Mere days after Apple Arcade was put out into the world, Google has come out against its smartphone competitor with the Google Play Pass. Like the Apple Arcade, it is a subscription service that gives access to a bunch of free games without ads or microtransactions. However, there are a few differences between the services, other than the brand platforms they’re available on.

As expected, the Google Play Pass is only available across Android platforms and access can be shared between family members, like the Apple Arcade. After a 10-day trial, the pass will cost $4.99 a month. However, for a limited time, Google’s doing a deal where the subscription is $1.99 a month for the first year, which I’m guessing is to help put feet through the door.

And to be honest, I think they might need that motivation. While the Apple Arcade has exclusives like Exit the Gungeon and Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Google Play Pass… just doesn’t. It’s mainly focused on giving free access to a bunch of pre-existing apps. Like, say that you’re a Stardew Valley fan. Sure, this would mean you’d get to play Stardew Valley for cheap, but if you already own it, the Play Pass means nothing to you. In fact, if playing Stardew Valley is all you care about on the Play Pass, it’d be preferable to just buy the game so that you could actually own it instead of leaving it tied to a service you don’t care about.

Though it does not have exclusives, the Google Play Pass offers something that Apple Arcade doesn’t: Apps. Users of the service will be able to access premium, no ad-versions of handy apps like Photo Studio Pro. With the availability of apps, Google Play Pass manages to sweeten what initially seems like a bad deal. However, the service may be a bad deal for developers. Developers earn royalties based on how much time users spend on their apps; it’s good news for developers of long games and games with a lot of replay value, but bad news for developers of short games.

Unless the system is addressed to be more fair, it’s a system that prioritizes quantity over quality that can screw over developers that have their short games featured in the Google Play Pass. Having just been announced, it’s hard to tell how successful the Google Play Pass will be. It’s a bit of a tough sell if you favor actually owning games and have no interest in apps.

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