Last December, Google announced its plans to bring Android games to Windows PCs through a new Play Games app. Following its promise, the company recently launched Play Games for PCs as a limited beta in select regions. We were lucky enough to have been selected as a part of the limited beta and went hands-on with Google Play Games for PC. And in this article, we will take a look at how Google Play Games performs on PC and how it compares to Windows Subsystem for Android in Windows 11 and the BlueStacks emulator.

Gaming Performance

The gaming performance in Google Play Games PC initially surpassed our expectations. To test out the performance, we played Asphalt 9 Legends on an Intel Core i5-9300H laptop, which also has an Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU and 8GB of RAM. Although the library is limited for now (more on this below), we noticed lesser RAM usage on Google Play Games while offering better performance. As seen in the screenshots below, Google Play Games uses only ~700MB of memory, whereas BlueStacks eats through the memory due to emulation. BlueStacks used close to 3500MB of memory while playing Asphalt 9, the same title that we tested on Play Games.

BlueStacks (Vmmem + BlueStacks) vs Google Play Games

  • Gaming PerformanceKeymappingApp LibraryAvailabilityFrequently Asked Questions

As far as performance on BlueStacks is concerned, we tried playing Asphalt 9 Legends on the emulator. However, the experience wasn’t as fluid as Google Play Games, and we encountered occasional stutters and frame drops. Therefore, we can say that Google has taken the right approach with Play Games, offering smoother Android gaming on Windows PCs, but the experience is hampered by the lack of some of the most popular titles like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, or Among Us (more on this below).

To play Android mobile games on a PC, one needs efficient keymapping tools. BlueStacks takes the lead on this front. Thanks to BlueStacks’ robust keymapping tools, you have the option to customize the keybinds to assign in-game actions to specific keys.

With Windows Subsystem for Android, most games don’t support key mapping, and you will have to play with a mouse, which is a hassle in itself. Coming to BlueStacks, you can not only enjoy casual games but can even play battle royale games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) on your PC with flexible keymapping controls. This way, you can use your preferred key combinations to control the character and equipment in the game with ease.

Winner: BlueStacks

One major differentiator between Google Play Games on PC, Windows Subsystem for Android, and BlueStacks is the app library they offer. Here’s how they compete against each other:

As the name tells, Google Play Games for PC focuses on games and not apps. However, there is a noticeable lack of popular Android games at the moment. Since the platform is currently in beta, we could give Google Play Games the benefit of doubt and hope to see more titles in the stable release.

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  • Windows Subsystem for Android

Coming to Windows Subsystem for Android, which is one of the best new features in Windows 11, we are left with a similar situation here. As you might be aware, Windows Subsystem for Android supports both Android apps and games. While you have more games than what you get with Google Play Games, the library is still not vast enough. Plus, you won’t find games like PUBG Mobile or Free Fire either.

Being a pioneer in the Android emulators for Windows space, BlueStacks has built a solid library of games over the years. Since it is an emulator, you also get direct access to Google Play Store without resorting to workarounds. In a nutshell, you’re more likely to find your favorite games on BlueStacks as opposed to Google Play Games or Windows Subsystem for Android.

Coming to availability, the Google Play Games’ beta is limited to Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong at the moment. You will have to sign up for the beta program and join the waiting list to get access. Google hopes to expand the available list of regions in the future. Signing up for the beta program involves making a Google account in one of the supported regions – like we did to bring you this comparison. Check our guide on how to install Android apps not available in your country for instructions to set up a separate account and access Google Play Games for PC right now.

On the other hand, Windows Subsystem for Android’s preview is now available in the stable version of Windows 11. However, it is limited to US-based Windows 11 customers. That said, follow our guide to install and run Android apps on Windows 11 outside the US right away. Meanwhile, if we talk about BlueStacks, it is globally available, and anyone with a decently-specced Windows PC can download and install it to access Android apps and games from their PC.

Q: Is Google Play Games for PC available everywhere?

It doesn’t look like it is possible to manually install games on Google Play Games for PC at the moment.

When we pit Windows Subsystem for Android against BlueStacks in our Windows Subsystem for Android vs BlueStacks article, BlueStacks emerged as a clear winner. However, things are different now with Google Play Games PC onboard. The available game titles in Google Play Games PC are optimized and work better than their BlueStacks counterparts. But BlueStacks is still the better software if you wish to enjoy Android games on your Windows PC. And that’s thanks to its vast app library and robust keymapping support.