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How Google can make sure Play Pass stays afloat
July 20, 2025
Google Play Pass, the company’s app subscription service, isfinally here. The service already boasts more than350 games and apps, but it doesn’t quite live up to the same standard as the similarly priced Apple Arcade. Luckily, it isn’t too late yet, and Google can still make sure Play Pass doesn’t suck with a little bit more curation.
What Google Play Pass can learn from Apple Arcade
We already wrotean entire articlecomparing these two brand new app subscription services. In short, what makes Play Pass better than Apple Arcade is that Google’s service offers more than just games. What makes Apple Arcade better than Play Pass is the exclusive game titles.
Play Pass also has more than three times as many apps to choose from than Apple Arcade. At first, that sounds awesome, but after a quick dive into the library, you realize that the app selection is pretty underwhelming.
The library has more word search games and voice recorder apps than anyone will know what to do with. Are you looking for a simple game of Sudoku? There are seven games to choose from. What about solitaire? There are 11.
Read also:10 best games on Google Play Pass: Great value at $2 a month
Most of these apps were already free. The only difference now is they don’t have ads with your Play Pass subscription. When all is said and done, there are probably less than 50 great games and less than 20 great apps. Compare that to Apple Arcade’s approximately 100 highly curated games library, and the 350 mark doesn’t hold the same weight.
The problem with the Google Play Store
One of the biggest downfalls of the Play Store compared to the App Store has always been the quality of apps. Because of Google’s leniency with app developers, there are more bad apps in the Play Store than good ones.
The Play Store experience has definitely improved over the years. It was evenrecently redesignedin the name of app discoverability and accessibility. But it still has a long way to go if it wants to truly break free from that stigma. Achieving that will take more than a fresh coat of paint.
Play Pass has only just begun, and so far it’s a pleasantly well-curated experience. It’s not hard to find the gems amid the fillers, but this could all change in the blink of an eye if too many terrible apps make their way into the service.
Don’t get me wrong, the more apps included in the service the better. It just means you get more value for your money. All I’m saying is people are more willing to spend money on a great application library, even if there are fewer to choose from.
The literal value of a product comes second to its perceived value. A successfully curated selection can dramatically increase that perceived value. The App Store and Apple Arcade prove that, and as mentioned before, Google could learn a lot from Apple in this regard.
Related:10 best games on Google Play Pass: Great value at $2 a month
Titles likeStar Wars: KOTOR,Terraria,Stardew Valley, andMonument Valley 1and 2are easy enough to find. But unique titles likeAgent A: A puzzle in disguiseor80 Dayscould be a little challenging to weed out if you don’t already know they are good. Continuing to curate and push great titles like these in front of users will lift Play Pass out of the Play Store’s poorly curated shadow and develop a successful service.
Discoverability and developers could help
Discoverability is key in a good software store. Right now, Play Pass almost functions like its own store within the Play Store. Featured games at the top of the Play Pass page and sections like “top games” and “recommended for you” do a pretty good job at helping users discover fun titles. It’s only when you start digging deeper that you see how confusing finding good lesser-known games can be.
Play Pass could easily become just another one ofGoogle’s folded projectsif it isn’t careful. To combat that, it needs to continue improving Play Pass application discoverability and partner with developers to bring higher quality applications to the service.
Apple Arcade exclusive titles likeOceanhorn2: Knights of the Lost Realm are part of what’s going to set Apple’s service apart. Add that into a simple, easy-to-digest UI and you have a recipe for success.
There are a few ways Google could achieve something similar. Working hard to entice high-quality game and app developers to release their products exclusively on Play Pass is one obvious option.
But really the most important way Google can increase Play Pass’ perceived value is to further develop the UI and curate the choice titles to the front. In the end, it doesn’t matter how many good apps there are if no one can separate them from the underwhelming ones. A well designed and personally-curated Play Pass page is really the only way that will happen.
If Google takes the time to make sure Play Pass doesn’t start looking like the rest of the Play Store, the service can really shine in the future. If Google loses control and Play Pass gets flooded with a bunch of nonsense, a bloated UI, and even more solitaire apps, then I have a hard time believing people will continue jumping on board.
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