Last year, Google jumped into the game subscription arena with Google Play Pass for Android. It was limited to the United States at the time, but starting this week, though, Play Pass will be available in nine more countries, including New Zealand.
Google Play Pass gives subscribers access to hundreds of games and apps, all without ads, in-app purchases, or upfront payments. Subscriptions cost NZ$8.99 per month or NZ$54.99 for an annual sub, and there’ll also be a one-month free trial when the service launches here in the next few days. Up to six family members will be able to share one Play Pass subscription, in the same vein as the Google Play Family Library.
Among the games included when Play Pass launches here are Stardew Valley, Sonic the Hedgehog, Monument Valley, This War of Mine, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Titan Quest, Cytus II, Forgotton Anne, Framed, and Mini Metro, to name just a few. More titles will be added on a monthly basis, with the likes of Kingdom Rush and the excellent The Gardens Between in the pipeline, as well as upcoming releases like Bright Paw and Line Weight.
Google hasn’t given an exact date for when Play Pass will be available in New Zealand, but given there’s only a few days left in the week anyway, it’s probably worth just checking the Play Store periodically if you’re interested. When it is available, you’ll be able to access Play Pass—and the free trial—through a Play Pass item within the top-left menu of the Play Store app. Subscribers will then be able to access a dedicated Play Pass tab with the full catalogue of games and apps.
As well as New Zealand, Play Pass is rolling out this week to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
