New York, Apr 20 (IANS): In a bid to take on Twitch and Youube, Facebook is set to launch its own gaming app on Monday that will be free and allow billions of users to watch and stream live games from their smartphones.

The Facebook Gaming app will initially be available on Android devices.

According to a New York Times report on Sunday, an iOS version will also be released soon, if Apple which is currently promoting its own Cloud-based gaming service Arcade gives its approval.

The app will also introduce a new Go Live feature, which will let users upload streams of other mobile games on the same device by pressing just a few buttons"

"Investing in gaming in general has become a priority for us because we see gaming as a form of entertainment that really connects people. It's entertainment that's not just a form of passive consumption but entertainment that is interactive and brings people together," Fidji Simo, Head of the Facebook Gaming app, was quoted as saying.

Facebook Gaming app will have some casual games to begin with, but the focus will primarily be on watching and creating game livestreams.

There will not be any ads in the beginning on the Facebook Gaming app.

According to the report, Facebook is currently relying on "stars" ratings from viewers, like "bits" in Twitch.

Facebook has been testing versions of the app in Latin America and Southeast Asia for the past 18 months.