TikTok adds secret emoji game to direct messages

TikTok has introduced a secret emoji game accessible within its direct messages, a feature that is now available globally for both one-on-one and group chats. The company confirmed the game’s availability on Tuesday. Users can trigger this hidden feature—often referred to as an Easter egg—by sending a single emoji in a direct message chat and tapping it to start. According to TikTok, the feature was launched to make messaging more fun and to add a playful element of competition to direct messages on the platform.

To play the game, users send a single emoji of their choice in a chat and tap it. Once activated, the game requires players to use their finger to bounce as high as possible by hopping across alligators. Players must avoid skeleton alligators, while navigating broken alligators that disappear after a single landing, requiring a quick bounce to the platform above. Guiding the character to a floating emoji or landing on an alligator equipped with a propeller provides a speed boost to climb faster. The game ends if a player fails to land on an alligator or hits a skeleton. Throughout the game, players can see their current score and their opponent’s high score displayed in the top-right corner of the screen, emphasizing the competitive element.

The move mirrors a product strategy previously adopted by Instagram, a competitor in the social media space. Instagram introduced a similar hidden emoji game in its own direct messages two years ago. In Instagram’s version, players use their finger to move a paddle to keep an emoji bouncing, with the game ending once the emoji falls.

TikTok is not the only platform currently looking to gamify its messaging features. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is also exploring similar territory. In January, Meta confirmed that its Threads platform is exploring games in chats. Meta is internally prototyping a basketball game that appears to let users play directly within their chat interfaces by virtually shooting hoops with a swipe of a finger.

Why it matters

TikTok is gamifying its messaging interface to increase time spent in-app, mirroring a broader industry trend where social platforms are integrating casual games to drive user retention and competition.