Google has started rolling out a limited beta test of its latest service, Google Play Games for PC in three different markets at first; Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The Google Play Games PC application, which we talked about towards the end of 2021, allows users to play Google Play games on Windows PCs as well as in other supported platforms like mobile, tablet, and ChromeOS.
The new PC support will also include cross-save, where players will be able to pick up from where they left off when switching from another device, like continuing from where you stopped playing in your smartphone when you switch to playing on the bigger screen of your laptop or PC.
“Players can easily browse, download, and play their favourite mobile games on their PCs while taking advantage of larger screens with mouse and keyboard inputs,” says Arjun Dayal, the Group Product Manager for Google Play Games. “No more losing your progress or achievements when switching between devices; it just works with your Google Play Games profile!”
In what looks like an incentive to get players to try out the new offering, Google Play Games will also include Play Points that will be earned while playing the Android games on PCs. The earned Play Points can then be used to get discount coupons, in-app items, or Google Play Credit.
The tech giant has also reiterated that the Google Play Games app will be a native Windows app that will not have any ties to game streaming. However, the company has still failed to touch on what technology they are using to get the Android games running on PCs. Instead, they have also announced a developer site that would be used to provide more information to game developers and anyone who might be interested to check out how the program works.
In comparison, for Microsoft to get Android apps running on Windows, they built an underlying Windows subsystem for Android, then they partnered with Amazon to get the Android apps present on the Amazon App Store to be the first to get native installations on Windows 11. For one reason or another, Google Play is not yet officially supported.
Those lucky enough to be in the first few markets, and getting access to the beta will be able to try out mobile games like “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang,” “Summoners War,” “State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration,” and “Three Kingdoms Tactic,” all of which already boast of having hundreds of millions of players each month. Google notes that the beta testers will be able to try out more than 25 games.
The company has also promised to publish more details for Android developers that will help them optimize their existing games to be compatible with Windows PCs. This might include things like making the game’s UI take advantage of larger screens by showing more information on the screen, and also things like binding more controls to take advantage of the flexibility of mouse and keyboard gaming.
Google estimates with the launch of their app, Google Play Games could reach a gaming ecosystem of 2.5 billion active users, across all supported platforms.
