How To Play Snapchat's Latest Game, Santa's Helper

Snapchat has turned its users’ faces into canvases for its many filters, and now it’s adding a whole new feature that will turn users into avatars for games built into the app, according to a report from TechCrunch.

How To Play Snapchat Games

One of the first games built by the company, Santa’s Helper, is available in the app’s selection of lenses. The game places the user’s face atop an elf sliding down a snowy hillside. Players turn their head side to side to move the on-screen character as they aim to avoid obstacles and collect presents.

Users can snap a photo or record a video at any time while playing, or wait until the end of the game when a final score is displayed to send to friends and challenge them to compete.

The game is an extension of the company’s test run with gaming, which started with a sponsored game from Kraft Mac and Cheese that tasked players to catch macaroni noodles in their mouth.

Snapchat also rolled out a simple, timed filter game called Puzzle Face, which required users to slide around on-screen tiles to reconstruct a jumbled image of their face.

The company has also hosted several games that made in partnership with other companies, including a Pong-style tennis game called Serena Williams' Match Point. Sponsored by Gatorade, the title let users play through an 8-bit version of Serena Williams’ biggest tournament victories. The game was available via the web and in the Snapchat app as a part of ESPN’s story.

Another game, It Comes From Below, was produced by Under Armour and made available through Snapchat. The endless runner title put users in the shoes of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton as he dodges obstacles on a run through the woods.

Snapchat’s newfound interest in games puts it in direct competition with Facebook, which recently expanded its Messenger app to include in-app games. Like everything on Snapchat, though, the games eventually disappear, creating a sense of urgency to play and record a high score.