The Game Developers Conference is on now, and at the event, Google has made it clear that it no longer sees Google Play as just an app store for your phone.
The tech giant started offering all mobile games on PC by default last March, and now, it is officially blurring the lines between the two platforms even further.
For starters, Google is now expanding its catalog to include more paid games. Over the next few months, the Play Store will gain some of the most anticipated indie games, including Moonlight Peaks, Sledding Game, Low-Budget Repairs, and more.
“You can dive into these worlds across both mobile and PC with Google Play Games, and your Gamer Profile syncs your progress across devices,” indicated Google.
With a range of new titles coming to Google Play, the tech giant also wants to make discovering new games an easier process.
If you prefer to game on your PC, you can explore the new PC section in the Play Store Games tab. The section will mainly highlight games optimized to play on Windows PCs. Additionally, if you find a paid game that you like, but don’t want to pay full price for it, you can now wishlist it. If and when the game goes on sale, you’ll be alerted.
Take paid games for a spin before you buy ’em
Before you wishlisht a paid title, you’ll also be able to take the game for a quick spin. Google is introducing Game Trials, “a risk-free way to jump into the full version of a paid title at no cost.” Game Trials are rolling out to select paid games on mobile “soon,” and will come to Google Play Games on PC “in the future.”
If you like a title after trying it out, you can purchase it and pick up right where you left off. Additionally, select titles now support ‘Buy once, play anywhere,’ which means with a single purchase on Play, you’ll receive both the mobile and PC versions of a game.
Elsewhere, Google is also betting on community engagement to help drive player retention. Google Play will now offer ‘Community Posts’ in English, offering gamers an avenue to swap tips and tricks directly within the Play Store listing.
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