If you’re browsing the Google Play Store on a desktop browser, you’ll notice an “Install on Windows” button scattered around the website. This feature is rarely announced, but it’s part of Google’s initiative to bring Android games to your Windows computer.
It’s understandable to be skeptical, as the Play Store library is a meager affair for people who have the power of AAA PC games at their fingertips. Nonetheless, the Google Play Games app for Windows has gradually improved in scope and quality over the past few years. While there are plenty of teething issues to iron out, Google could eventually bring a solid library of cross-platform games to PC.
What is Google Play Games for Windows?
Android games for your Windows computer
Google launched Google Play Games for Windows in beta in November 2022. At launch, it offered a limited selection of microtransaction-rich free games, none of which we recommend playing. What’s remarkable about these games is that they aren’t ports, but Android apps optimized for a mouse and keyboard.
The unique selling point of Google Play Games for Windows is that it syncs with your Google account. You can continue your progress between your phone and computer, accumulate Play Store achievements, access Play Pass content, and use your Play Store payment methods.
Google Play Games for Windows is still in beta and there is no news on a full release date.
Since 2024, the application also supports native Windows games. This could theoretically allow the launcher to compete with Steam, but given its dominance in the PC market, we doubt that will ever happen. What’s much more likely is that PC gamers are using the Google Play Games app alongside Steam when they sit down to continue their progress on their favorite mobile games.
What titles does Google Play Games offer for PC?
A snapshot of the Play Store
The Google Play Games beta for Windows currently offers over 300 games. Most of it is free garbage, but in that sense it’s like the Play Store. But among the garbage, there are a few gems that indicate the app is on the right track to offering a robust library. Here are some of the titles that stood out to me while browsing the application:
-
Plague Inc.
-
Not civil.
-
Mental industry.
-
GenshinImpact.
-
Grimvalor.
-
Alto’s Odyssey.
-
Asphalt legends.
-
Rush to the Kingdom.
These are a fraction of the games available on the Play Store, but some of them are the best games you can play on Android. I don’t think we’ll ever see the full library of Play Store games on Google Play Games for Windows, but we now know there will be some great games at full launch.
What seems strange to me is that Google prioritized games that don’t belong to a mobile ecosystem. Most games on Google Play Games for PC are free-to-play titles with shady ads and questionable reviews. These are the kinds of games that have contributed to mobile gaming’s terrible reputation, which begs the question: why did Google bring them to the forefront on a platform where they won’t thrive?
Mobile games get away with poor and repetitive gameplay because they are often seen as just ways to waste time. But sitting down to play a PC game takes a lot more commitment than swiping on your phone. I don’t see why Google would push such garbage onto its Windows platform, because at the moment it only serves to drive away potential users. This problem is compounded by a discoverability problem that makes finding a good game a matter of luck.
It is impossible to filter waste
The only way to find good games is to get past the bad ones
When I went to see what the best games were on the Google Play Games app for Windows, I naturally headed to the search function and filtered by the top-ranked games. Here is my result:
While we all have different opinions on what makes a “good” game, I doubt I’ll be able to rally much support behind the premise that Jackpotland-Vegas casino slots are more worth your time than Plague Inc. or Alto’s Odyssey. The problem here is that Google removes all app data and reviews from the Play Store, which is useless at best and misleading at worst.
Playing one of these games on PC is a noticeably different experience than on mobile. If Google is trying to market its PC gaming platform to existing PC gamers, putting games like Domino Dreams and Tile Family: Match Puzzle front and center is likely to send them straight to the uninstall button.
The worst part is that I can’t figure out how to reliably find decent games. On the Play Store app, browsing with Premium or Top Paid filters enabled is an effective way to find good games. But there is no such thing on Google Play Games for Windows. Filtering by “No Ads” and “No In-App Purchases” brings up a variety of educational games for kids, while “Optimized for PC” just brings up a slightly different selection of free free games. In case you’re wondering, the only game that meets all three filters (i.e. the equivalent of a decent Steam game) is Persona 5: The Phantom when you select it.
I had to spend an absurdly long time choosing decent games for this list. It’s my job to dedicate the time to sifting through the Play Store’s garbage, but I can’t imagine myself, or anyone else, willing to do that in their free time.
The skeleton of a decent games library is there, but Google Play Games for PC still has a long way to go
I’m still not entirely sure who Google Play Games for PC is for, but it’s clear there’s a long way to go. The basics of a decent PC game launcher are there, but Google needs to weed out the mobile garbage and implement a decent search function to prevent it from heading straight into the pile of dead Google products at launch. If Google adds Balatro, I will use it every day.
