Google Play Pass, Google’s subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of Android games and apps with no ads or in-app purchases, is rolling out to nine new countries this week, the company announced today. The service has only been available in the US since it launched in September, but it will soon be available to Android users in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK.
Google is also rolling out a new annual subscription option for Play Pass that gives you a nice discount if you opt to pay for 12 months up front. Play Pass typically costs $4.99 per month, but the new annual subscription will cost $29.99 in the US. That price also undercuts Apple Arcade, an app subscription service from Apple that only offers games and costs $49.99 per year. (Though Apple Arcade is also available for $4.99 per month.) You should see the new annual subscription for Play Pass this week, and it will be available in all markets where Play Pass is available, Google tells The Verge.
The company also says it has added “over 150 new titles” to Play Pass over the past few months, including Sonic the Hedgehog, and there are now more than 500 titles on the service, Google tells The Verge. A “series” of new titles is set to premiere on Play Pass later this year, which could help it better compete with Apple Arcade and its exclusives.
