Meta rolls out AI-powered game creation tools for Horizon mobile platform

Meta is opening up game development for its Horizon social platform through two new AI-powered creation tools designed to make the process faster and more accessible. The company unveiled Horizon Create, a mobile app, and Horizon Studio, a web-based application, both of which let users generate games by typing text prompts rather than writing code. Early access is available now through a waitlist on the developer portal.

From prompt to playable game#

Both tools promise to handle the heavy lifting of game creation. Developers describe them as capable of producing finished 2D or 3D mobile titles with progression systems, difficulty balancing, artwork, and multiplayer functionality built in—all generated from a simple text description. Users can then refine and customize every aspect to match their vision.

Building distribution at scale#

Meta's strategy for these new games hinges on leveraging its existing social networks. Games published through Horizon Create and Studio can appear directly in Facebook and Instagram feeds, allowing players to launch them instantly without downloading a separate app. The company says clips of games scrolling through Instagram can lead players into multiplayer sessions within seconds. Titles that prove "engaging, stable, culturally relevant, and [keep] players coming back" receive algorithmic promotion.

A response to Roblox momentum#

The announcement mirrors similar moves from Roblox, a vastly larger competing platform with 123 million daily active users, which recently added AI-powered game generation to its own mobile experience. Meta's Horizon, originally launched as a VR platform, has recently shifted focus to mobile devices as part of a broader strategic pivot.

The engagement question#

While the AI tools lower barriers to game creation, skepticism remains about whether automatically generated titles can match the polish and depth of handcrafted games. Unlike Google's experimental Project Genie—which creates brief, empty interactive experiences—Meta's tools are designed to produce actual playable games with structural depth. Still, Horizon faces an uphill climb: the platform has never gained significant traction, having reached only about 300,000 monthly users by early 2022, a fraction of Roblox's scale.