In a nutshell: Google's plan to create the "world's largest gaming platform" seems to be slowly taking shape with the launch of a first-party Windows app for playing Google Play games on PCs. Launched as a limited beta in three markets, eligible users/testers can play over 25 games, earn Play Points, and have their progress synced across other devices.
Google announced last month that it would be bringing Android games to Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs via a Play Games desktop app. It has now launched a limited beta of this program for users in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
Google also shared the minimum PC requirements for eligible users who will join a waitlist before being given access to the beta. Notably, participants will need to have at least Windows 10 v2004 installed, a CPU with 8 logical cores, a gaming-class GPU, 8GB RAM, and an SSD with 20GB of free storage. They also need to enable hardware virtualization during app installation.
For now, beta testers will have access to over 25 titles, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Summoners War, State of Survival: The Joker Collaboration, and Three Kingdoms Tactics. Since these mobile games will now be running locally (not streaming) on more powerful Windows PCs, Google says users can expect better graphics and controls with mouse and keyboard support.
Beta participants will continue to earn Play Points, which can be used towards in-store purchases or discounts on the Play Store, and will also have their game progress synced across Android, ChromeOS and Windows devices. For now, Google didn't say anything about the general availability of its Play Store app on Windows, though it did mention that the beta will soon be expanded across more regions.