In October 2022, the “Discord Nitro Classic” subscription tier was replaced by a $2.99 “Discord Nitro Basic”, which features a subset of features from the $9.99 “Nitro” tier. In January 2017, the first paid subscription and features were released with “Discord Nitro Classic” (originally released as “Discord Nitro”). The desktop client is built on the Electron software framework using web technologies, which allows it to be multi-platform and operate as an installed application on personal computers. The infrastructure was migrated to Apache Cassandra when the platform reached a billion messages, then later migrated to ScyllaDB when it reached a trillion messages.
The Discord Story
Discord releases Go Live, letting players stream their favorite games to their server friends in just a few clicks. Discord launches an in-game overlay for PC, letting players interact with their friends without leaving their game, and adds a friends list to let people talk outside of servers. Some of the game’s features, such as built-in voice chat, text chat and forums, help lay the groundwork for what’s next… Seamlessly text, call, video chat, and play games, all in one group chat.
Users criticized the possible impersonation risk that may arise if their previous username was claimed by another user. This system was ultimately changed to a handle-based system in May 2023, removing the discriminator from usernames. Forum Channels, which allow for longer and separate conversations were introduced to the platform in September 2022. In August 2021, Discord launched Threads, which are temporary text channels that can be set to automatically disappear.
For supported games, you can see what modes or characters your friends are playing and directly join up. Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Talk, play, and hang out with friends around the world over voice, video, or text. On January 27, 2021, Discord banned the r/WallStreetBets server during the GameStop short squeeze, citing “hateful and discriminatory content”, which users found contentious. Approximately 30 minutes before the shooting, several users were invited by Gendron to view the server and read chicken road game download the messages. Citron stated that servers found to be engaged in illegal activities or violations of the terms of service would be shut down, but would not disclose any examples.
Developer tools and bots
In January 2018, The Daily Beast reported that it found several Discord servers that were specifically engaged in distributing revenge porn and facilitating real-world harassment of the victims of these images and videos. In 2021, Discord had at least 350 million registered users across its web and mobile platforms. With the service’s third anniversary, Discord stated that it had 130 million unique registered users. By the end of 2017, the service had drawn nearly 90 million users, with roughly 1.5 million new users each week. Discord began testing digital stickers on its platform in October 2020 for users in Canada.
According to Citron, the increased valuation was due to the shift away from “broadcast wide-open social media communication services to more small, intimate places”, as well as increased usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those investing in the company was Sony Interactive Entertainment; the company said it intended to integrate a portion of Discord’s services into the PlayStation Network by 2022. Their first product was Fates Forever, released in 2014, which Citron anticipated to be the first multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game on mobile platforms, but it was not commercially successful. For teens and gamers, Discord has become their entire online social lives. Jason Citron establishes a new studio, Phoenix Guild, to help bring people together around games.
Discord
- Users selected their new usernames in priority based on how early they registered for Discord, Nitro status, and ownership of partner and verified servers.
- Most servers have a limit of 250,000 members, but this limit can be raised if the server owner contacts Discord.
- Some Discord users subsequently criticized the moderation staff for selectively allowing “cub” content, or underage pornographic furry artwork, under the same guidelines.
We’re continuing to make Discord the best, most reliable platform to talk and play for players on PC, mobile, and console. Sakhnini brings deep gaming industry experience from leadership roles at Activision Blizzard and King. Discord teams up with PlayStation for account linking support, allowing people on Discord to show off what they’re playing on their PlayStation 5 console. Discord’s Rich Presence API releases, letting players display what they’re doing in-game, directly on Discord.
wherever YOU GAME, HANG OUT HERE
Unicorn Riot has since published member lists and contents of several dozen servers connected to alt-right, white supremacist, and other such movements. Since then, several neo-Nazi and alt-right servers have been shut down by Discord, including those operated by neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, Nordic Resistance Movement, Iron March, and European Domas. The report found that the companies’ user and non-user data practices made individuals vulnerable to identity theft, stalking, unlawful discrimination, emotional distress and mental health issues, social stigma, and reputational harm. By January 2016, Hammer & Chisel reported Discord had been used by 3 million people, with growth of 1 million per month, reaching 11 million users in July that year.
According to Citron, they made no specific moves to target any specific audience, but some gaming-related subreddits quickly began to replace their IRC links with Discord links. Discord was publicly released in May 2015 under the domain name discordapp.com. In addition, “Discord in the gaming community” was the problem they wished to solve. Citron sold OpenFeint to GREE in 2011 for US$104 million, which he used to found Hammer & Chisel, a game development studio, in 2012. Jason Citron and Guy Raz talk about Jason’s early career and how Discord grew to become the platform it is today. Jason Citron alongside Anjney Midha shares insights on the shift from gamer to developer and more.
