Google Play is getting an upgrade that helps you find the apps and games that you want.
Aurash Mahbod, vice president and general manager of Google Play, said in a press briefing that it’s an experience built entirely around you, with curated content and timely information during the moments that matter most.
The moves clearly seem like responses to rising competition from Apple and Epic Games when it comes to winning over gamers. But Google focused on its ambition to unite all gamers under its banner and help them find what they want.
“We’re doing this by redefining the discovery experience through rich content, by reimagining the experience of gaming on Play and making Play yours with You Tab, a new destination that puts all of the best of Play all in one place,” Mahbod said. “For our billions of users, Google Play is an important gateway to discovering apps, games, books, movies, TV and timely cultural content. Our ambition is to help all users engage with the apps and content that fuels their needs and interests. And to do this, we’re continuing to expand curated spaces for some of the biggest global fandoms by surfacing app related content like media articles and timely information.”
Here’s just a few ways Google Play is bringing users more from their favorite apps and games, so they can spend less time searching and more time enjoying the content they love.
The Apps tab gets an upgrade to help you find what you need
Mahbod said Google is making it easier to find the apps and content you’ll love — plus adding new sections dedicated to entertainment and seasonal moments.
Around the world, Google Play is launching new spaces dedicated to entertainment and seasonal topics that surface app-related content like media, articles and timely info right in Play. They’re based on the success the company has seen with Cricket Hub in India and its Comics space in Japan, which now serves nearly a million users.
In Korea, Google is launching a new entertainment-dedicated space in the Apps tab. This new space brings together movies, TV shows and short-form dramas optimized to enjoy on mobile. And in the United States, users can now sample short-form dramas, webcomics and trending TV and movies from the Apps tab.
“In Korea, Google Play is launching on September 23 a new entertainment dedicated to the space puts the best short form content right at users’ fingertips whenever and wherever they need it,” Mahbod said.
Starting this month, at the top of the Apps tab, users around the world will see curated, seasonal topics in a new, immersive way. Google will visually spotlight timely topics tailored to your interests with content from multiple apps, such as the WNBA playoffs, Halloween and Chuseok in Korea.
Google is also making it easier to find the right app for you. With Guided Search, you can find the app you need by simply typing in your goal, like “find a home” or “deck-building games.” AI in Play then organizes relevant apps into categories so finding apps is simpler and more intuitive.
Play Games integrates all your gaming needs in one place
The gaming experience is often fragmented across different platforms, devices, games, reward programs and community forums. New updates to Google Play Games connect these disconnected elements into one unified experience that brings more fun to gaming — removing the barriers that get in the way of play.
Integrated stats and achievements across games
Google’s new platform-level gamer profile lets you easily track stats and achievements across games and devices. You can keep tabs on where you stand overall, not just in a specific game. And you can even customize your profile with Gen AI Avatar to express your unique gaming identity.
It’s not unlike what Apple just did with the Apple Games App for discovering games and letting people show off to their friends.
Integrated rewards across all of your content
Google Play Games brings you the best of Google Play Points, celebrating all the ways you can play and earn, now across mobile and PC. Google knows gaming fandom expands beyond gameplay, so we are connecting users with merch and VIP experiences at events like Comic Con San Diego.
And earning rewards on Play is about to get even more fun, in and across games. For users who want more ways to challenge their friends, Apple is introducing Play Games Leagues. Leagues will give you a chance to compete for Play Points rewards, engage the Play community, and earn ultimate bragging rights. Google’s first Play Games League starts on October 10th with a crowd-favorite and classic, Subway Surfers, and will run until October 23rd.
Integrated platforms so you don’t have to leave your game
Google is also introducing the Play Games Sidekick, a helpful in-game overlay available while playing games downloaded from Play. Sidekick curates and organizes relevant gaming info, and provides direct access to Gemini Live for real-time guidance, so you can stay in the game.
Last December, Google DeepMind demonstrated how Google is developing AI agents across multiple domains, including gaming. Since then, Google DeepMind and Google Play have continued to collaborate to make Sidekick more helpful for gamers.
With Sidekick, you’ll be able to ask for real-time conversational help from Gemini, instead of leaving the game to seek out tutorials or walkthroughs. Sidekick uses Gemini Live’s screen sharing capabilities to understand your game context and deliver AI-powered, in-game guidance with verbal tips, tricks and support during gameplay.
Google has been having a lot of fun testing out Gemini as a helpful coach, as we continue to improve response quality in an array of games. We will start letting users try out this Sidekick experience in select games over the coming months.
Integrated gaming info and community
Once you’ve found a game that you might like, you want to make sure it’s right for you before downloading it. Instead of searching across multiple forums for game reviews and updates, enhanced Game Detail Pages provide a wealth of information about each game, including ongoing events, developer updates and offers.
And if you’ve already downloaded a game, detail pages provide an overview of your relationship with a game, including summaries of game progress, achievements and timely developer updates.
Starting next month in select markets, you’ll also be able to ask and answer questions about a specific game, directly in the games detail page. You’ll be able to share tips and get answers straight from other players who know the game best.
Integrated gameplay across devices
Today, Google Play Games on PC is officially graduating out of beta to general availability, solidifying our commitment to multiplatform play and creating greater continuity across mobile and PC.
Google’s catalog includes over 200,000 titles available across mobile and PC.
“So no matter how you play, there’s a game for everyone from casual commute puzzlers to competitive MOBA streamers,” Mahbod said.
Google recently added PC-native Mecha Break and mobile hits like Subnautica, Monster Train and Enter the Gungeon. Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is coming soon to Google Play, with pre-registration available today. In addition, the critically acclaimed premium indie game DREDGE will be joining the Play Pass catalog later this month.
Head to play.google.com/googleplaygames to get started. If you’re a game developer, learn more about unlocking greater business growth with the Google Play Games Level Up program.
You Tab will make Google Play truly yours
All these new updates come together in one convenient place: the new You tab.
It’s a home base with curated content, including your rewards, subscriptions, recommendations, stats and updates, so you can engage more deeply with the topics you care about most. For those who game, the new gamer profile content is the center of their You Tab experience.
In addition to gaming, You tab also combines relevant content across your other interests and apps. You can discover what’s new, such as tailored audiobook recommendations. You will soon be able to jump back into content you’ve already started, so you can pick up where you left off on a novel or podcast.
Play’s integrated gaming platform and You tab will begin rolling out this week, starting with select Play Points markets, and Google will be adding additional countries on October 1.
Google said it will continue to invest in protecting users and developers with AI-powered threat detection, stronger privacy policies, supercharged developer tools and new industry-wide partnerships. With privacy and security at the core, users can trust the apps they download from Google Play and developers can build thriving businesses.
“In 2024 alone, Google Play prevented 2.5 million policy violating apps from being published, and we continue to develop new ways to keep the Google Play ecosystem safe, running over 10,000 safety checks on every app we offer. We are deeply committed to ensuring our users entrust the apps that they download. Our recent ‘apps, not traps,’ campaign used humor to draw attention to an otherwise neglected topic and convey just how seriously we take security and privacy,” Mahbod said.
(Epic Games alleged that Google was really trying to keep out competitive direct-to-consumer stores like its own during antitrust litigation).