| Google Play Games | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} Logo used since Feb 9, 2023 | |
| Developer | |
| Initial release | 24 July 2013; 12 years ago (2013-07-24) |
| Stable release | |
| Platform | Android,Android TV,Windows |
| Type | Online service |
| Website | Google Play Games on PC andGoogle Play Games onGoogle Play |
Google Play Games is an online video gaming service byGoogle forWindows 10 and11,Chromebooks, andAndroid devices.
Google Play Games on Android, launched in 2013, features "instant play" games, gamer profiles,saved games andachievements. Google Play Games for PC Beta launched in 2021 with a curated set of Android games optimized for Windows and Chromebooks. The user gamer profile syncs across Google Play Games on PCs and mobile devices. AGoogle Account is required to use most of the features Google Play Games has.
The Google Play Games emulator service was introduced at theGoogle I/O 2013 Developer Conference,[3] and the standalone Google Play Gamesmobile app was launched for Android on July 24, 2013.[4] Andrew Webster ofThe Verge compared Google Play Games toGame Center, a similar gaming network for users ofApple Inc.'s owniOS operating system.[3]
Google Play Games has received updates over the years since its launch, including a screen-recording feature,[5] custom gamerIDs,[6] built-in games,[7] and an arcade for game discovery. After the launch of Google Play Games, popular mobile game titles, such as Clash of Clans andClash Royale,[8] have been added to Google Play Games' catalog, with achievements.
Real-time and turn-based multiplayer services have been deprecated since September 16, 2019. Support for theseAPI functions ended on March 31, 2020.[9]
On December 9, 2021, atThe Game Awards, Google announced that Google Play Games on PCbeta would launch in early 2022, bringing Android games toWindows PCs and laptops.[10] The minimum specification requirements to run Google Play Games are currentlyWindows 10 or lateroperating system with anintegrated graphics card and quad-coreCPU that can access Google Play Games beta (previously octo-core CPU).[11]
On January 19, 2022, Google Play Games on PC officially rolled out a beta experience of the product with a select catalog of games to a waitlist of users in Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.[12] The beta rollout continued on August 25, 2022, by making Google Play Games on PC beta available for download to all players in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia with an expanded catalog of game titles.[13] On November 2, 2022, the global expansion of Google Play Games on PC beta continued and the product launched to all users in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.[14] Six months later, on April 19, 2023, Google Play Games on PC launched to all users in Japan.[15] Google Play Games on PC gradually launched in most countries throughout 2023.[16][17][18]
