Google Play Pass Is Great, Except for This One Thing

If you’ve ever opened up the Google Play Store, chances are it has tried to push you into subscribing to Google Play Pass. And maybe you’ve been tempted—I certainly have—but as someone who’s subscribed and unsubscribed, here’s why you might want to “pass” on this particular service.

The Benefits of Google Play Pass

If you need a refresher or haven’t heard of it before, here’s the scoop: Google Play Pass lets you download paid apps from the Google Play Store for one monthly subscription. It also removes ads and in-app transactions from some free apps, while offering discounts (usually $5 off) for others.

If you see the little multicolor ticket icon on a paid app, then it’s available to download for no additional fee if you’re subscribed to the Pass service. You can download and re-download any of the included apps as long as you’re subscribed. The service costs $5 a month, though if you’re new or a long-lapsed subscriber it’s possible to get a free trial period or a reduced subscription fee.

Lots of games are part of the Play Pass program, including many popular titles you’ve probably heard of, like Monument Valley, Slay the Spire, Stardew Valley, Yes Your Grace, Threes!, and Pocket City.

Even if you don’t play a lot of games, there are quite a few premium apps included as well, like Tasker (automation software), Star Walk 2 (a stargazing app), and Stop Motion Studio Pro. But they make up a small portion of the library and the real reason to subscribe is for the games.

Google Play Pass's Major Drawback: Price

Cost is the Achilles’ heel of Google Play Pass. While $5 a month is a fairly modest fee when comparing Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, Play Pass just doesn’t offer as much value.

Apple Arcade has a lot of exclusive games, made specifically for the service, which makes its $7/month price more justifiable. On the other hand, Google Play Pass often feels like a grab bag of also-rans; titles you’ve never heard of that you might spend a few minutes with, but nothing you’d call a memorable gaming experience.

It does have its gems: through Play Pass I’ve gotten to try many popular titles, like 80 Days, The Gardens Between, Holedown, Forgotton Anne, Lichtspeer, Reigns: Her Majesty, and Mini Metro. If you’re curious about any of them, the Play Pass might be worth it for a month or two. But the problem is that you’re unlikely to play and finish all these games in a single month.

Chances are, you might only play one or two titles, paying $5 for the privilege. If you take into consideration that all of these titles normally cost under $10 (with many even below $5), you might be better off just purchasing the games at full price so that you can play them whenever you want without worrying about whether you’re getting your “money’s worth”.

The $5 off in-app purchases for select titles might be worth it, as it includes games like Angry Birds 2, Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, and Pokémon GO. But keep in mind you only get one discount per game per month, so you need to be playing multiple titles concurrently to get value out of this perk.

The difficulty of receiving its full value is ultimately why I canceled my subscription and why I can’t recommend the service. Unless you get a great deal, (for example, a yearly subscription is $30, which is a somewhat better price) or Google takes a page from Apple’s book and adds more exclusives you can’t get anywhere else, skip Play Pass.

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