Common causes
- Facebook games and apps request access to your friends list and send notifications, game requests, and event invites without your explicit consent for each one.
- Friends who play Facebook games can send automatic requests to their entire friend list, flooding your notifications.
- You accepted a game request once in the past, which granted the app ongoing permission to send you notifications.
- Facebook's notification settings default to allowing game and app invitations unless you manually disable them.
- Third-party app permissions granted years ago continue to generate notifications long after the app is relevant.
- Blocking individual requests does not prevent new requests from different games or from the same friend using different games.
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Who this guide is for
- You are troubleshooting a social media issue, not choosing new software yet.
- The main problem matches this cluster: social media management.
- You want the fastest reliable fixes first before trying a reset or reinstall.
Step-by-step fixes
Step 1
Turn off all app and game request notifications in Settings
Open Facebook and go to the Settings menu by clicking the down arrow or hamburger menu. Select Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Notifications. Scroll to find App requests and activity or Game invites and turn off the notifications toggle. This is the broadest block and prevents all game and app requests from appearing in your notification feed. After disabling, you will not see game invitations from any friend or any app. Any pending requests are not deleted but they stop appearing as notifications.
Step 2
Block game requests from specific friends who send them frequently
When a game request appears in your notifications, click the notification to expand it. Click the X or options button next to the request. Select Block all game and app requests from this person. Repeat for each friend who frequently sends game requests. This is more targeted than the global setting and only blocks game requests from specific people while leaving other game-related notifications enabled. This approach is ideal if you only have a few friends who send requests.
Step 3
Remove old games and apps from your connected apps list
Go to Facebook Settings, then Apps and Websites. Review the list of connected apps. For each game or app you no longer use, click Remove. This revokes the app's access to your Facebook data and prevents it from sending you any future notifications or requests. Many users are surprised to find dozens of apps connected from years ago that continue to have access to their profile data. Removing them reduces notification clutter and improves your account security.
Step 4
Turn off the Facebook platform for games and apps entirely
If you never use Facebook games or apps, go to Settings, Apps and Websites, and look for the option to disable the Facebook Platform or turn off app integration. This prevents all third-party apps and games from accessing your Facebook data or interacting with your account in any way. With the platform disabled, you cannot log into external services with Facebook, receive game requests, or use Facebook-connected apps. Enable it again if you need to use a Facebook login for another service.
Step 5
Adjust privacy settings to limit what apps can see about you
Even after blocking game requests, apps your friends use may still have access to your profile data. Go to Settings, Apps and Websites, then look for Apps others use or similar settings. Uncheck all categories of information that apps can access when your friends use them. This prevents your name, profile picture, and other data from appearing in game leaderboards and social features that you did not opt into. This setting limits your data exposure even if friends continue to use games that you have blocked.
What to do next if this fails
- Move to the next fix instead of repeating the same step multiple times.
- Check the related guides in this cluster before attempting a full reset.
- If startup, update, and corruption symptoms overlap, widen the diagnosis instead of treating one error in isolation.
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FAQ
How do I stop game requests from a specific friend?
When you receive a game request notification, click the X to dismiss it and select Block all game and app invites from this person. This prevents that specific friend from sending you any game or app requests in the future while keeping your friendship and regular interactions unchanged.
Can I block all game requests at once?
Yes. Go to Facebook Settings, then Notifications, and disable the toggle for App requests and activity. This prevents all game and app requests from appearing in your notifications regardless of who sends them. You can also go to the Settings page for App invites specifically to turn off all invitations.
Will blocking game requests unfriend someone?
No. Blocking game requests from a specific person only blocks their game and app invitations. It does not unfriend them, block their profile, or affect any other interactions. They will not be notified that you blocked their game requests.
Why am I still getting game requests after blocking them?
Make sure you have blocked requests at both the notification level and the per-friend level for persistent senders. Also check the Apps and Websites section in Settings and remove any games that may have ongoing permissions. Old app permissions can continue generating requests even after you have adjusted notification settings.