Meta’s new AI tools turn prompts into games you can then play inside Facebook and Instagram feeds

First look: Meta is rolling out two AI-powered tools designed to make game creation for Horizon more accessible: Horizon Create, a mobile app, and Horizon Studio, a browser-based tool with more granular controls. Games made with the tools will also reach users on Facebook and Instagram. Both products will initially be available through early access, with Meta now accepting waitlist sign-ups.

The tools let creators use prompts to build 2D or 3D mobile titles. Meta said the games can include multiplayer, progression systems, art direction and difficulty balancing. Creators can also revise the games after the AI generates an initial version.

“Both enable creators to turn any idea into a complete 2D or 3D mobile game, complete with progression systems, balanced difficulty, art direction, multiplayer, and more, then refine every element to their standards,” Meta said.

Meta has not revealed how much control creators will have over the generated game logic, artwork or other technical components. But the company is still presenting the tools as a way to create full games rather than simple interactive experiments.

That is an important difference in the emerging market for AI game-development tools. Google’s Project Genie, for example, can create short interactive experiences, but Meta says Horizon Create and Horizon Studio are built to produce games with the systems that support longer play sessions.

Meta will also promote games created with the new tools across Facebook and Instagram. Titles built with Horizon Create and Horizon Studio can be recommended to users on both platforms and played directly without leaving the apps.

The company said someone viewing a game clip on Instagram could join a multiplayer game in seconds without downloading another app or being sent elsewhere. “Your game lives natively in the feeds where people already discover content and connect with friends,” Meta said.

The move also reflects Meta’s effort to make Horizon less dependent on virtual reality. Horizon began as a VR app, but Meta has recently shifted its focus to mobile access. Putting Horizon-made games inside Facebook and Instagram could expose them to a much larger audience than the Horizon platform has attracted on its own.

The company is also moving into an area where Roblox has a major advantage. The online game platform has 123 million daily active users and has been adding AI-powered creation features, including a mobile tool that lets users generate games with prompts. Horizon, in contrast, has not reached anything close to that scale.