Telegram launched its gaming platform in 2016. The bot-powered platform debuted on October 1, 2016, bringing HTML5 games directly into Telegram chats.
The launch built on Telegram’s bot platform, which had been introduced the previous year. Users could start games through bots such as @gamebot, including the demonstration title Math Battle, and compare scores with friends in the same conversation. Telegram designed the system so games could load on demand rather than requiring a separate game application.
Telegram’s gaming platform supported both solo play and competition in groups or one-on-one chats. Developers could create games with web technologies and have bots send them as interactive messages. Telegram emphasized that the platform added no meaningful app-storage burden because the games were delivered through the chat experience.
The launch date is sometimes confused with later Web Apps and mini-app developments. Those newer systems expanded what developers could build inside Telegram, but they are not the original gaming-platform launch. The historical milestone asked about here is therefore 2016.