YouTube is bringing ‘Playables’ games for all users

YouTube's "app store" for games is set to reach a wider audience as the company announced on Tuesday that its collection of lightweight, free games, known as "Playables," will soon be available within the YouTube app for all users, as well as on the YouTube Homepage. Initially, these games were accessible to select users for testing before being offered to YouTube Premium subscribers last November.

Unlike traditional app store games that monetise through paid downloads or in-app purchases, YouTube's Playables don't directly compete with the app store model or violate Apple's rules. However, they do challenge the App Store's free games, which are popular among casual gamers and generate revenue via ads. For now, Google has not indicated any plans to monetise its Playables.

These games could provide a welcome diversion for YouTube users, keeping them engaged with the app between browsing and viewing sessions.

The Playables lineup features more than 75 games with several well-known titles such as Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask, and Trivia Crack. According to the Official Blog of YouTube, Players can save their game progress and track their all-time best scores. While not everyone will see Playables immediately, the feature is expected to be fully rolled out in the coming weeks.

YouTube is not alone in its venture into gaming as companies like Netflix, LinkedIn, The New York Times, Hearst are also expanding their territory in the game space.