Your first hello in Malta goes to a real player

Want to make friends in a life sim from your very first minutes? In Malta Living, the free life sim of real Malta played in your browser, the last lesson of your first day is a message, and it now goes to a real person who's in the game right now. No made-up neighbour, no note that stays on your phone: a real chat, a real hello and, very often, a real answer a minute later.

Who your first hello goes to

When the guide gets to the message lesson, the game picks one person for you, and keeps them, so the same chat is there if you reload. It goes, in this order, to:

1. The friend who invited you, if they're in the game now. They're already in your 👥 My people.
2. A player who welcomes new players and is on now. These are players who said yes to it: they know a new arrival may write, and they like to answer.
3. Your friend, for later, if they're away. Their answer comes when they're back, with a message notification if you've switched those on.
4. A resident, one of the island's regulars the game runs, if nobody else is around. The chat says so plainly, so you always know who you're talking to.

The guide shows you the way: Phone, Messages, the chat at the top, then a hello. There are two ready to tap, "Bonġu! I just landed 👋" and "Hi! Any tips for Malta?", or write your own. Bonġu is Maltese for good morning, and people say it all day. Then Send. Your hello to a real player pays your first-day goal, Say hello, like any message to another player.

Why a real player?

We looked at what new players did on their first day and what brought them back. One thing stood out: players a real person talked to on day one came back far more often than players nobody spoke to. A chat with a scripted character made no difference. So the guide's message now goes to someone real. Every chat works as any other: you can report a message, block someone, or just keep chatting.

Become a welcomer and earn €5

You can be someone's first hello. Open your profile, tap 🔒 Status and privacy, and set Welcome new players to Yes. While you're in the game, a new player's first hello may come to you. Answer it within a day of their message and you get €5 in game money, with a line in your Bank, "Welcomed @them". It pays once for each new player and up to 20 a day, and it's off until you switch it on. Set it to No any time.

A few things to know:

• You'll never get more than three new players' hellos in an hour, so it never takes over your game.
• Nobody can see who welcomes new players. The chat only says that you do, to the one new player you're talking to.
• Someone who invited a friend doesn't get the €5 for answering them: invites have their own rewards.
• If either of you blocks the other, nothing is paid.

A good welcome is short and friendly: say hi, ask whether they came as a tourist, on a permit or as a local (see tourist, work permit or local), and tip them off about something you love, a beach, a job, or the night's Bet. Then invite them to a club: clubs, friends and Gossip has the rest.

Where it lives on your phone

Messages is on your phone's home screen, with your chats, clubs and the Malta Living Team. For the rest of the apps, from Jobs to Get around, read the phone apps guide, or start with the Malta life simulator guide for the whole game. Maltese greetings are older than the game, of course: the Maltese language mixes Arabic, Italian and English, so "Bonġu", "Merħba" and "Grazzi" all sound a little familiar.

Questions people ask

Who will my first message go to in Malta Living?

To a real player who's on now: the friend who invited you if they are, otherwise a player who welcomes new players. If nobody's around, it's your friend for later, or a resident the game runs, and the chat says so.

How do I become a welcomer?

Open your profile, tap 🔒 Status and privacy, and set Welcome new players to Yes. New players' first hellos may then come to you while you're in the game.

How much do welcomers earn?

€5 in game money each time you answer a new player's first hello within a day, once for each new player and up to 20 a day.

Can people see that I'm a welcomer?

Only the new player you're chatting with, through the game's note in your chat. There's no list of welcomers anywhere.