Google is responding to Apple Arcade with its own mobile game subscription service for Android.
For $4.99 a month, Google Play Pass will give you access to more than 350 "completely unlocked" apps and games already available on the Google Play Store. There are no ads or other in-app purchases; any add-ons are already bundled in.
Look for it on Android devices in the US this week, and in other countries "soon," Google said in a Monday blog post.
The service will appeal to anyone who'd like to essentially rent access to casual Android games rather than purchase specific titles individually. For instance, you'll be able to access farming RPG Stardew Valley, action title Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and adventure game Terraria, all of which are currently available on the Google Play Store for $4.99 or more each.
However, unlike Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass will give you access to non-gaming apps, such as AccuWeather and collage making tool Pic Stitch. New apps and games will also be added to Play Pass every month. Whether certain titles will be removed over time is up to the app's developer, Google says.
Find the new subscription service on the Play Store app by tapping the menu icon, where you should see a new "Play Pass" tab once the option begins appearing this week. The same tab will also include a catalog of all the titles enrolled in the subscription service.
For a limited time, Google is reducing the service's price to $1.99 a month for the first 12 months if you sign up before Oct. 11. Subscribers will also be able to share access to Google Play Pass with up to five other family members. The service works on devices with Android version 4.4 and up.
Apple Arcade, which launched last week, will eventually offer access to more than 100 games, but all of them are supposedly new and at least partially exclusive, meaning they likely won't ever appear on Android.