Android gamers, buckle up: Google is about to change the way you view mobile gaming forever. Today, Google announced that it’s expanding its library to include a much larger range of PC games alongside a bevy of other changes coming up at the Game Developers Conference. The platform already includes games like Genshin Impact, Journey of Monarch, and others, but it’s also adding new titles like Sonic Rumble, Odin: Valhalla Rising, and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad.
In addition, the full Google Play Games PC library is going to be available on a wider range of devices, including AMD machines. Traditionally PC-focused games like Disco Elysium are also being optimized for mobile gameplay, so you can keep following the story on the go.
And with mobile gameplay in mind, Google has added more options for player customization. In-game controls make it easy to adjust key mapping and the on-screen position of joysticks, allowing players to place controls in a way that feels intuitive to them and swap between joystick and tap-to-move controls on the fly.
If you’re a Google Play member, the Google Play Points system is getting an upgrade. You’ll be able to more easily track your points balance across mobile and PC, and new boosters can help you earn as many as 10 times the points as before. Points can be redeemed for in-game items, discounts on new games, and a whole lot more.
And that’s just the changes coming to the PC side of things. On the Android front, Google announced that Vulcan would become the official graphics API for Android. Sounds technical, right? Here’s what it means: ray-tracing for compatible mobile games.
Google demoed Diablo Immortal and showed the player character running through an icy canyon, their reflection visible on the walls. They also showed how Vulcan benefits Pokemon TCG Pocket, with smoother animations and vibrant colors that place less demands on the device.
Along with the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF), developers can adjust in-game performance based on the temperature of your phone. This will optimize games and help players get smoother gameplay, even on lower-end Android devices.
The next year will be an exciting time for Android gamers. More titles coming to PC means a larger playerbase (although Google Play reports more than 2 billion active monthly users already), and
