Google today announced major updates to Google Play, introducing new tools for gaming, personalization, and app discovery. Aurash Mahbod, Vice President and General Manager, Games on Google Play, detailed the changes in a blog post.
Unified Gaming on Play Games
Integrated stats and achievements
A new gamer profile lets users track achievements and gameplay stats across multiple devices. Profiles can also be personalized with Gen AI Avatars.
Integrated rewards
Play Points now extend across mobile and PC. Rewards also include merchandise and VIP access at events such as Comic Con San Diego.
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Play Games Leagues debut on October 10 with Subway Surfers and will run until October 23, offering Play Points rewards and community competition.
Sidekick in-game overlay
The new Play Games Sidekick allows players to access curated tips and real-time help from Gemini Live without leaving gameplay.
Using screen-sharing context, Gemini provides conversational guidance during play. Sidekick will be available in select titles over the coming months.
Game detail pages with player input
Updated pages will feature progress summaries, achievements, events, and developer updates. From next month in select markets, players can also ask and answer game-related questions directly within these pages.
Cross-device gameplay
Google Play Games on PC has exited beta and is now generally available. Over 200,000 titles are supported across mobile and PC, including Mecha Break, Subnautica, Monster Train, and Enter the Gungeon. Deep Rock Galactic Survivor is open for pre-registration, while DREDGE joins Play Pass later this month.
The New You Tab
The You tab consolidates personalized content such as:
- Rewards, subscriptions, and stats
- Game achievements and gamer profile features
- Tailored recommendations, including audiobooks and podcasts
It also enables users to resume unfinished content and track updates across interests.
Upgraded Apps Tab
The Apps tab has been redesigned with new sections for entertainment and seasonal themes.
- Regional hubs such as Cricket Hub in India and Comics space in Japan expand globally.
- Korea gains a dedicated entertainment hub for dramas and mobile-optimized shows.
- U.S. users can sample trending TV, short-form dramas, and webcomics.
- Seasonal highlights such as WNBA playoffs, Halloween, and Chuseok will be showcased worldwide.
With Guided Search, users can type goals such as “find a home” or “deck-building games,” and AI will organize relevant apps into categories for easier discovery.
Security and Developer Support
Google continues to invest in AI-based threat detection, stricter privacy protections, and developer tools. Industry partnerships are being expanded to strengthen safety and trust across the platform.
Availability
- You Tab and Play Games features begin rolling out this week in select Play Points markets.
- Expansion to more countries starts on October 1, 2025.