Google Play Games, Google’s new platform to allow PC gamers to enjoy mobile games, is now available to users across South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia. The beta was initially launched in the US, Europe, and South America and it will roll out to other countries soon.
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Players who’re outside the beta zone can head to Google Play Games’ official web page and click on the “Get notified” button and receive a message when it’s available. The platform supports all kinds of mobile games and lets players enjoy them on their PCs. Google Play Games utilizes mouse and keyboard controls, meaning games launching on Google Play Games are optimized for PC, both gameplaywise and technically.
The new gaming platform also supports cross-progress saving across multiple devices via your Google account. Simply put, you can play a game on your phone, then pick it up on your PC from the point exactly where you left it off and vice versa.
Google Play Games also has a reward system for every purchase you make via the platform. You can redeem these “Play Points” to receive a variety of rewards, but from what we’ve seen so far, nothing extraordinary awaits you.
There are currently over 40 games available on Google Play Games, and Google says more games are on the way. The platform mainly targets heavier Android games, rather than hyper-casual or casual games, “Optimization can take a bit of time” said a Google spokesperson to Mobidictum.
Minimum PC requirements to run Google Play Games
Per the platform’s official page, your PC must meet these minimum requirements to run Google Play Games:
- Windows 10 (v2004)
- Solid state drive (SSD)
- Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU or comparable
- 8 logical cores of CPU
- 8 GB of RAM
- 20 GB of available storage space
- Windows admin account
- Hardware virtualization must be turned on
- Compatible PC device and configuration
Google also shared recommended settings; obviously, a better GPU is recommended for better performance, but everything else looks identical. A better CPU would also help significantly with the performance:
- Windows 10 (v2004)
- Solid state drive (SSD)
- Gaming-class GPU, like Nvidia GeForce MX450
- 8 logical cores of CPU
- 8 GB of RAM
- 20 GB of available storage space
- Windows admin account
- Hardware virtualization must be turned on
- Compatible PC device and configuration