Google Play Games beta for Windows expands to the US and seven more countries
Florida man finally plays his Android games on PC
Internet jupiter-brains Google have popped another eight countries on the eligibility list for their Google Play Games beta for Windows. PC owners in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore can now play their Android games on their desktop or laptop. It’s not exactly a replacement for the Google Stadia streaming service that’s shutting down in January, but if you play a lot of Android games on your phone, tablet, or Chromebook then at least it’s an option.
Google revealed they were working on bringing Google Play Games to Windows in December last year. The beta has been running for a while in selected regions, with Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia added back in August. You can’t just download individual Android games to your computer, though, as everything runs through a dedicated app Google’s cooked up. In a post on their Android developers blog, Google indicate that more regions will be added to the beta soon.
This is a thing, I guess. There are some games I own on Android that I would consider playing on PC, such as Inkle’s Sorcery! series, Mario Kart Tour and, erm, Cbeebies Playtime Island for the sproginators. I’m interested to see whether it just feels like a doubly compromised experience. Not quite suited to the expanded screen real estate on a PC, but not as convenient as just swiping on a phone instead of using a mouse and keyboard.
If you’re interested in giving the Google Play Games beta for Windows a go, and live in one of the supported countries, then you can grab the download here. When it eventually turns up in the UK I’ll probably try it out.