Google Play introduces Gemini-powered features, You tab, and Play Games Sidekick assistant

Google is rolling out a major redesign of Google Play, introducing AI powered navigation and new personalized features. Central to the update is the new You tab, which consolidates stats, rewards, subscriptions, and recommendations for books, podcasts, and movies, with the option to resume unfinished content in one place.

Google Play Games takes a leading role in this update, with the You tab creating a dedicated gamer profile that shows achievements and cross-device stats, lets you design a generative AI avatar, and supports optional public profiles so you can connect with other players. The new Games tab brings together stats, rewards, and community features and introduces Play Games Leagues where players compete for Play Points. A new Play Games Sidekick feature adds a Gemini AI-powered overlay, offering live assistance, hints, and encouragement during gameplay by understanding context through audio-to-audio models.

Discovery is also changing with Guided Search so users can find apps by goals instead of names, and the Apps tab adds curated spaces tied to interests and seasons, including sports and short-form video in select regions. Google Play Games on PC has finally exited beta, offering access to more than 200,000 titles on Windows. The You tab and related updates begin this week in select Play Points markets such as the US, UK, Japan, and Korea, expanding to additional countries on October 1.