Screenshot The user interface of Google Play Games in dark mode | |||||
Developer(s) | |||||
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Initial release | July 24, 2013; 8 years ago (2013-07-24) | ||||
Stable release(s) [±] | |||||
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Operating system | Android, Windows | ||||
Platform | Android, Windows | ||||
Type | Online service | ||||
Website | Google Play Games on Google Play |
Google Play Games is an online gaming service and software development kit operated by Google, part of its Google Play product line, for the Android operating system. It features gamer profiles, cloud saves, achievements, and social and public leaderboards.[3] The Play Games service allows developers to incorporate the above features into their games without having to develop those features from scratch themselves. The service launched on Microsoft Windows in 2022.
The Google Play Games service was introduced at the Google I/O 2013 Developer Conference,[4] and the standalone Google Play Games mobile app was launched for Android on July 24, 2013.[5] Andrew Webster of The Verge compared Google Play Games to Game Center, a similar gaming network for users of Apple Inc.'s own iOS operating system.[4]
Google Play Games has received updates over the years since its launch, including a screen-recording feature,[6] custom gamer IDs,[7] built-in games,[8] and an arcade for game discovery.
Real-time and turn-based multiplayer services have been deprecated since September 16, 2019. Support for these API functions ended on March 31, 2020.[9] In 2021, Google announced that the service would be made available on Microsoft Windows, introducing a new logo at the same time.[10]