Playing Android games on Windows PCs is not a smooth experience, despite all the various workarounds. However, things are changing as Google officially brings Android games to Windows devices via a standalone Google Play Games app.
Thanks to official support, you no longer need to rely on third-party emulators for a mediocre gaming experience. Here’s everything you need to know.
Google Is Officially Bringing Android Games to Windows
Installing and running Android games on Windows is about to get a lot easier, thanks to the new Google Play Games app that natively runs on Windows. The app will sync your games across all your Android devices, meaning you will be able to pick up from where you left. This is possible because you have to sign in to your Google account.
Since Android games are optimized for smaller screens, they will include several tweaks to improve your Android gaming experience on PC. Firstly, Google will let you use your mouse and keyboard as controls. That way, you can even gain some advantage relative to using touch controls.
Secondly, Google Play Games for Windows also improves the graphics to suit the larger screen. For all these requirements, developers will have to do a little bit of heavy lifting to ensure their games are also optimized for Windows.
Google Play Games for Windows Minimum Requirements
While playing Android games will be a cinch, it won’t be available for every Windows user. You’ll have to meet several requirements before you can run Android games on your computer. Fortunately, the minimum requirements are not so harsh.
Your Windows machine should have an SSD with at least 20 GB of free storage space, 8GB of RAM, eight logical CPU cores, a Windows admin account, at least Windows 10 (v2004), and hardware virtualization must be on. Oh, and you should have a gaming-class GPU. Google has a complete list of compatible GPUs.
Although your Windows PC or laptop might meet these requirements, it may still not play Android games via the Google Play Games Windows app. For instance, all Lenovo ThinkPads and some devices like AMD-powered machines with less than 1GB RAM are incompatible. Don’t fret if your Windows device is unsupported; we have some hacks to help you play Android games on PC.
When Will Google Play Games for Windows Launch?
The official launch will vary by region. The Google Play Games Windows app is currently in beta and only available in three Asian countries (Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan) at the time of writing. Google plans to expand the beta to other regions in 2022 and beyond.
Why Google Play Games on PC Is a Game Changer
Google’s official support for Android games on Windows is exciting, although users have had multiple workarounds to play mobile games on PCs for years—like BlueStacks emulator and Microsoft’s Your Phone app.
However, Google’s official support takes the whole experience to the next level with better graphics for the larger screen and a seamless gaming experience.
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