Google Play Pass gives you over 350 Android apps and games for $5 a month

Android folk have their version of Apple Arcade and Xbox Game Pass: It’s Google Play Pass, and it will offer access to more than 350 apps and games for $5 a month. It’ll debut this week in the U.S., Google says, and it’ll roll out to other nations “soon.”

Google shared the details today. Gaming has been moving toward subscription models, be it the season passes you get in individual games like PUBG or the all-you-can-eat plans like Xbox Games Pass Ultimate. And, of course, Apple Arcade, which launched last week. Apple’s sub is getting more than 100 games, though it debuted with 14 at launch. These services are a key development in the mobile game market that research firm Newzoo estimates will hit $68.5 billion by the end of 2019. Free-to-play games larded with in-app transactions dominate mobile, and paid games — especially those from indie devs and studios — have had difficulty carving out a viable niche. Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass gives such games a way to stand out and make money in this brutal market.