVille launched in June 2009 and became the face of Facebook gaming.
What happened: Closed on 31 December 2020, when Adobe Flash reached end of life.
Play now: Zynga still runs FarmVille 2 and the mobile games FarmVille 2: Country Escape and FarmVille 3.
Pet Society
- Playfish (EA)
- 2008–2013
Raise a cute pet, wash, feed and dress it, decorate its house and visit friends. Launched in August 2008.
What happened: The servers went offline in June 2013.
Play now: PetSocietyGame.com lists the fan revival and games like it.
Restaurant City
- Playfish (EA)
- 2009–2012
Design and run a restaurant, hire your friends as staff and collect ingredients for new dishes. Launched in April 2009.
What happened: Retired on 29 June 2012.
Play now: There is no official successor.
Café World
- Zynga
- 2009–2014
Cook dishes, serve customers and grow a café with your friends. Launched in September 2009.
What happened: Closed on 22 July 2014.
Play now: There is no official successor.
Mafia Wars
- Zynga
- 2008–2016
A text-heavy gangster role-playing game: do jobs, build a crew from your friends and fight rival mafias.
What happened: Taken offline on 7 June 2016. A sequel, Mafia Wars 2, ran from 2011 to 2012.
Play now: There is no official successor.
CityVille
- Zynga
- 2010–2015
Build a city from a few houses into a skyline, with businesses your friends could visit. Launched in December 2010.
What happened: Closed on 30 April 2015. A planned CityVille 2 was cancelled in 2013.
Play now: There is no official successor.
FrontierVille
- Zynga
- 2010–2015
Settle the Wild West: clear land, build a homestead and raise a family. It was later renamed The Pioneer Trail.
What happened: Closed on 30 April 2015.
Play now: There is no official successor.
Marvel: Avengers Alliance
- Playdom (Disney)
- 2012–2016
A turn-based Marvel role-playing game where you recruited heroes and battled villains. Launched in March 2012.
What happened: Shut down on 30 September 2016, along with its mobile sequel. These were the last Playdom games.
Play now: There is no official successor.
Social City
- Playdom
- 2010–2011
A city builder where neighbours helped each other grow. Launched in March 2010.
What happened: Closed in December 2011.
Play now: There is no official successor.
Old Facebook games that still exist
| Game | Studio | Since | Where it is now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zynga Poker | Zynga | 2007 | Still running on Facebook, iPhone, Android and the web. |
| FarmVille 2 | Zynga | 2012 | Still listed by Zynga on Facebook, with the mobile spin-off FarmVille 2: Country Escape. |
| Words With Friends | Zynga | 2011 on Facebook | Now played on iPhone, Android and the web. |
| Candy Crush Saga | King | 2012 | Started on Facebook in April 2012 and is still one of the biggest mobile games. |
| Farm Heroes Saga | King | 2013 | Came to Facebook in March 2013 and is still listed by King. |
| Criminal Case | Pretty Simple | 2012 | Moved from Flash to HTML5 in 2018 and lives on as a mobile game. |
Miss one of these?
If you miss Wild Ones, the closest game today is Wild Wars: cartoon pets, turn-based weapon battles, coins and treats, free on iPhone, Android and PC. Fans of Pet Society should visit PetSocietyGame.com for the fan revival and similar games. For the Playdom catalogue, see every Playdom game.
Old Facebook games FAQ
What were the biggest old Facebook games?
Some of the biggest were FarmVille, CityVille, Mafia Wars, Café World, FrontierVille, Pet Society, Restaurant City and Wild Ones, along with Zynga Poker and, later, Candy Crush Saga.
Can you still play old Facebook games?
Most of the classics closed between 2012 and 2016, and FarmVille closed on 31 December 2020 when Adobe Flash reached end of life. A few still exist: Zynga Poker, FarmVille 2, Candy Crush Saga and Farm Heroes Saga, while Words With Friends and Criminal Case moved to phones.
Why did so many Facebook games shut down?
Players moved to smartphones and the studios followed, so many Facebook games were closed between 2012 and 2016. The end of Adobe Flash on 31 December 2020 finished off games that still relied on it, including the original FarmVille.
What happened to FarmVille?
The original FarmVille on Facebook closed on 31 December 2020 because Flash was being retired. Zynga still runs FarmVille 2 and the mobile games FarmVille 2: Country Escape and FarmVille 3.
What happened to Wild Ones?
Playdom shut Wild Ones down in August 2013. Read the full story, or play Wild Wars, the closest game to it today.
