Social Wars without Flash: how to play it in a modern browser

What does playing Social Wars without Flash mean?

The original Social Wars was built on Flash, a browser plug-in that no longer works in browsers. Playing without Flash means this edition does not need it at all. You open the page, log in and the game starts inside the browser tab.

That also means there is nothing to enable, update or install: no plugin, no installer, no app and no APK. The only address you need is wars.fbgamesweb.com.

What do you need to play Social Wars in your browser?

Three things: a computer browser, an internet connection and a free account of your own. Chrome is the browser we test with, through automated tests. Other browsers may work, but we have not verified them, so if you have a problem somewhere else, try Chrome before anything else.

The account is mandatory. Sign-up asks for a username and a password, while the email and the base name are optional. There is no Facebook sign-in.

How long does Social Wars take to load?

We measured it in a lab: desktop Chrome, a 50 Mbit/s connection and 20 ms of latency. The first load took about 9 seconds and downloaded about 45 MB. The second took about 1.8 seconds and about 0.17 MB, because the browser keeps the game's images and data. These are test figures, not promises.

In real life the first visit can be slower, because the cache is cold and the server is in Europe. A slow first load is normal, and later ones are much shorter.

Memory matters too. In the test the browser reached about 2 GB with the game ready, so modest computers can feel slow. If the game closes while loading, it switches itself to a lighter or safe mode with lower graphic quality and tells you.

What do you do when Social Wars gets stuck loading?

Press Retry first. If the screen still hangs, open the account menu and choose Clear game cache. That deletes the game's images and data from your browser, and the next load takes longer, but your base is untouched because it is stored in your account.

After an update you may see a New version notice with a Reload button; Ctrl+F5 does the same. If a message says your session has ended, the game pauses. Log in again with the same account and any changes that were not yet sent are saved.

Does the game pause, and can you play in full screen?

The game pauses when its tab loses focus and resumes when you come back. A Full screen button sits on the game bar. Some browsers do not allow it: iPhone does not, and the mobile guide explains the workaround.

How is it different from the Facebook version?

The original was a Facebook game; this one has no Facebook, so you play with your own account, and nothing from the old game is imported. The interactive tutorial is switched off, as it was in the original, and guided goals take its place.

A few things do not exist here: an energy system, computer-controlled neighbors (neighbors are always real players), new game modes beyond a few proposals, and inviting Facebook friends.

What are the limits of the beta?

The game is in beta, so bugs and changes can appear. Some parts exist in the game data but have not been tested from start to finish: 10 spells, 10 collections, research (Area 51, Research Lab and Robotic Center), premium accounts and Atom Fusion. We do not promise they work. Darts and the hospital do have their own tests.

Report anything odd from the Support and tickets menu; that is how bugs get fixed.