Google just dropped its biggest Play Store redesign in years, rolling out a personalized You tab and AI-powered gaming features that blur the lines between app discovery and entertainment platform. The update, announced by VP Aurash Mahbod, brings Gemini Live integration directly into games and creates unified profiles across mobile and PC - signaling Google's push to compete with Steam and console ecosystems.
Google just made its boldest move yet to transform the Play Store from a simple app marketplace into a comprehensive entertainment ecosystem. The company's new updates, rolling out this week, center around AI-powered personalization and a gaming-first approach that puts it in direct competition with Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and other unified gaming platforms.
The centerpiece is the new You tab, which Google describes as a "home base" that combines rewards, subscriptions, recommendations, and gaming stats into one personalized feed. For gamers, this becomes their primary hub, featuring cross-platform profiles that track achievements and stats across both mobile and PC games - something Apple and other app stores haven't matched.
But the real game-changer is Google's Sidekick feature, launching in select games over the coming months. This in-game overlay provides direct access to Gemini Live for real-time conversational help during gameplay. Instead of alt-tabbing to YouTube tutorials or GameFAQs, players can simply ask Gemini for strategy tips while staying in the action.
"With Sidekick, you'll be able to ask for real-time conversational help from Gemini, instead of leaving the game to seek out tutorials or walkthroughs," Mahbod explained in Google's announcement. The feature uses Gemini Live's screen sharing capabilities to understand game context and deliver AI-powered guidance through voice.
This builds on Google DeepMind's December demonstration of AI game agents, showing how the company has been quietly positioning AI as a core gaming differentiator. While Microsoft focuses on cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass and Amazon pushes Luna, Google is betting on AI-enhanced experiences.
The timing coincides with Google Play Games on PC officially graduating from beta to general availability. The platform now offers over 200,000 titles across mobile and PC, including recent additions like Subnautica, Monster Train, and Enter the Gungeon. Deep Rock Galactic Survivor joins next month, with the indie hit DREDGE coming to Play Pass.
