After testing a selection of games with users back in September, YouTube is now making more games available to its Premium subscribers. The business, which is owned by Google, has begun alerting Premium subscribers to the availability of more than 30 mini-games.
There is no need to download anything in order for users to enjoy the games immediately. The games are available for desktop, iOS, and Android use.
Users can locate a “Playables” shelf by scrolling through the Home screen or, on desktop and mobile devices, by clicking on a “Playables” link in the Explore menu to get started. Games like Angry Birds Showdown, Daily Solitaire, The Daily Crossword, Merge Pirates, Farm Land, Words of Wonder, Endless Siege, 8 Ball Billiards Classic, and Brain Out are among the options.
Since YouTube states that the games can be played through March 28th, the games might not always be accessible. Before deciding to make a feature generally available, YouTube frequently tests it out with Premium subscribers. Alternatively, YouTube might be providing the games to Premium subscribers in an effort to mitigate the impact of its recent $13.99 monthly rate increase.
Several non-gaming platforms have entered the gaming industry, including YouTube. After investing two years, Netflix has expanded its game library to include over 70 titles. The massive streaming service is aiming to go into cloud gaming as well. In the meantime, Vodoo, Nitro Games, FRVR, Aim Lab, and Lotum are among the game developers with whom TikTok has been testing HTML5 mini-games. However, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has started making large layoffs in its gaming sections, which has significantly slowed down the business’s ambitions in the gaming space.
Not only are games available to Premium subscribers, but YouTube has also begun testing out new generative AI features. These include an AI conversational tool that responds to inquiries regarding YouTube content and a new feature that summarizes topics in a video’s comments.
More features for YouTube Premium members were introduced earlier this month. The firm added more devices to its enhanced bitrate 1080p HD version, extended the capability of watching YouTube on multiple platforms to smart TVs and tablets, introduced achievement badges, and added new offers to the Premium perks page.