Google Play Games on PC now supports controllers and 4K monitors

Google is rolling out some big changes to Google Play Games Beta on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. You’ll now be able to connect controllers to your PC to play select titles, and you can enjoy added 4K screen resolution on select compatible monitors. Google also says you can now play more than 3,000 games on the service, including two popular titles like Clash of Clams, and Clash Royale.
Four types of controllers are now supported. As expected, it’s pretty much all modern gaming controllers, like the original Xbox One controller, the Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X controller, the PS5 DualSense Controller, and the PS4 DualShock game controller. Only select titles will work with the controller, though. Google mentioned in today’s announcement post that Asphalt 9: Legends and BADLAND are two of those titles. For sure, this will be easier than playing with a keyboard and mouse, or even a touch screen for most people.

As for the 4K monitor support, Google is rolling this out to “supported monitors,” for better graphics quality on bigger screens. If your game and monitors support this, you can switch to the higher resolution by pressing Shift and Tab to open the full menu of resolutions. And speaking of games! Google says there are now more than 3,000 titles on Google Play Games, and more are being added each day. You can find these games with the newly added search feature in the All Games section of the app. This has been a long-requested feature, so it’s nice to see Google finally deliver.
Google Play Games originally launched in early 2022, and it’s pretty straightforward to get started with. It’s still in beta as of today, but the requirements are pretty loose, and you even can play on Windows 10. While Windows 11 has the Windows Subsystem for Android, it requires a lot of tweaking to play with games and popular Android apps. So, if you’re an Android gamer and want to sync up your favorite games across all your devices, it’s the way to go.