Google Play rolls out Game Trials to allow players try full paid games before purchasing

• Player progress from Game Trials carries over if the full game is purchased.
• Google says 160m players use the Play Store’s You tab each month to track their games.
• Cross platform purchases are rolling out first to select paid titles including the Reigns series.

Google Play is releasing a set of new features aimed at improving how players discover, purchase and play games across mobile devices and PC.

Announced during the Game Developers Conference Festival of Gaming, the updates include the launch of Game Trials and a new “Buy once, play anywhere” pricing model for select paid titles.

Game Trials will allow players to try the full version of certain paid games for free before committing to a purchase. If players decide to buy the game, their progress will carry over from the trial.

The feature will initially roll out on mobile with plans to expand to Google Play Games on PC in the future.

Cross-platform purchases 

Google is also introducing cross-platform purchasing for select titles. Through the “Buy once, play anywhere” system, players who purchase a supported game on Google Play will receive both the mobile and PC versions. 

The updates follow Google Play’s integration of mobile and PC gaming last year. The search giant claimed that around 160 million players now use the Play Store’s You tab each month to keep track of their games and activity.

Google Play is also expanding tools designed to help players improve their gameplay, including Community Posts for sharing tips and Play Games Sidekick, an AI-powered overlay that provides in-game guidance for select titles.