Google Play Store games are coming to Windows next year
Compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11
By Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer| 10 Dec 2021
Image: Google [modified]Playing Android games on a Windows device is about to get a whole lot easier. At The Game Awards 2021. Google revealed that its working on a Play Store Games app for Windows, scheduled for release next year. This will provide native support for the full Google Play Store game library on Windows for the first time.
Android games are already playable on Googles Chrome OS, but it makes sense for the company to extend support to Windows it's the most popular desktop operating system by far. Crucially, Play Store Games has been created independently by Google, meaning it can run on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Thats the key advantage over the native Android app support Microsoft recently introduced, which is exclusive to Windows 11. It can still run Android games, albeit from the much more limited selection on the Amazon Appstore. A workaround provides access to all apps on the Google Play Store, but it's a complicated process which requires you to jump through a few hoops.
If youre set on mobile gaming from your desktop or other Windows PC, Play Store Games looks like being the new best option. Its also designed to be used across all your devices, with the ability to share progress between Android, ChromeOS and now Windows.
The technology Google is using to emulate these apps remains unknown, just that theyre stored locally and not streamed. Of course, how smoothly each game works will still be dependent on the performance of your machine. That's the case on ChromeOS, where not all Android apps run without issues. Still, this looks like being a more seamless solution than using third-party emulator software such as Bluestacks.
Google only briefly teased Play Store Games at The Game Awards 2021. Its not clear exactly when in 2022 well see the app come to Windows, but look out for more information soon.
Related articles for further reading
- How to get the Google Play Store on Windows 11
- Windows 11's native Android app support is now available to try
- Windows 11: Everything you need to know