Apple Arcade launched last week, and with it a paid subscription to hopefully fix everything wrong with games on the App Store. For just five dollars per month you can play all sorts of fascinating little games with a controller and without in-app purchases. We already sampled a handful of these games, but by October over 100 games will be on the service.
With Apple’s model seemingly the future for quality mobile games, we figured it would only be a matter of time before its chief rival Google offered something similar for Android. And it turns out that time is right now. Check out this trailer for Google Play Pass.
For five dollars per month Google Play Pass not only lets you play Android games without ads and microtransactions but also offers apps as well in the 350-title library. In the long history of mobile giants constantly ripping each other off, that’s one way in which Google Play Pass separates itself from Apple Arcade. Another way is that these games and apps aren’t exclusive to the service. So you can play games you already know are good like Stardew Valley, Monument Valley, Limbo, 80 Days, Mini Metro, and Reigns: Game of Thrones.
If you’re interested, right now is the best time to get in. US Android owners can get ten days of Google Play Pass for free in Play Store version 16.6.25 and above. And if you subscribe before October 10 it only costs two dollars per month instead of five. If Google really wants to own your gaming life though, they should also offer a bundle that includes the upcoming Stadia streaming service. In the meantime, here are some cool upcoming Android phones to check out.
