Top Facebook Games of 2011: Zynga Conquered by Playdom's 'Gardens of Time'

Zynga had four games in Facebook's list of top 10 games of 2011, but Playdom's "Gardens of Time" claimed the top spot. Courtesy/Playdom.com

Facebook unveiled its list of the 10 most popular games on the social network Wednesday. Zynga, the San Francisco-based gaming company that recently went public on Dec. 17, had several of its games make the list, but none of its games could break into the top two. Instead, Electronic Arts' 'The Sims Social' was the second most popular title, while Palo Alto, Calif.-based Playdom's 'Gardens of Time' claimed the top spot.

In 2011, people loved playing hidden object, simulation, and casino-related games with their friends on Facebook, the company wrote in a blog post. The average game player on Facebook played more than three different gaming titles each month and played more than half the days they visited the site.

Facebook says the top 10 apps were built by developers on the West Coast, including Seattle and Santa Monica, Calif., but also from global regions like Canada, Prague, Serbia, Japan and Germany.

Playdom's Flash-based game 'Gardens of Time' is a time-traveling game where players must search various regions of Earth to discover hidden objects and protect history from sinister forces. The game features 40 replayable scenes from throughout history, including four distinct modes of play. Friends can send gifts, hints, or play against each other and try to beat each other's high scores.

Zynga had four games in the top 10. Its most popular game CityVille claimed the No. 4 spot, while Indiana Jones Adventure World landed at No. 5, the tile game Words with Friends came in at No. 6, and Empires & Allies arrived at No. 8. In the company's initial filing with the SEC, Zynga revealed that 60 million daily active users spend a total of two billion minutes per day playing its various games. Zynga also claims more than 269 million monthly active users on Facebook, where its earliest games first achieved immense popularity.

In four years, Zynga has grown from nothing into a company that now has 2,000 employees and produces exceptional work, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of Dreamworks Animation and a prominent investor in Zynga. It's become one of the greatest gaming companies in the world.

Zynga went public on Dec. 17, but despite raising $1 billion, the most since Google's 2004 IPO, shares have dipped below the company's initial $10 offering price and they still hover around $9.36 per share.

Here is the list of the top Facebook games from 2011: