Google Play Games On PC Is Opening The Floodgates Of App Support

Gaming on phones has come a long way since the days of Snake, and today’s best mobile games can be so compelling that you’d be forgiven for wanting to play them on your PC. You’ve got a few options when it comes to pulling that off, but one of the best and easiest has got to be Google Play Games on PC. So far, that’s been classified as service that’s still in beta, though, and while it supports a ton of Android games, that’s just a subset of the full Play Store library. Not only is the end of that lengthy beta now already within sight, but we’re also getting some big news from Google about Play Games on PC app availability.

In order to give the Play Games on PC app library a real shot in the arm, Google shares that it’s doing away with this piecemeal approach to inclusion, and is making all Android games in the Play Store also playable on PCs by default.

While that might not be a great fit for every game, especially those particularly reliant on phone sensors and other hardware you might not find on PCs, Google is confident that its tools for remapping controls are mature enough now to get the job done in most cases. If that just doesn’t work well, or a developer would simply prefer their games remain mobile-only, they’re free to opt out of this inclusion.

Now, if you’re worried that this decision is just paving the way for a bunch of half-working Android games on your PC, take heart in knowing that Google has thought about this. Even though it’s going to start making all games available by default on computers, Google still wants to communicate which you’re likely to have a better experience with, and it’s doing that through a series of badges that will appear in Play Store game listings.

Games with that “optimized” badge are intended to be the best examples of what Android titles on PCs can offer, and should work right from the Play Store without you needing to worry about the fact that you’re not running them on their native platform. “Playable” games, meanwhile, are ones that meet Google’s minimum standards for PC support, but may lean a little more heavily on workarounds like control remapping. With “untested,” you just don’t know what you’re going to get, but at least Google wants to make sure that you’re going into that eyes-open.

The Play Store won’t automatically suggest untested games, but they’ll still show up if you specifically search for them. Developers can also request that Play evaluate their titles, to get these badges and increase visibility.

We’re sure there will be a few rough patches as Play Games on PC braces for this big expansion, and some games that manage to fail the transition to PC in spectacular fashion, but overall this sounds like a major step forward for the Play Store. Up next, Google tells us to anticipate Play Games on PC leaving beta and entering general availability. We don’t have a specific ETA for that just yet, but it’s on track to happen before the end of the year.

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