Google readies Apple Arcade competitor with unlimited gaming, no mTX

Google aims to disrupt Apple Arcade with its own $4.99 a month all-you-can-play games offering.

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Google today announced Play Pass, a $4.99 a month subscription service that bundles more than 350 apps and games. Similar to Apple Arcade, every game on Play Pass is a premium experience and won't have in-game purchases, microtransactions, or ads. Titles include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Evoland, Terraria, Limbo, This is the Police, Hoplite, and Wayward Souls. Premium apps will also be wrapped in the service.

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Play Pass is compatible with mobile phones, laptops, and tablets that run Android 4.4 and Play Store version 16.6.25. Family sharing is also confirmed, and subscribers can share their subscription with up to 5 family members. There was no mention of cross-platform cloud saves, but I don't see why they wouldn't be included.

This new move perfectly compliments Google's gameplan to take over the videogame industry. The company plans to roll out its ambitious game-streaming service Stadia in November, which allows users to wirelessly stream big-budget games like Borderlands 3 and Destiny 2 directly to a TV, a Chrome web browser, or even a Pixel 3 smartphone.

Google Play Pass will be available "in the coming weeks," and currently has a special $1.99 introductory offer for the first 12 months. The offer expires on October 10, 2019.