Bird Game 3 is getting a lot of traction on TikTok, with intense gameplay snippets racking up millions of views, likes, and comments from fans of the avian-themed multi-genre game. There's just one problem for fans who have been excited by Bird Game 3's impressive rise on platforms like TikTok and YouTube: It doesn't exist.
There is an avid gaming community on TikTok, with content creators who dedicate their channels to providing information and sharing gameplay clips of everything from hot new releases to retro classics, and even some unearthed indie diamonds in the rough. On the surface, Bird Game 3 appears to fall neatly into this last category, but those who would be quick to dive into its multifaceted gameplay modes will be saddened to hear that it's nothing more than a series of AI-generated videos.
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Bird Game 3 Is Not a Real Game
In actuality, Bird Game 3 is just a video game-based meme that got started on TikTok by user ancient_meme_archive on October 6, when the creator posted a nine-second-long video of himself in a game store being the first to purchase the fictional game. In this video, which has been viewed more than 1.8 million times, the man is seen holding up a case for the game, which is for the similarly fictitious Xbox 50 console. The game case shown reveals that the video is clearly a fake, as it features a price tag of $59.99, although the printed numbers pop in and out of existence, as well as cover art of a cardinal with one eye that looks like it's upside down. Claiming that the game features a "fully explorable bird world," he says he plans to "go straight home and hop on the game." Additional videos from the original creator of the meme have followed, including one of him playing the game with friends and another of him reportedly visiting the basement parking garage of Bird Game Studios North.
Since the original video first gained traction, the TikTok community has been eager to get in on the joke, with dozens of Bird Game 3-based accounts popping up over the last several weeks, many of which claim to be the game's official developer. These accounts are filled with a wide variety of AI-generated gameplay videos that make the scope of the game seem huge, with battles between phoenixes, eagles, and blue jays protecting their nests, zooming through lush terrain, and battling against each other in aerial combat that's sometimes realistic and other times ridiculously exaggerated. The genre of Bird Game 3 is hard to pin down, as the majority of videos make it look like a quick-match battle royale game, but there are others that present it as more of a MOBA or even an open-world RPG. Most of its community is clearly in on the joke, as many players have inside jokes like pretending to be mad at people who main hummingbird, saying they're overpowered and take no skill to play.
While the game depicted in the videos isn't real, there is at least one pretender already available online. Those running a search for Bird Game 3 may run across a free-to-play browser game of the same name on Unity Play, though it's very different in appearance and play style from what's typically depicted on TikTok. This version of Bird Game 3 has players selecting between five flying characters, although the only birds are a cartoonish purple owl and what appears to be a kiwi, with the remaining slots taken up by a bat, a western-style dragon, and a fearsome bat-human hybrid. With graphics that look like an N64 game and a gameplay loop that mostly involves lumbering around the island-themed world and collecting eggs, those hoping to play the Bird Game 3 they've seen online are in for disappointment, at least for now.
Bird enthusiasts have limited options when it comes to video games, but there are some popular entries available in the fine, feathered friends category. Escape from Duckov put up big player counts at its launch in October, as the duck-based extraction shooter that draws obvious inspiration from Escape from Tarkov registered concurrent player numbers on Steam in excess of 300,000. Some other popular classics include Flappy Bird and the Angry Birds franchise. Those looking for a more realistic bird experience can check out games like Copoka on Steam, and anyone who's ever wanted a dating sim where they play as a human who dates birds can check out Hatoful Boyfriend.