Google Play Games was released for Windows in 2022, bringing a diverse lineup of select Android games to PC. Google’s gaming service, first announced in 2021, was launched in Beta in India last year, as well, offering optimised Android games for PC. Google recently announced that it will expand support for native PC games on the platform, offering more bespoke PC titles on Google Play Games, in addition to Android games.
At its 2024 Google for Games Developer Summit held last week, the company announced that it will bring more PC games from top developers to Google Play Games app on Windows. “Google Play Games will expand support for native PC games. This means you’ll be able to discover and play a larger selection of games designed specifically for PC directly through Google Play,” the company said.
Expanded support for native PC titles will be coming this year, Google said. Google Play Games on PC features over 3,000 titles in over 140 countries, with the service bringing 35 percent more playtime for developers, according to Google’s internal data.
While it’s unclear if Google intends to bring triple-A PC games from developers to its storefront, the announcement certainly opens doors for new PC titles on the platform. Currently, Steam and Epic Games Store remain the two most popular PC games storefronts. It’s unlikely that Google is looking to disrupt the space and compete with Valve and Epic, two firms involved in the games industry across different aspects of developing, publishing, and selling games.
Google Play Games storefront on PC already offers a few native PC titles like Lineage2M, Odin: Valhalla Rising, Genshin Impact, and Dragonheir: Silent Gods, but it promises to “offer players more ways to experience top games across mobile and PC.”
The Android parent has also asked developers to fill up a Google form to express their interest in making their native PC games available on the service.
Google Play Games for PC beta launched in India last year, offering native PC games support on Windows. Users logging in with their Google account also get seamless syncing between devices. The platform is accessible in both English and Hindi in India.