Google announced Tuesday a major Play Store redesign aimed at personalizing the experience for its more than 4 billion users and boosting engagement. The update introduces AI-driven features, new tabs, and an enhanced focus on gaming.
A key addition is Guided Search, which lets users describe a goal or idea, like “find a home”, instead of searching for a specific app. The Play Store will then recommend relevant apps, powered by Gemini AI.
The Apps tab now features curated spaces tied to seasonal or personal interests. For example, U.S. users will see WNBA content, while Korean users will get short-form video highlights. Similar localized spaces had already launched in India and Japan.
A new You tab centralizes subscriptions, Play Points, and personalized recommendations for movies, podcasts, e-books, and more. Gamers will also find their profiles here, customizable with GenAI avatars.
For gaming, Google introduced the Play Games Sidekick, an AI-powered in-game overlay that provides real-time tips, guidance, and encouragement without leaving the game. Supported by Gemini Live, it will first appear in titles from EA and Netmarble, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Solo Leveling: Arise.
Other gaming updates include Play Games Leagues, starting with Subway Surfers competitions, and enhanced Game Detail Pages showing events, updates, and community Q&As.
Related: Google Brings Gemini AI to Google TV, Expanding to 300M Devices
Finally, Google Play Games on PC, bringing over 200,000 mobile titles to Windows desktops, is officially exiting beta.
