Activities on Discord

Like playing games with your friends, and want to make it easier to organize them? We got your back with Activities on Discord.

As part of this experiment, a random selection of participants will get access to Activities on Discord at the user level while others will gain access through their server. Those who have access to the experiment will see a tile video, and a rocket icon will be accessible. The Activities will appear inside a voice channel, and anyone on the desktop app can join and play together instantly.

For the time being, Activities are a limited experiment, which means that not all servers or users will have them. You may see Activities in some of your servers but not others. It also means Activities on Discord will be changing a lot over the next few months, so bear with us as we figure things out.

As we experiment, we’d love to hear your feedback. If you have Activities in your server, just play and respond to our surveys when you have some time. If you don’t have Activities in your server, you can join the Discord Games Lab to play and give feedback.

Are the Activities free?

In our current format, there will always be at least one Activity that you can play for free - no other purchases are required. Some Activities will require server Boosts or Nitro to unlock, and other Activities will have in-app purchases available as well. You’ll see which Activities are free and which require Boosts or Nitro by looking at the Activity Shelf.

Shutting Down the Activities in Boosting Experiment

On November 1, 2022 we plan on shutting down our Activities in Boosting experiment. Don’t worry! Following the shutdown, users in this experiment will be able to regain access to Activities after refreshing their app. If you don’t see Activities in your voice channels after Nov 1st, we appreciate your patience as we gradually rollout the updated experience to your account.

What Activities are available?

The following Activities are available today!

How do I start an Activity?

If you have the “Start Activity” permission and see the rocket icon, that means you’re either in a server, or are a user, that is in the experiment and has access to starting an Activity.

So, to get started...

Step 1: Join a Voice Channel.

Step 2: Click the Activity Launcher; it looks like a rocket ship.

Step 3: Select the Activity you want to play from the Shelf. You will need to provide authorization if you’ve never played before.

Step 4 (optional): Get your friends to join the Activity. To play, they need to be in the same Voice Channel and the same Activity.

Step 5: have fun.

Can I invite others to join my Activity?

Of course! You can invite people to join your Activity directly from the Activity window. Move your mouse to unhide the Voice Channel controls, and click the “Invite to Activity” button in the corner.

If you have “Display current activity as a status message” toggled on in your user settings, then friends who can join your current Voice Channel can also join your Activity by viewing your status or your profile.

The people you invite don’t need to be in the experiment to join an ongoing Activity, but they do need to be part of the experiment group in order to start one.

How do I end or change an Activity?

To leave an Activity, click the Activity exit icon in the Voice Channel controls or in the Activity Shelf. Leaving the Voice Channel will also do the trick!

If you want to switch to another Activity, you can just select another Activity from the Shelf. Joining a new Activity will automatically remove you from the old Activity, so you can do this while you’re still in an Activity.

Please note that only users who are in the experiment group can start an Activity. The experiment will end for everyone when the last user in the experiment group with access to the Activity leaves.

Can I restrict access to Activities in my server?

Admins can revoke the ability to use Activities in their server through the “Use Activities” permission. This can be done by role, channel, or channel category. This permission is granted to everyone by default. When it is revoked, users in the selected role, channel, or category will lose the ability to start new Activities or join existing ones.

User role permissions can be found under Server Settings > Roles > Permissions > Voice Channel Permissions > Use Activities.
Channel and channel category permissions can be found by right-clicking the channel or the category. Then go to Edit > Permissions > Voice Channel Permissions > Use Activities.

Other (Less) Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will I be able to play on mobile?

We're currently focusing on the desktop experience. We’re not sure when the Activities will be available on mobile.

Q: When will I have access to Activities in my server?

We do not currently have plans to give additional access to servers at this time. If you'd like to try some of our activities that are currently in development, you can join our Discord Game Labs server here!

Q: When will Activities be available to everyone?

Activities are an experiment, and while we really hope you like them, we are waiting for more user feedback to determine whether they will become more broadly available.

Q: Can I play in my preferred language?

While we’re experimenting, Activities are available only in English. Thank you for your patience!

Q: When will developers be able to integrate with Activities? (or When will the ActivitiesSDK be released?)

We have no updates to share with developers regarding developer access to activities right now, but we love your enthusiasm!

Q: When will the developer community be invited to test Activities and give feedback?

If you want to get an early look at games and other activities in development, feel free to head over to the Discord Games Lab to test and give feedback!