Google Revamps Its Play Store with AI Features and More

Google announced on Tuesday that it is making several changes to the Play Store's appearance and functionality, aiming to personalise the store for its users better and increase engagement. Among the new features is a redesigned Apps tab, a new Play Games experience, a new tab focused on your interests, and other features that leverage Gemini AI.

The update builds on other recent additions that aim to make the Play Store more of a destination — like a tab that shows you where you can watch your favourite shows or Collections, which organises your favourite apps and games into areas like shop, watch, and listen, Google Play Games VP and General Manager Aurash Mahbood explained to TechCrunch in a press briefing.

"For over 4 billion users, Google Play is an important gateway to discovering apps, games, books, movies, TV, and timely cultural content, and our ambition is to help all users engage with the apps and content that fuel their needs and interests," he said in a press briefing ahead of today's launch.

Not surprisingly, the update is adding AI-powered functionality to the Play Store.

AI Search and New Apps Tab

With a feature called Guided Search, users can find the app or game they want to try by typing in a goal or idea, rather than the app's name. For example, a user could type in "find a home" to be pointed to real estate apps.

Image Credits: Google

Image Credits: Google

The Play Store's Apps tab is also being updated to include new "curated spaces" dedicated to seasonal topics and those tailored to a user's interests. These could pull in content from multiple apps, Google says. In the U.S., content related to the WNBA will be featured here, for instance.

This expansion follows the launch of curated spaces in India and Japan, which had focused on regional interests, such as cricket and comics, respectively. Korean users will also gain access to a curated space concentrated on video content, featuring a mix of movies, TV shows, and short-form videos, including dramas and serialised stories. Google notes that short-form content is the most frequently consumed media format on smartphones.

Image Credits: Google

A Personal Home with the You Tab

A new You tab aims to encourage users to engage with the Play Store more frequently, as it will provide a centralised hub for tracking subscriptions, rewards (such as Play Points), recommendations, statistics, and updates.

Image Credits: Google

Notably, the tab will offer recommendations related to your interests, such as movies or shows, podcasts, ebooks, or audiobooks, making it easier to jump back into what you were reading, listening to, or watching last.

Image Credits: Google

Gamers will also see their new gamer profile in this tab, which organises stats and achievements across games and devices. These profiles can now also be customised with a Gen AI avatar.

Image Credits: Google

A New Games Tab and AI' Sidekick'

New features for gamers are also rolling out after the launch of the latest Games app that shipped with Android rival Apple's iOS 26 release.

Now, the Games tab will centralise stat and achievement tracking, rewards, and community into one place. Play Games Leagues will allow users to challenge their friends and compete for Play Points rewards. This kicks off with the first league dedicated to the popular title Subway Surfers, which will run from October 10 through October 23.

However, the more interesting update is the addition of the AI-enabled Play Games Sidekick. This is a new in-game overlay that you can access to get real-time gaming assistance from Gemini Live.

Image Credits: Google

You can ask Gemini for help when you get stuck in a game and need guidance or tips. The feature builds on the work Google showcased with DeepMind in December, where the company demonstrated its development of AI agents across various domains, including gaming.

"Instead of having to leave the game to seek out tutorials or walkthroughs, we're leveraging the latest Gemini audio-to-audio model to help understand your gaming context, providing you quick responses and encouragement," said Mahbood.

Image Credits: Google

The Sidekick will also curate and organise other relevant gaming information in one place so that you can stay in the game. Initially, the feature will be supported in games from EA and Netmarble, including Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, FC Mobile, and Solo Levelling: Arise.

Also new are the enhanced Game Detail Pages, which will showcase information about the title, including ongoing events, developer updates, and offers. Next month, gamers will also be able to ask questions and share answers on this page to provide or get help from other gamers.

The Google Play Games on PC offering, which brings more than 200,000 titles to Windows desktops, is exiting beta today, too, Google said.

Image Credits: Google