(Yicai Global) Dec. 29 -- Chinese social media platform WeChat, operated by Tencent Holdings Ltd., unveiled a beta mini games function yesterday that allows users to play games within its mobile application.

Beta testing is when people outside a software development process trial a product by using it. The phase is one of the final stages before programmers officially release a new application, function or game.

Users do not need to download or install the games separately, they can use the app's search feature to find the games by name, Shanghai Securities News reported.

Gamers can also compare themselves with friends through leaderboards in their WeChat 'circle,' which is similar to Facebook's news feed. Users can also make new acquaintances by competing against others online.

A small number of games are available on Android during the beta phase, but iOS devices don't currently support the function.