Google Play Games for PC beta now available in India: Here’s everything you need to know

Nearly seven months after its gradual rollout, Google has launched the beta version of Play Games for PC in India. This essentially allows Windows 10 and 11 users to play a host of games on their PCs, which were previously only compatible with Android smartphones.

Google Play Games for PC was first announced at The Game Awards in 2021, to enable one to seamlessly switch between a phone, tablet, Chromebook, and Windows systems without losing their progress on games.

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One also needn’t use emulators such as Bluestacks, as this is a proper Windows app wherein Google has worked with a multitude of game developers to ensure their titles are optimised for PCs.

Still available as a beta version, it lets you browse and play about 100 smartphone-based games as of now, and also offers seamless syncing of user-profiles and data. All one has to ensure is that they sign in using the same Google account.

Google Play Games for PC beta: minimum system requirements

To use Google Play Games for PC, one must ensure that their systems meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Operating System: Windows 10 (v2004) or above

2. Storage: At least 10 GB of available storage space

3. Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 or higher

4. Processor: Any CPU with a minimum of four physical cores, although some titles on Play Games may require Intel processors specifically.

5. RAM: 8GB

Besides this, access to a Windows admin account is required as well.

How do I install and use Play Games on my PC?

Here’s how to install and use Play Games beta on your desktop or laptop.

1. On your PC, open up Google Chrome and head to play.google.com/googleplaygames

2. Click the on “Download beta” option

3. Thereon, open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

4. If one’s system’s Windows Hypervisor Platform is turned off, they will receive a prompt to enable the same during the installation process. Once enabled, following the completion of the installation process, restart your system for the Hypervisor Platform to take effect.

5. Furthermore, one must also ensure that virtualisation settings have been enabled on their systems’ BIOS settings. This helps enable a smoother gameplay experience. To access the BIOS settings, one can restart their systems and hit either F2, Delete or Escape, while it boots up. However, this is required only in case one’s system is running Windows 10. Windows 11 users can just head over to the “Windows features” settings and enable the same.

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6. You’re all set now. Open the Play Games app, and log in using your Google account credentials.

7. Once done, you can now browse through the list of available games. Select and download the game you wish to play, simply launch, and start playing.

Still thinking about which laptop to buy? Check out our laptop buying guide for more help.