Google Launches Instant Games App on Play Store
Google has quietly introduced a new app called Instant Games on the Play Store. This app offers gamers a fresh platform to explore a variety of HTML5 games, filter by categories such as new, multiplayer, and popular, and search for specific titles. Users can even search for offline games and mark their favorites.
Some of the games featured in this new app include Banana Run, 99 Balls, Billiards Classic, and ZeptoLab’s Cut the Rope spinoff Om Nom Run.
Instant Competition
Google’s release of Instant Games comes shortly after Apple revealed its new Apple Games app, which serves as a centralized hub for all mobile games downloaded by iOS users – as long as they are still available. Apple’s app includes leaderboards, challenges, and recommendations for “new games we love”, as well as a section for the subscription service Apple Arcade.
While some of our Mobile Mavens have praised the new social features introduced by Apple, others have criticized the tech giant for its lack of understanding of the gaming industry.
Google’s Instant Games app focuses on providing easy access to games without the need for additional downloads. Similar to YouTube Playables, where users can seamlessly transition from watching videos to playing games without waiting for installations, Instant Games aims to streamline the gaming experience.
Although Google has not heavily promoted the app, it has detailed the offline saving feature of Instant Games through Android Help. It is important to note that Instant Games is currently only accessible on “select Android devices”.
Despite sharing a name with Facebook’s Instant Games, Google’s app appears to be unrelated to the social media platform’s gaming offering.
