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Warning: Google Play Instant will no longer be available. Starting December 2025,
Instant Apps cannot be published through Google Play, and all
Google Play services Instant APIs
will no longer work. Users will no longer be served Instant Apps by Play using any
mechanism.
We're making this change based on developer feedback and our continuous investments
to improve the ecosystem since the introduction of Google Play Instant.
To continue optimizing for user growth, we encourage developers to refer users to
their regular app or game, using deeplinks
to redirect them to specific journeys or features when relevant.
Figure 1. Instant play games appear in the Google Play Games app
Full games that are packaged using Google Play Instant are being
featured prominently on the homepage of the Google Play Games app. These
instant games are full experience games, not trial versions. Players tap on the
Instant play button to play the full game without needing to install it
first.
The Google Play Games app is a highly visible surface with hundreds of millions
of active users globally. This program has been a great opportunity for
developers of small-file size games to grow their audience and business by
packaging their full game using Google Play Instant (with support for
in-app purchases and ads monetization).
While all developers have been able to create Google Play Instant games,
the Google Play team has final discretion over which games are featured on
the homepage of the Google Play Games app.
Benefits of the Instant play program
The following are some of the key benefits of the Google Play Instant
program:
Increased discoverability
Instant play games are eligible for featuring on the
homepage of the Google Play Games app, which is an additive surface to the
Play Store.
More players
If users don't have to worry about installs, they are more likely to jump
into your game.
Monetization
In-app purchase (IAP) & ads are supported.
A high quality experience
Everything "just works" when users tap to Instant play.
Requirements
In order to remain eligible for featuring in the Google Play Games app, your Google Play Instant game will be reviewed for the following:
Technical excellence: The game must meet a high standard of technical
excellence and provide a reliable experience to users in compliance with the
program requirements.
User-friendly experience: The game is fun and engaging. Key details are
correct: the back button works to exit the game, user progress is saved
seamlessly, and new users understand the gameplay easily.
Wide appeal: The game must be accessible to a large audience of users as
selected by our editors. Gentle learning curves help games reach larger
audiences.
Tasteful monetization: The game must be monetized in tasteful and
non-disruptive ways. Monetization requirements include the following:
Make sure banner ads are unobtrusive to gameplay.
Place ads at natural breaks in the gameplay in between page content,
levels, or stages. Don't overwhelm users with ads. Repeated ads often
lead to poor user experiences and accidental clicks.
Pre-roll ads that are shown before the game is played need to be
skippable after a maximum of 5 seconds.
Ads must not be disguised as in-game components or elements of menu/
game navigation.
Consider making an in-app-purchase available for users.
Cross-promotion to other games is acceptable, subject to the preceding
ads requirements. Do not prompt users to install cross-promoted games.
Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License. Java and OpenJDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2025-07-21 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-07-21 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Instant play games\n\n**Warning:** Google Play Instant will no longer be available. Starting December 2025,\nInstant Apps cannot be published through Google Play, and all\n[Google Play services Instant APIs](https://developers.google.com/android/reference/com/google/android/gms/instantapps/package-summary)\nwill no longer work. Users will no longer be served Instant Apps by Play using any\nmechanism.\n\nWe're making this change based on developer feedback and our continuous investments\nto improve the ecosystem since the introduction of Google Play Instant.\n\nTo continue optimizing for user growth, we encourage developers to refer users to\ntheir regular app or game, using [deeplinks](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/12463044)\nto redirect them to specific journeys or features when relevant. \n**Figure 1.** Instant play games appear in the Google Play Games app\n\nFull games that are packaged using Google Play Instant are being\nfeatured prominently on the homepage of the [Google Play Games app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.play.games). These\ninstant games are full experience games, not trial versions. Players tap on the\n**Instant play** button to play the full game without needing to install it\nfirst.\n\nThe Google Play Games app is a highly visible surface with hundreds of millions\nof active users globally. This program has been a great opportunity for\ndevelopers of small-file size games to grow their audience and business by\npackaging their full game using Google Play Instant (with support for\nin-app purchases and ads monetization).\n\nWhile all developers have been able to create Google Play Instant games,\nthe Google Play team has final discretion over which games are featured on\nthe homepage of the Google Play Games app.\n| **Important:** We are not accepting new Instant Game submissions for featuring in the Play Games app. However, Instant Games that have already been approved for featuring on the Play Games app will continue to run as normal.\n\nBenefits of the Instant play program\n------------------------------------\n\nThe following are some of the key benefits of the Google Play Instant\nprogram:\n\n1. **Increased discoverability**\n\n Instant play games are eligible for featuring on the\n homepage of the Google Play Games app, which is an additive surface to the\n Play Store.\n2. **More players**\n\n If users don't have to worry about installs, they are more likely to jump\n into your game.\n3. **Monetization**\n\n In-app purchase (IAP) \\& ads are supported.\n4. **A high quality experience**\n\n Everything \"just works\" when users tap to Instant play.\n\nRequirements\n------------\n\nIn order to remain eligible for featuring in the Google Play Games app, your Google Play Instant game will be reviewed for the following:\n\n- Technical excellence: The game must meet a high standard of technical excellence and provide a reliable experience to users in compliance with the program requirements.\n- User-friendly experience: The game is fun and engaging. Key details are correct: the back button works to exit the game, user progress is saved seamlessly, and new users understand the gameplay easily.\n- Wide appeal: The game must be accessible to a large audience of users as selected by our editors. Gentle learning curves help games reach larger audiences.\n- Tasteful monetization: The game must be monetized in tasteful and\n non-disruptive ways. Monetization requirements include the following:\n\n - Make sure banner ads are unobtrusive to gameplay.\n - Place ads at natural breaks in the gameplay in between page content, levels, or stages. Don't overwhelm users with ads. Repeated ads often lead to poor user experiences and accidental clicks.\n - Pre-roll ads that are shown before the game is played need to be skippable after a maximum of 5 seconds.\n - Ads must not be disguised as in-game components or elements of menu/ game navigation.\n - Consider making an in-app-purchase available for users.\n - Cross-promotion to other games is acceptable, subject to the preceding ads requirements. Do not prompt users to install cross-promoted games.\n\nFor more information, see the [Instant play checklist](/topic/google-play-instant/instant-play-games-checklist)."]]
