Gamepigeon and other iMessage apps not working

I try to load up game pigeon in iMessage with my mate and it is not loading up, it just has a grey ring around it which, I assume, means it acknowledges I have selected it. However it doesn’t load up. I have tried restarting my phone and turning of downtime etc but it is still not working. Pls help/explain.

iphone 11, iOS 15.6