Google Play Games for Windows launches in limited beta

Shortly after Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will run Android apps natively, Google revealed its own plans to bring Google Play Games to Windows. The platform has now been launched in 3 countries as a limited beta test.

Users living in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan can sign up for the waitlist on the Official Page for Google Play Games for Windows. If you’re from another country, you can still choose to be notified when the service is available in your region. Once you join the waiting list, you will receive an email with instructions to check if your PC can run the games.

Google Play Games for Windows: Minimum System Requirements

• Windows 10 (v2004)
• Solid State Drive (SSD)
• 20 GB of available storage space
• gaming class GPU
• 8 logical CPU cores
• 8GB the RAM
• Windows administrator account
• Hardware virtualization must be enabled
• Compatible PC device and configuration

Those are some pretty high requirements to run mobile games on a computer. The 8-core CPU requirement is especially impressive. That said, this is a beta test after all, so maybe things will change as the company optimizes the experience based on user feedback.

How these games will run on a Windows computer is still a mystery. I can only assume from those system requirements, specifically the virtualization part, that the app is essentially an emulator running on the Android OS. I mean, the service is targeting Windows 10 users, and since it doesn’t support Android apps natively, the upcoming service needs to be an emulated experience, not a web-based platform like Stadia. The following video shows the games that are downloaded in the application.

Here is the teaser video of Google Play Games for PC. Based on the information provided on the page and seen in the video, Google Play Games for Windows will support keyboard and mouse controls, obviously that’s a must for any desktop program. The service will provide seamless cross-platform synchronization. So you’ll be able to play the same games on your phone and PC, and switch between the two to pick up where you left off.

The service will offer Google Play Points for purchases made by users, which can be redeemed for rewards. The registration page indicates that the Google Play Games moniker will refer to the PC experience and that the mobile app will change in the near future.

XDA and Ars Techinca report that the following games will be available at launch: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Summoners War, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, and Three Kingdoms Tactics. The waiting list page lists more games including Asphalt 9: Legends, Township, Dragon Mania Legends, Gardenscapes, War Planet Online: MMO Game, Cash Frenzy – Casino Slots, Cookie Run: Ovenbreak, Top War: Battle Game, Idle Heroes, Last Shelter: Survival, Rise of Empires: Ice and Fire, Magic Rush: Heroes, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, etc.

Those aren’t exactly impressive titles, but I realize I’m not part of the service’s target audience. The Mountain View company hasn’t revealed a release date for its Windows gaming platform, saying only that the beta program will expand to other regions in 2022 and beyond. Windows 11 supports the Amazon App Store and you can already download apps from third-party sources. It’s unclear if Google will allow users to install Android apps from the Play Store.

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