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Google Play Games for Windows PCs rolls out in limited beta

By Jesse Hollington January 19, 2022

During The Game Awards 2021 last month, Google teased us with the news of its plans to bring Google Play Games to Windows PCs this year. Now, it looks like the company is taking the first steps to make that a reality.

Today, Google is opening sign-ups to begin testing Google Play Games for PC as a beta in three countries: Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

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Animation of Google Play Games syncing seamlessly between multiple devices.

Not every game in the Google Play catalog will be available at launch, although the limited beta promises early testers access to some of the most popular mobile games, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Summoners War, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, and Three Kingdoms Tactics.

Although the initial beta is fairly limited at this point, it’s a promising move that will hopefully lead to wider availability soon. One of Google’s biggest goals in 2022 is to make all of its products and services work better together, and bringing Google Play Games to Windows PCs is a bold move in that direction.

Specifically, Google is also showcasing the experience in a new preview video, promising that users will be able to enjoy “immersive and seamless gaming sessions between a phone, tablet, Chromebook, and Windows PC.” Progress and achievements will be synced transparently when switching between devices, and gamers can earn Play Points for Google Play Games activity on PCs the same as they can on their favorite mobile devices.

Since many mobile games still need to be optimized to provide the best experience for Windows gamers, Google is also opening up a new developer site to allow Android developers to learn more about Google Play Games and how to optimize their existing games for cross-platform play on Windows PCs.

This is only the start, and Google says it will have more to share on future beta expansion into more regions soon.

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