Why Do Facebook Games Freeze on Me?

By Kinsey Jamison

Facebook has become one of the largest game platforms on the Web, acting as home for thousands of different social games. Facebook has the benefit of its games being accessible on any system that can run Adobe Flash, such as laptops, desktop PCs, Macs and Android phones. These games can experience slowdowns regularly as they are not necessarily optimized for the device you are using.

Updating Flash

The majority of popular social games on Facebook require Adobe Flash to be installed on your computer. Flash is a standard plug-in that comes with many Web browsers; however, it does require manual updates. If your version of Flash is too outdated, you may experience incompatibility with various games on Facebook. Update your version of Flash by visiting the Adobe Flash website and installing the version for your operating system. This will likely require a restart of your browser to take effect.

Security Software

It is important to have Internet security software on your computer such as anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall programs. These programs help keep your computer safe from malicious content that can slow down or destroy your computer. Occasionally, this software can cause your browser to perform slowly, so you should ensure that your anti-virus program is not currently running a scan while you are trying to play a game on Facebook. You should also disable any software firewall while you attempt to load Flash games on the Web.

Using Different Browsers

Some Facebook games are optimized for a different Web browser from the one you may be using. Try downloading and installing another free Web browser such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Many browser alternatives are better for playing Facebook games than Microsoft Internet Explorer. You may find that certain games are smoother and less likely to freeze when using a different Web browser. There is no limit to the number of browsers you may have installed at one time.

Multitasking

Flash games can be quite processor intensive on your computer, so you should make sure that you are not trying to run too many programs at once. Your computer's processor can handle only so many tasks at once before it starts to throttle down the performance of certain actions. Play only one Facebook game at a time, and do not try to watch movies or download large amounts of data while you are playing games on Facebook.

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