Posted by Chris Wilk – Group Product Supervisor, Video games on Google Play
To captivate gamers and develop your sport, you want instruments that improve discovery and retention. Play Video games Providers (PGS) is your key to unlocking a collection of providers that join you with over 2 billion month-to-month energetic gamers. PGS empowers you to drive engagement by options like achievements and improve retention with promotions tailor-made to every gameplay progress. These instruments are designed that will help you ship related and compelling content material that retains gamers coming again.
We’re constantly evolving gaming on Play, and this yr, we’re introducing extra PGS-powered experiences to provide you deeper participant insights and larger visibility within the Play Retailer. To entry these newest developments and guarantee continued performance, you have to migrate from PGS v1 to PGS v2 by Could 2026. Let’s take a better have a look at what’s new:
Drive discovery and engagement by rewarding gameplay progress
We’re essentially reworking how achievements work within the Play Retailer, making them a key driver for an incredible gaming expertise. Now deeply embedded throughout the shop, achievements are simply discoverable through search filters and sport element pages, and additional drive engagement when provided with Play Factors.
At a minimal, it is best to have a minimum of 15 achievements unfold throughout the lifetime of the sport, within the format of incremental achievements to indicate progress. Video games that allow gamers to earn a minimum of 5 achievements within the first 2 hours of gameplay are most profitable in driving deeper engagement*.
Essentially the most participating titles provide 40 or extra achievements with various varieties of targets together with leveling up characters, sport development, hidden surprises, and even failed makes an attempt. That will help you get essentially the most out of achievements, we’ve made it simpler to create achievements with bulk configuration in Play Console.
For eligible titles*, Play prompts quests to reward gamers for finishing achievements – for instance with Play Factors. Supercell activated quests for Hay Day, resulting in a median 177% uplift in installs*. You may tailor your quests to attain particular marketing campaign goals, whether or not it is attracting high-value gamers or driving spend by repeated engagement, all whereas making it straightforward to leap again into your sport.
Improve retention with tailor-made promotions
Promotional content material is a crucial instrument so that you can spotlight new occasions, main content material updates, and thrilling presents inside your sport. It turns Play right into a direct advertising channel to re-engage along with your gamers. We have enhanced viewers focusing on capabilities so you’ll be able to tailor your content material to succeed in and convert essentially the most related gamers.
By integrating PGS, you should use the Play Grouping API to create customized segments based mostly on gameplay context*. Utilizing this characteristic, Kabam launched promotional content material to customized audiences for Marvel Contest of Champions, leading to a 4x improve in lapsed consumer engagement*.
Begin implementing PGS options at the moment
PGS is designed to make the sign-in expertise extra seamless for gamers, robotically syncing their progress and id throughout Android gadgets. With a single faucet, they will choose up the place they left off or begin a brand new sport from any display screen. Whether or not you employ your individual sign-in resolution, providers from third events, or a mixture of each, we have made it simpler to combine Play Video games Providers with the Recall API.
To make sure a constant sign-in expertise for all gamers, we’re phasing out PGS v1.
All video games at the moment utilizing PGS v1 should migrate to PGS v2 by Could 2026. After this date, you’ll now not be capable to publish or replace video games that use the v1 SDK.
Under you will discover the timeline to plan your migration:
Migration information | |
| Could 2025 | As introduced at I/O, new apps utilizing PGS v1 can now not be revealed. Whereas current apps can launch updates with v1 and the APIs are nonetheless practical, you’ll must migrate by Could 2026, and APIs shall be totally shut down in 2028. |
| Could 2026 | APIs are nonetheless practical for customers, however are now not included within the SDK. New app variations compiled with the latest SDK would fail within the construct course of in case your code nonetheless makes use of the eliminated APIs. In case your app nonetheless depends on any of those APIs, it is best to migrate to PGS v2 as quickly as potential. |
| Q3 2028 | APIs are now not practical and can fail when a request is distributed by an app. |
Wanting forward, extra alternatives powered by PGS
Coming quickly, gamers will be capable to generate distinctive, AI-powered avatars inside their profiles – creating enjoyable, various representations of their gaming selves. With PGS integration, builders can permit gamers to hold over their avatar inside the sport. This allows gamers to showcase their gaming id throughout your complete gameplay expertise, creating an excellent stronger motivation to re-engage along with your sport.
PGS is the foundational instrument for maximizing what you are promoting progress on Play, enabling you to tailor your content material for every participant and entry the most recent gameplay improvements on the platform. Keep tuned for extra PGS options coming this yr to supply an excellent richer participant expertise.
* To be eligible, the title should take part in Play Factors, combine Play Video games Providers v2, and have achievements configured in Play Console.
* Knowledge supply from accomplice. Common incremental installs over a 14-day interval.
* Knowledge supply from accomplice.
