Games and applications for Windows Live Messenger
There were various games and applications available in Windows Live Messenger that could be accessed via the conversation window by clicking the games icon and challenging a "buddy".
Games
Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-Tac-Toe is a game where the player places a letter on part of the board, which consists of a 3×3 grid. The aim of the game is to complete 3 squares in a row, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.Solitaire Showdown
This game, included since MSN Messenger version 6, is based on the Solitaire game that is part of Windows. It is online, 2 player, and features 2 decks. Each player must race to remove cards of the special 13-card pile, and put their cards on the shared piles/suit stacks. There are eight different suit stacks possible. Other differences between this and normal Solitaire are that not just Kings, but any card can be put on a blank row stack, and there are four black row stacks to put on instead of seven. The game ends if one player removes all cards of the 13-card pile, or when both players are "stuck" and cannot remove/put up any more cards, and manually end the game using the End Game button. This game is similar to the game nertz.Checkers
A standard two-player game of checkers.Bejeweled
A two-player game where pairs of jewels on a playfield are switched to arrange three or more in a line of the same colour therefore removing them from the game. It is played in real time and individually, with scores being compared at the end.Minesweeper Flags
In a twist on the original game, players must now locate flags and whoever has found the most by the end wins. There are 51 mines on the map. Finding a flag allows the player to continue; otherwise it becomes their opponent's turn. Players get the one-off option to "bomb" a 5×5 area if they are losing, and get all the flags in that area.Other games
Other instant games included: 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, Jewel Quest, Mahjong Quest, Quarto, Backgammon, 7 Hand Poker, Mah Jong Tiles, All Star Bowling, Bumper Stars, Flowerz, Jigsaw Too, Cubis, Hexic, Mozaki Blocks, Sudoku Too, Uno, Worms, Tic-A-Tac Poker, BrainBattle, Reversi, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Luxor, and You-Know-It! Trivia.A number of additional third-party games have also been built using the . An overview of third party activities was available on before the service shut down.