APRIL 2013
During the Gen Z protests that spread throughout 2025, many demonstrations were organized on the platform. Citron wrote this move was in anticipation of making Discord a publicly traded company. However, more than 1.3 billion views were removed 2 days later after YouTube fixed the views count, and no records were broken by the Discord Loot Boxes video. On April Fool’s 2024, Discord accidentally broke the record of the most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours. After a fivefold increase in employees between 2020 and 2024, the company laid off 17%, or 170 employees, in January 2024. The documents, distributed on a Minecraft Discord server as photos, detailed the state of the Russo-Ukrainian war, surveillance of allied and adversarial nations, and indicated cracks in alliances with nations aligned with the United States.
- On April Fool’s 2024, Discord accidentally broke the record of the most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours.
- An inside source called this one of the first steps for the company toward an initial public offering, though Citron had said earlier in the month that he was not considering taking the company public.
- According to Citron, during the development process, he noticed how difficult it was for his team to work out tactics in games like Final Fantasy XIV and League of Legends using available voice over IP (VoIP) software.
- Citron says they are still in talks with several potential buyers, including all major gaming console manufacturers.
A verified server is moderated by its developers’ or publishers’ own moderation team. In 2023, the server for Midjourney reached over 15 million members, making it the largest server on Discord. The previously largest known Discord server was Snowsgiving 2021, an official Discord-controlled server made for the 2021 winter holiday season. The Moroccan protests at the end of the same month also originated on Discord, using the platform for organising and public statements. In early September 2025, Discord was used heavily in the 2025 Nepal protests and to help elect a new prime minister even if Discord was formerly banned in Nepal along with social media except for TikTok.
Easily hop in and out of voice or text chats without having to call or invite anyone, so your party chat lasts before, during, and after your game session. Use custom emoji, stickers, soundboard effects and more to add your personality to your voice, video, or text chat. Bring Discord with you and chat whenever, have fun with friends, or just see what’s up. In July 2025, Discord began mandating that British users submit to age verification to access content that is age-restricted or marked as sensitive in the UK, to comply with Online Safety Act 2023.
Discord, after long-awaited excitement and hype, releases video chat and screen share features to all users in DMs and Group DMs. Use Discord to easily talk while playing your favorite PC games, show what you’re playing as your status, and stream your games to your friends. Discord responded by closing servers that supported the alt-right and far-right, and banning users who had participated. Another way Discord makes money is through a 10% commission as the distribution fee from all games sold through game developers’ verified servers. In June 2019, Discord introduced Server Boosts, a way to benefit specific servers by purchasing a “boost” for it, with enough boosts granting various benefits for the users in that particular server.
Discord is a persistent group chat software, based on an eventually consistent database architecture. These plugins augment existing functionality or add features that are not offered by Discord. Following the launch of the Epic Games Store, which challenged Valve’s Steam storefront by only taking a 12% cut of game revenue, Discord announced in December 2018 that it would reduce its own revenue cut to 10%. A user can share their entire screen, or a specific application, and others in that channel can choose to watch the stream. In June 2021, Discord added a feature that allows the user to add an about me section to their profile, as well as a custom colored banner at the top of their profile.
Easily switch between devices and use tools to manage multiple group chats with friends. Try out the newest features before they launch by using our Public Test Build. Age Restricted channels are blocked on devices running Apple’s iOS to comply with their App Store’s guidelines.
This led to the development of a chat service with a focus on user friendliness with minimal impact on performance. According to Citron, during the development process, he noticed how difficult it was for his team to work out tactics in games like Final Fantasy XIV and League of Legends using available voice over IP (VoIP) software. It is primarily used by gamers, although the share of users interested in other topics is growing. Discord doubles-down on its mission to be the best place to hang out before, during, and after playing games. Jason & Stan loved playing games but couldn’t find a reliable way to talk while playing online. Watch videos, play built-in games, listen to music, or just scroll together and spam memes.
Video calls and streaming
Discord has worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center to identify hateful groups using Discord and ban those groups from the service. Discord gained popularity with the alt-right due to the pseudonymity and privacy offered by Discord’s service. A study published in New Media & Society criticized Discord’s offloading of server search functions to unmoderated third-party apps, saying that it facilitates hateful communities to find new audience. Discord has a Trust and Safety department, which is tasked with responding to user reports.
For example, if a server maintains 2 boosts, it unlocks perks such as a higher maximum audio quality in voice channels and the ability to use an animated server icon. For its WebRTC transport of voice and video, it uses dedicated server infrastructure from Datapacket. According to BetterDiscord’s developers, users of the modification are not at risk of being sanctioned by Discord so long as they do not use additional modifications that violate Discord’s terms of service. One plugin, for example, allows its users to apply custom themes for free; another plugin allows increasing the volume of a voice-call participant beyond the default. When installed by server owners, they may aid in moderation, host mini games, and perform myriad of other automated tasks.