Pokémon games are available to play on Facebook

You don't have to fire up a Nintendo console or launch a phone app to play Pokémon video games from now on. The Pokémon Company has released its first two Facebook Gaming titles, Pokémon Medallion Battle and Pokémon Tower Battle, through both the Gaming tab on the social network as well as is in-beta Facebook Gaming app. Tower Battle (shown at right) is available worldwide and has you fighting other players in real time by creating the tallest Pokémon towers -- it's not Jenga with Jigglypuffs, but it's getting there. Medallion Battle, meanwhile, is a more traditional card battler for the Asia-Pacific region that has you tracking down new creatures (new ones are available each month) to build your dream deck.

Before you ask: there aren't any in-app purchases, at least not at this stage.

The Pokémon Company isn't shy about its goals with producing Facebook titles. This is about making Pokémon games available to "people all over the world" who otherwise couldn't (or wouldn't) play. For Facebook, meanwhile, this is a big boost to an Instant Games platform that only has so many big titles under its belt. You certainly won't put down your Switch in favor of these games, but they could give you a reason to check out Facebook Gaming where you might otherwise ignore it.

In this article: facebook, facebook gaming, games, gaming, instant games, internet, mobile, pokemon, pokemon medallion battle, pokemon tower battle, social network, social networking, the pokemon company, video games

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