Game trials is a monetization and discovery feature
designed for premium, paid titles on Google Play. It lets players download and
experience your premium game for a limited, risk-free trial period before making
a final purchase decision.

## Key developer requirements

To ensure a high-quality experience that maximizes player conversion, align with
the following technical and user experience requirements:

### Progress retention and continuity

- **Saved progress integration:** The single largest driver for post-trial conversion is verifying that gameplay progress carries over seamlessly. Ensure that local or cloud saves (such as [Google Play Games Services Saved Games](https://developer.android.com/games/pgs/savedgames)) are preserved so that players who purchase the full version don't have to restart their progress.
- **Regular autosave:** When the trial ends, gameplay is immediately blocked without an advance warning or callback to initiate a save. Implement regular autosave or frequent checkpoints throughout gameplay to minimize lost progress when the trial expires. This helps ensure players can pick up right where they left off after purchasing the game.

### Automatic protection

- **Installer checks:** Game trials operate in tandem with Google Play's [automatic protection](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10183279). Turning on automatic protection adds runtime installer checks to your app's code that prompt players to get the game from Google Play if it was acquired from an untrusted source, preventing unauthorized redistribution and helping enforce trial limits.

## Game Trial phases

The visual flow of a game trial is split into three distinct phases:
**Pre-trial** , **In-trial** , and **Post-trial**.

### Pre-trial experience

Before starting the trial, the player discovers the game on Google Play and
reviews the terms on the store listing details page.

- **Storefront discovery and details page:** The product details page clearly
  indicates that a free trial is available to install alongside the regular
  purchase option.

  ![Wishlist screen showing Try button next to game titles](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/storefront-wishlist.png)
  ![Game details page with Try button and purchase price button](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/storefront-detail-page.png)
  ![Game details page expanding on trial duration and terms](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/storefront-detail-expanded.png)
- **Pre-trial splash screen:** When the app is downloaded and launched for the
  first time, a dedicated system splash screen outlines the limits of the trial
  (such as a 60-minute duration). Selecting the **Play** button initiates the
  gameplay countdown timer.

  ![Game details page showing Play button after installation](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/pre-trial-installed.png)
  ![Pre-trial system splash screen showing time limit disclosure and Play button](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/pre-trial-splash.png)

### In-trial experience

During active gameplay, the system monitors trial progress and manages user
notifications.

- **Trial expiration warning:** Before the session ends, an Android system
  notification alerts the player that the trial will expire soon.

  ![Android push notification warning the player of pending trial expiration](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/in-trial-notification.png)

### Post-trial experience

When the trial ends, the gameplay session cleanly transitions into a
commercial conversion funnel.

- **Post-trial commercial paywall:** Gameplay is immediately paused or
  blocked, presenting the player with an integrated purchase flow to upgrade to
  the full game or uninstall.

  ![Post-trial paywall blocking gameplay and providing a Buy call to action](https://developer.android.com/static/games/distribute/images/post-trial-paywall.png)

## Distribution prerequisites

To enable game trials for premium titles, your application must adhere to the
following distribution prerequisites:

- **Integrate Play App Signing:** You must use [Google Play App Signing](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9842756) to manage and protect your release keys.
- **Publish with Android App Bundles:** You must publish all releases using the [Android App Bundle](https://developer.android.com/guide/app-bundle) (`.aab`) format rather than legacy APKs.
- **Turn on automatic protection (Installer checks):** You must enable [automatic protection](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10183279) in Google Play to include installer checks.
- **Minimum API level:** The application must set a minimum SDK version (`minSdkVersion`) of API level 24 (Android 7.0) or higher to support Play installer checks.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** While game trials are fully supported on phones, tablets, ChromeOS, and Android XR devices, they aren't currently supported on Android TV, Wear OS, or Android Auto environments.

To apply for the Game trials program, complete the
[application form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePB3TpyDceV-8dNHHm9BZJgpBrEZ1cFb1ZlI7es0as-JvcGQ/viewform?fbzx=3729745370698043414).