Google announced on Tuesday a series of changes to the Play Store designed to personalize the experience for users and increase engagement. The update includes a redesigned Apps tab, a new Play Games experience, a tab focused on individual interests, and several features powered by Gemini AI.
This update continues the effort to make the Play Store a central destination. It builds on recent additions like a tab for finding where to watch favorite shows and Collections, which organizes apps and games into categories such as shop, watch, and listen. According to Google Play Games executive Aurash Mahbood, the goal is to help users engage with the apps and content that match their needs and interests.
A key addition is AI-powered functionality. A feature called Guided Search allows users to find apps by typing a goal, such as “find a home,” instead of searching for a specific app name. The Apps tab is also being updated with new curated spaces for seasonal topics and user interests. These spaces can pull content from multiple apps. In the United States, content related to the WNBA will be featured. This follows similar launches in India and Japan focused on regional interests like cricket and comics. Users in Korea will get a curated space for video content, including movies, TV shows, and short-form videos.
A new You tab serves as a personal homepage within the Play Store. It centralizes subscriptions, rewards like Play Points, recommendations, and updates. The tab offers recommendations based on your interests for movies, shows, podcasts, and books, making it easier to resume reading, listening, or watching. Gamers will find their profile here, which organizes stats and achievements across games and devices. These profiles can now be customized with a generative AI avatar.
For gamers, the update introduces a new Games tab that centralizes stat tracking, achievements, rewards, and community features. Play Games Leagues will allow users to challenge friends and compete for rewards, starting with a Subway Surfers league from October 10 to October 23. A significant new feature is the AI-enabled Play Games Sidekick. This is an in-game overlay that provides real-time assistance from Gemini Live. Instead of leaving a game to find a tutorial, players can ask Gemini for tips and guidance. The Sidekick will initially be supported in games from EA and Netmarble, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, FC Mobile, and Solo Leveling: Arise.
Game Detail Pages are also being enhanced to show information about a title, including events, developer updates, and offers. Soon, gamers will be able to ask and answer questions directly on these pages to help each other. Additionally, Google Play Games on PC, which brings over 200,000 titles to Windows desktops, is exiting its beta phase.