Google has announced it is expanding its Android-based Play Pass mobile gaming subscription service to the UK, along with eight other countries.
The Apple Arcade rival, which launched in the United States last September and now offers unmetered access more than 500 mobile games, will roll out in the UK in the near future.
As well as the $4.99 a month offering, Google is also launching an annual subscription at $29.99, which effectively cuts the price in half. The UK price is yet to be published, as the service is yet to roll out, but we’ll update this article as soon as it becomes available. Apple offers an annual Apple Arcade subscription for $49.99/£49.99, for comparison, while the monthly fee is $4.99/£4.99 a month.
Google points out that mmong the 150 games announced in the last few months are the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Golf Peaks, Teslagrad, Forgotton Anne, and Sally’s Law. There’s also new ‘teacher approved’ games like Sesame Workshop and Learny Land.
Google also says a new series of titles will premiere in Play Pass later this year, which should add to the company’s ability to contend with Apple Arcade. Those will include The Almost Gone from Playdigious, which is available now, as well as The Gardens Between, Kingdom Rush, Bright Paw from Rogue and Line Weight from The Label, which are coming soon
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain are the other countries gaining availability this week. New subscribers get a one month free trial and you’ll be able to find Play Pass within its own tab on the Play Store Android app.
Play Pass can be shared with up to five other family members who will each have individual access to all of the games in the library. You can get a better idea of the games on show in the video below:
Elsewhere, Google has also announced 16 new games for its Stadia cloud gaming service, which is also available on Android devices, including some also bound for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.