Google Play Pass, the answer to Apple Arcade, is coming to the United States and soon to France

That’s it for two: It’s been rumored for over a year that Google’s Play Pass is now available. A third of the apps included in this subscription are games and have well-known names. Stardew Valley, monument valley, purgatory and Risk… but at the same time Star Wars: KOTOR, The Old Man’s Journey and eloh. On the applications side, there are must-haves. accuweather or new features such as the Hi-Q recorder.

Google is innovating with this Play Pass concept by bringing together many apps that are already in a paid version on the Google Play Store under one service. The goal is to encourage the sale of apps. Note that if you have already installed an app included with the service, it will be automatically uninstalled and in-app purchases will be unlocked.

Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade?

Google’s offering is different from Apple Arcade, which launched last week. Despite its name, Play Pass includes not only games but also apps.. The proposed catalog is much more important: 350 on the Google side against over 70 games for Apple Arcade.

Google’s app subscription mode is slightly different from Apple Arcade’s. It can be shared with up to five family members and can also be integrated into the Play Store parental control system. Google also does not require a strict privacy obligation for apps included in Play Pass.

Finally, unlike Apple, Google invites developers to share their apps provided they use a standard API for ads and in-app purchases. The platform includes an algorithm that promises compensation based on actual app usage, not just screen time or weekly open counts.

This Play Pass is initially only United States of America. Other countries will follow “soon”. For this launch, Google 10 days free to users and also plans to offer the first year at $1.99 per month.