Google Play Games, this software to run Android titles on PC, is finally available in France and offers new games every month. A strong competitor for the Android system Windows 11!
Summary
That’s all, Google Play Games, this launcher – or launcher in French – that allows gamers to enjoy the best mobile titles on their PC – is available in France! Because despite the bitter failure of its cloud gaming service Stadia, the digital giant is still trying to establish itself as a major player in the video game sector. In doing so, the company is backing an idea it firmly believes in, as according to a survey conducted in collaboration with IPSOS, many people would be very interested in introducing mobile games to computers. In fact, 71% of respondents in the United States, 60% in Japan and more than 85% in Brazil and Indonesia would be willing to buy a mobile game to play on their PC.
Download Google Play Games for PC (Beta)
Announced in December 2021, the service launched in January 2022 in beta in a small market including Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong. Since November 2nd, Google Play Games – renamed Google Play Games in French-speaking countries – is available in the United States, but also in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. Continuing its commitment, the Mountain View company made its new service available in beta on May 24 in New Zealand and 40 European countries, including France, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom. To benefit from it, just go to the website and click on the green Download Beta button. “We’re excited to expand our platform to more markets so gamers can enjoy their favorite games on Google Play,” said Arjun Dayal, director of Google Play Games, in a November 2022 blog post. We’re aiming for a full release, and we will do continue to add new features and evaluate developer and player feedback.
Google Play Games: No overpowered PC required
In practice, Google Play Games is software for Windows that allows you to play some Android mobile games – but not all – and thereby enjoy more convenience and better gameplay. Unlike Stadia or Microsoft’s cloud gaming, the games do not work via remote servers: they are installed directly on the PC and use its resources. Google has put its money on the accessibility map, so it offers software and games that don’t require a war machine to run. You need at least a PC with a processor (CPU) with four physical cores (Intel or AMD, it doesn’t matter), 8 GB RAM, 10 GB free storage (SSD), an Intel graphics unit (GPU) UHD Graphics 630, all with Windows 10 or Windows 11. Of course, a more powerful device is even more convenient, but a five-year-old computer may be enough to enjoy it.
It remains to be seen how the image will appear, since not all games are designed for large screens. Google Play Games supports mouse, keyboard but also gamepads to make the gameplay more comfortable. Note that the user interface does not resemble that of the Google Play Store, but is more reminiscent of Steam, GOG Galaxy and Epic Games Store. A clearly recognizable desire to get closer to these PC gaming platforms.
Google Play Games: A catalog of games is still shy
Small problem, however: Not all Android titles are compatible. There are currently just over 100 games validated by the service, including Just Dance Now, WWE SuperCard, and Cookie Run: Kingdom. Google continues to add new games every month, including Garena Free Fire, Ludo King, and MapleStory. In order to prevent potential players from simply reaching for an Android emulator, the internet giant relies on data synchronization via the user’s Google account, which makes it possible to continue a game launched from a mobile device on a PC and vice versa. In addition, he had announced on YouTube a partnership with Intel to make the task easier for developers who want to participate in the program and to enrich his catalog faster. The latter gets the right to a new emulator to be able to carry out debugging and optimization operations more easily. They also have the option to use machine translation to translate their games into more than eight languages in just a few minutes.
Another benefit: Players can earn Google Play Points to spend on in-app or game-in-app items, earn coupons for purchasing in-app items, or Google Play in the same way as on mobile – to receive credit. In March, the company also made an emulator available for developers to easily debug their games.
For now, Google Play Games promises to be a nice and free bonus, but it may not be enough to get Google a foothold in the video gaming world. Not to mention that it is – slightly – in competition with the Android system of Windows 11, which allows to run almost all Android applications on a PC (see our article), but which in practice is much more demanding and therefore much more muscular PC requires.