Greg Hartrell, Head of Product Management, Games on Android & Google Play

At the Google Game Developers Summit in March, we shared some of the new tools and services That Google continues to work on to help game developers. These new tools and services will make it easier for game developers to see how their Android games are performing, reach more devices and reach new audiences, and enable developers to bring their games to market via Google Play. Based on the level of interest shown by game developers and the tremendous amount of feedback provided in the developer preview, we’re excited to share with you the progress we’ve made with these tools and more.

Read this article for more updates. In addition, in the #11WeeksOfAndroid series, from August 17 to 21, 2020, we’ll devote an entire week to in-depth Android games for game developers.

Android tools for mobile game development

To support you in building great Android games, we’ve been researching tools that can help improve productivity and overall game performance. Learn about updates you can start using right away:

  • ADB Incremental in Android 11 addresses the slow installation of large APK (2GB+) using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) during game development. With this new ADB update, APK can be installed up to 10 times faster on Android 11 devices. Download as a component of the Android 11 Developer Preview SDK.
  • Apply to use our ongoing developer preview, These include the Android Game Development Extension for cross-platform developers using their C++ games or engines to reach an Android audience, and the Android GPU Inspector An analytics tool that helps you look at your Android device’s GPU and optimize game graphics performance. Download the Android Studio Profiler for immediate experience including Profiler extensions and standalone Profiler updates; You can download the above components through the Android Studio 4.1 preview.

Cover more devices and users

Google Play’s Dynamic Delivery of game assets, along with the Integrity Protection Suite, can help game developers better understand their game performance, We’ve seen more and more success with the combination of the two as we market the game to a growing audience of gamers across the Android ecosystem. Read on for other releases and updates.

  • Android Performance Tuner is now available for general use: Better experience for more users. Evaluate frame rate performance and graphics fidelity, and optimize between them to achieve a wide range of stable frame rates across the Android device ecosystem. You can go to the official documentation to learn how to integrate Unity plug-ins or perform custom integrations.
  • The updated Android Game SDK is easier to integrate and is now available on Jetpack. We continue to work hard to support developers developing Android games on any game Engine. Check out the newly completed Google Play Plugins for Unity workflow improvements and enhancements to Unreal Engine, Includes built-in support for Android App Bundle, Play Asset Delivery, Android Frame Pacing, and Play Billing Library.

Cover more devices and gain market share

We’ve completely redesigned the Google Play Admin center to make it easier for you to improve your app, engage your audience, earn revenue, and more. We will also continue to improve the Google Play Store and other services to help you expand your audience by promoting your games.

  • Console 2020: The Google Play Admin center has been redesigned to provide a simpler, smarter and more useful experience for developers. These include a reformed pre-release workflow and an auto-install version for pre-registration activities to help you maximize your early installations. You can always start using the beta and share feedback.
  • Instant Play: Introducing a new way to reach hundreds of millions of new players by launching “Instant Play “Games within the Play Games app. Submit your game to be eligible for publication in the app.
  • Google Play Game Services – Friends: We’ve built a new friends system that makes it easy to find friends to Play with in Android games. Build your network of in-game friends and allow your game to appear in new clusters of Play Games apps. You can go to the official website to apply for a preview immediately.

We hope you start using some of these new tools and features, and continue to share your feedback with our development team. You can also visit our official website to learn about all the services and products we offer to help game developers.