Google has announced that Google Play Games PC will launch in 2022, allowing mobile titles to be played on a desktop.
Google announced the service at The Game Awards with a short trailer and a release date of 2022. However, little else has yet been revealed about how the system will work or how it might emulate the Android OS on a Windows desktop. It was confirmed that players would be able to continue games from their mobile devices on their PCs thanks to cross-save functionality.
Greg Hartrell, Google’s product director of games on Android and Google Play, told The Verge that “starting in 2022, players will be able to experience their favourite Google Play games on more devices: seamlessly switching between a phone, tablet, Chromebook, and soon, Windows PCs.”
Get ready to play your favorite @android games on your PC. Pick up where you left off anytime.
Google Play Games on PC, coming soon in 2022. Follow @GooglePlay to stay in the loop. pic.twitter.com/BfovbNSi5C
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 10, 2021
He continued, “This Google built product brings the best of Google Play Games to more laptops and desktops, and we are thrilled to expand our platform for players to enjoy their favourite Android games even more.”
Hartell also said that the program would be a native Windows app that will support Windows 10 and up. The program will not involve any game streaming between devices and is not going to rely on any special integration with Windows.
The Verge also notes that this announcement comes several months after Microsoft started testing Android apps on Windows 11 PCs. A new underlying Windows Subsystem has been developed for running android apps from a variety of sources.
In other news, Ubisoft has confirmed the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion called Dawn Of Ragnarök. The expansion is set to release next year and promises to be one of the largest Assassin’s Creed expansions to date. Tomorrow (December 14) both of the most recent Assassin’s Creed games, Valhalla and Odyssey, will also receive cross-over missions.