If you like to play games on your Android phone, chances are Google Play Pass is for you – and it is now available in India.
First rolled out in US in 2019, Google formally announced its launch in India today for monthly and yearly subscriptions. Google Play Pass is being rolled out for Android smartphone users starting this week.
Google Play Pass, some of you know, is a subscription service for mobile games similar to Apple Arcade, but instead of offering plenty of games made for the platform, it offers loads of pre-existing popular games that you can download and play easily. Most of these games usually cost you an up-front cost, but by subscribing you get them free; equally some have in-game microtransactions, but if you play the game via the Play Pass these are all unlocked without you having to pay extra.
One advantage that Play Pass has over Apple Arcade service is that it includes certain premium apps as well as games.
As of now, Google Play Pass is available in 90 countries.
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai is bullish about India’s digital economy - Here is why
- Google For India: Many new India-specific features announced
Play Pass will have games from Indian developers
In India, Play Pass will offer a curated collection of 1000+ titles across 41 categories from developers across 59 countries, including many from India. Play Pass will also allow Indian developers of all types of apps and games a new avenue to expand their global user base and unlock new revenue streams, Google said.
Play Pass, as of now, includes 15 titles from Indian developers, including titles from sports, puzzles, or action games like Jungle Adventures, World Cricket Battle 2, and Monument Valley. It will also offer helpful apps such as Utter, Unit Converter and AudioLab, Photo Studio Pro etc.
Google Play Pass: 3 plans for India
Google has come up with three plans for Indian users. The first one-month trial is free for all users but, after that they will have to pay Rs 99 per month to continue the service. The annual Google Play pass will cost Rs 889 while users can also avail a prepaid one-month subscription for Rs 109. With Google family group, family managers can share their Play Pass subscription with up to five other family members.
The roll out is typically in a phased manner. Once it is available on your device (Google account), you can start its free trial by opening the Play Store, and tapping on the profile icon from the top-right corner, and then selecting the Play Pass option. The thing to note is Play Pass works with devices that are running on Android 4.4 or above and have Google Play app version 16.6.25.
Subscribers can access the collection of apps and games through the Play Pass tab or by looking for the Play Pass “ticket” when browsing titles on the Play Store.
Want to know about the latest happenings in tech? Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
