Google has a number of announcements at the 2025 Games Developer Conference (GDC) next week across Android and Play Games on PC.
Android
Google is launching a pilot program to “simplify the process of bringing PC games to mobile.”
It provides support starting from Android game development all the way through publishing your game on Play.
Optimized for mobile, “DREDGE” and “TABS Mobile” (Totally Accurate Battle Simulator) will be launching on Android this month, while “Disco Elysium” is coming this year.
Meanwhile, Google is making Vulkan the “official graphics API for Android” to allow for ray tracing and multithreading.
We’re excited to announce that Android is transitioning to a modern, unified rendering stack with Vulkan at its core. Starting with our next Android release, more devices will use Vulkan to process all graphics commands.
Google introduced the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF) last year to let games (and other performance-intensive apps) adjust performance based on the current thermal state of the device. Available on the Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25 series, Google is updating ADPF “to provide longer and smoother gameplay sessions” by working with MediaTek and game engines.
Google Play Games on PC
Google is continuing its investment in Play Games on PC, which was announced in late 2021 and brings Android titles to Windows. Currently in beta, the application will be entering general availability “later this year.”
The first announcement involves “making all mobile games available on PC by default with the option to opt out anytime.” There will be a playability badge when this is the case:
- Optimized: “…means that a game meets all of our quality standards for a great gaming experience.”
- Playable “…means that the game meets the minimum requirements to play well on a PC.”
Meanwhile, the Google Play Games store is adding support for native PC games, including PC-only titles, this year. This includes “Game of Thrones: Kingsroad,” “Sonic Rumble,” and “ODIN: VALHALLA RISING”
New custom control mappings and sidebar for quick adjustments means “many games can be playable right out of the box.” Google is also adding multi-account and multi-instance support this month. Other updates include emphasizing Play Points and offering “up to 10x points boosters.”
Meanwhile, Google Play Games on PC now supports AMD laptops and desktops. This year, Google is partnering with PC OEMs to make the Windows app “accessible right from the start menu on new devices.”
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