The open beta for Google Play Games has launched in five territories. Starting today, users in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Australia can register to join in testing the service before its full launch.
Google Play Games originally launched earlier this year in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, albeit via a small waitlist. The service will allow players to play Android games on their Windows PCs, and will also feature improved performance and extra controls options on PC. It'll also allow players to carry progress across devices.
Android games have primarily been relegated to the mobile space, and for those who want to play them on PC, emulators are often the way to do so. With Google Play Games, more people will be able to play Android games on their computers, in addition to their phones.
At this time, beta access for the United States, Europe, or South America, has been given. Google said that the beta will include additional regions throughout the year.
In addition to expanding the Google Play Games beta, Google also reduced the minimum PC specs. Now, PCs that have an integrated GPU (such as an Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU) can run the service's app. Space storage requirements have now been reduced to 10 GB (as opposed to 20 GB), and the CPU will now require four logical cores instead of eight.
As Google works on getting Google Play Games ready for global release, it's also preparing to enact some new guidelines beginning in September. Google Play developers will no longer be allowed to insert ads into their games at inopportune moments, such as during gameplay or when media is starting. Additionally, full-screen ads that can't be closed after 15 seconds will be prohibited.