Facebook game loading troubleshooting guide

In a perfect world, everything would work all the time. But since that isn't always the case, we have a guide to help you out. Are you struggling to load into your favorite Facebook game? Trying to play a new game for the first time and you can't figure out why you can't get in? Are you having any other strange issues with loading into a Facebook game and you're unsure how to solve it? Read this guide on how to troubleshoot common loading errors with games and applications on Facebook.

Step 1: Check your firewall settings

While it is always a good thing to have your computer protected from viruses and trojans, some times firewall and antivirus software can interfere with loading into Facebook games. Many games that use Flash (such as FarmVille, PetVille, and most other games on Facebook) require you to have certain ports open at all times for sending and receiving data. It is not uncommon for software firewalls such as Norton or McAfee to block these ports, which will prevent loading into a game. Most times, you can either lower the security on your firewall or allow certain applications to always have access. We would never recommend you disable your firewall, but occasionally this is needed in order to play games.

If you are trying to play a Facebook game at work and having trouble loading, it could be a firewall issue. Most large companies have not only software firewalls like above, but also hardware firewalls. These firewalls can only be modified by the IT department at your company, and it's unlikely they would change firewall settings to enable Facebook game playing.