GoKawiilC. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR Google Play is getting a bunch of new PC-focused features, including a dedicated tab in the Store.
“Buy once, play anywhere” will start letting you play both PC and mobile versions of select games for one price.
Play is finally adding support for try-before-you-buy game demos.
All too often, Google Play feels like a bit of a workhorse. You go there to find your apps when setting up a new device, pop in once in a while to check out the latest new app to launch, and maybe troll the update screen every few months. But Google’s been working hard to make Play feel much more welcoming, especially for gamers. This year at the annual GDC Festival of Gaming, Google shares the latest ways it’s improving Play with gamers in mind.
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Not always sure if you’re going to like a game? PC gamers are used to the permissive refund policies of platforms like Steam effectively working like a universal demo system, letting you try out games before fully committing to them. While Google’s not about to do anything quite that broad, it now confirms that Game Trials are coming to select titles.
We first spotted work towards supporting try-before-you-buy demos earlier this year, and Google now says that Game Trials will first debut for certain paid Android games. That will eventually expand to Google Play Games on PC at some point in the future.
Speaking of PC titles, Google has some great news for gamers who equally appreciate PC and mobile platforms: Play is introducing new “buy once, play anywhere” pricing for certain games, and when you purchase one of these on either platform, you’ll also get free access on the other. That list is set to include titles like Dungeon Clawler and Reigns games, and Play gets started with this system today.
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