Google Play Adds Gemini-Powered Play Games Sidekick

Google is rolling out a major Play Store revamp focused on personalization and gaming, adding a new "You" tab as a personalized hub and a redesigned Apps tab with AI-powered Guided Search and curated seasonal/entertainment sections. A centerpiece is Play Games Sidekick, an in‑game overlay powered by Gemini Live that provides real‑time, audio-capable AI coaching, screen-sharing context, screenshots, recording, streaming tools and quick access to achievements. The Sidekick will initially support select titles from publishers including EA and Netmarble (examples cited include Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, FC Mobile and Solo Leveling: Arise), with Google planning to expand compatibility. Google is unifying Play Games across devices with a centralized gamer profile (AI-generated avatars, shared stats and Play Points) and is marking Google Play Games on PC out of beta. The company is launching Play Games Leagues (the Subway Surfers league begins Oct. 10) and revamping Game Detail Pages to surface developer updates and community Q&A. Google says the updates will roll out this week in select Play Points markets and expand to more countries by Oct. 1 while emphasising user safety, privacy and AI-driven threat detection as Gemini is integrated into the Play ecosystem.