Google Play Pass, Explained: Android's Quiet All-You-Can-Play Deal
It launched the same week as Apple Arcade and got a fraction of the attention. But Google Play Pass, with hundreds of ad-free games including Stardew Valley and Terraria, may be the best-value subscription most Android players have never tried.
September 2019 was a busy month for anyone who likes paying a monthly fee for mobile games. Apple Arcade went live on the 19th. Four days later, on 23 September 2019, Google launched its own answer, Google Play Pass, in the United States for $4.99 a month. Apple got the headlines. Google got something arguably more practical: a subscription that unlocks existing paid games rather than a catalogue of exclusives.
Seven years on, Play Pass is still part of the Android landscape, now available in many countries. It gives subscribers hundreds of games and apps with no ads, no in-app purchases and no upfront price, including some of the best-loved indie games ever made.
How Play Pass works
The idea is simple. Instead of buying games one by one, you pay a monthly or yearly fee and every Play Pass title in the Google Play Store unlocks for you:
- Paid games become free to download while you subscribe.
- In-app purchases and ads are removed in Play Pass versions of free games.
- Family sharing lets the subscription be shared with up to five other family members.
- Play Pass titles are marked with a ticket badge in the Play Store, and there is a dedicated Play Pass tab.
At launch Google said the catalogue included more than 350 apps and games, from puzzle games to productivity tools, and it has kept rotating titles in and out since.
The heavyweights in the catalogue
Unlike Apple Arcade, Play Pass did not rely mainly on exclusives. Its strength is that famous paid games joined it. Two of the most celebrated have been part of the service since its early days:
- Stardew Valley, the farming life-sim that one developer, Eric Barone, spent about four years making by himself before releasing it in 2016.
- Terraria, Re-Logic's 2D sandbox adventure, first released on PC in 2011 and still updated more than a decade later.
Many smaller premium games, from puzzle games to retro-style RPGs, have rotated through the catalogue too, as have ad-free versions of familiar casual games.
Play Pass vs Apple Arcade
The two services look similar but have different personalities:
- Catalogue: Apple Arcade is curated and full of exclusives; Play Pass leans on established paid games and apps.
- Apps, not just games: Play Pass also includes ad-free apps such as utilities and tools.
- Devices: Apple Arcade works across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV; Play Pass is for Android phones, tablets and Chromebooks.
- Price: both started at $4.99 a month in the US; Apple Arcade has since risen to $6.99, while Play Pass also offers an annual plan.
If you play mostly on an iPhone, read our Apple Arcade guide; if you already pay for Netflix, check our Netflix Games story first.
Who it suits
Play Pass is best for Android players who like premium games without monetisation, families who want ad-free titles for children, and anyone who would otherwise buy two or three paid games a year. It is less useful if you mostly play big free-to-play games, which are not included.
Why it matters
Play Pass shows another way a store can make money from games: not by taking a cut of every gem, but by charging a flat fee and sharing it with developers based on how much their games are played. As Google's standard commissions fall after its settlement with Epic Games (see our Epic v. Google story), the subscription model may become one of the ways Google keeps players, and developers, inside its store.