Google Play has been sharing the best Android game of the year since the past few years and this year’s edition was just announced! The awards are a combination of editorial reviews and judgements along with Android owners through the user’s choice.

Google says, “Games are transformative: They help build communities, foster creativity, and communicate complex ideas. This year we explored creative playgrounds, enchanting stories, and huge new worlds. Our picks for this year’s top games cover a wide range of experiences that show how people connect through play; presenting Play’s best games of 2022”.

Overall (editorial as well as user’s choice) best game of the year 2022 goes to Electronic Art’s Apex Legends.

Apex Legends Mobile rose through the Esports ranks, regularly trending and appearing in top 10 download lists throughout the year. The game brings all the excitement of the Apex Legends series to mobile and tablets so you can easily play wherever you are.

It is a multiplayer shooter game featuring FPS, TPS, and combat action. In multiplayer mode, you can team up with two other players in competitive PvP team battle games

Apart from the overall winner, Google also announced winners in specific categories…

Best Multiplayer game of the year 2022 : Dislyte

Best Pick Up & Play game of the year 2022 : Unsurprisingly Angry Birds Journey

Best Indies game of the year 2022 : Dicey Dungeons

Best game of the year 2022 for tablets : Tower of Fantasy

And Google has also come up with 3 new categories from this year…

Best story game of the year 2022 : Papers, Please

Best ongoing game of the year 2022 : Genshin Impact

Best game of the year 2022 on Play Pass : Very Little Nightmares

Best game of the year 2022 for Chromebooks : Roblox

Google advertises the Play Pass as a pass that will let you play your games without any ads or in-app purchases!

Google Play Pass is a library of games and apps, which otherwise would have been ad supported or having in-app purchases for premium features. After its initial launch in US in 2019 with just under a 100 games and apps, today boasts of bouquet of close to a 1000 games and apps, with availability across 90+ countries.

What do you need to get your Google Play Pass?

• An Android phone with a minimum of Android v4.4
• Google Play Store app with v16.6.25 or above
• Reside in a country where Google Play Pass is available

Which games and apps are part of Google Play Pass?

• Good news: There are close to a 1000 apps in the Google Play Pass library and is ever growing
• Bad news: Neither PubG nor Call of Duty are part of it

How to get your Google Play Pass?

• Open your Google Play Store app
• Click on your Profile picture
• Click on Play Pass and start enrolling

Can you share your Google Play Pass with friends and family?

In Google Play Pass, you can register as a Family Manager role and with that, you can then share your pass with upto 5 members of your friends and family

How much does Google Play Pass cost?

Google Play Pass costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, in the United States of America. If you are not from the US, the cost for your own country’s Play Pass subscription would be round about the similar amount after conversion to your local currency.