Buy once (or more) to play anywhere
While Google announced last year that it was opening the door to all Android games on Windows, things haven’t really worked out that way. it Needed However, it has been easy. None of these “Windows” games are actually built for Windows – Play Games uses virtualization to run a lightweight Android OS in a container for games. Theoretically, all Android games should work, but there are still some major glitches.
For example, Play Games for Windows has not yet supported paid games other than Play Pass, and even some Play Pass content is absent. In the latter case, this may be because the developers have opted out. Google now says that developers can choose to make Play Pass content available on both platforms. Regardless, the selection of free-to-play microtransaction factories in play games for PC isn’t exactly a “premium experience.”
We should start seeing more paid games for Windows, but Google is going about it in a weird way. Although these are still Android games at their core, Google is treating Windows as a separate platform. Thus, it has declared, “Buy once, play anywhere.” The idea is that developers can offer premium games in Google Play that includes both Android and Windows access.
On mobile devices, everything you buy is always available on all other Android phones and tablets, but this is obviously not the same for Windows. Developers must join this program to offer cross-buy functionality, and it doesn’t work for games you’ve previously purchased on Android. Additionally, premium upgrades purchased on Android may not necessarily continue. Google says this is dependent on developer support and unrelated to the new cross-buy program.
Google is making progress in building out its desktop gaming catalog, but it still has a long way to go before it can attract any new players. In the distant past, Google might have mirrored all mobile games on PC and shut it down, but playing games on PC isn’t shaping up to be a Wild West. Google today is more thoughtful and interested in controlling the way apps are distributed. This is another example of that mentality.
Updated on 3/11 at 9am ET with additional comment from Google.
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