The Play Store is undergoing a tweak soon, adding a few new categories under their Games header. Up to 17 from the current 8, it aims to parse out the categories a bit better than before, and allow for a better search when you just don’t know what you’re really looking for. We wonder if the change is setting the stage for more to come, though.


The change, set to take place in February of 2014, will add categories as well as split some up a touch. From the current crop (Arcade & Action, Brain & Puzzle, Cards & Casino, Casual, Live Wallpaper, Racing, Sports Games, and Widgets) we will get the following:

  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Arcade
  • Music
  • Role Playing
  • Simulation
  • Strategy
  • Puzzle
  • Card
  • Casino
  • Casual
  • Board
  • Family
  • Trivia
  • Word
  • Racing
  • Sports

As you can see, some are split up, while some are just plain new. The oddball “Live Wallpaper” and “Widgets” are gone as well. Developers will have to select a category when pushing their game to the Play Store, or suffer being labelled. It’s great for consumers, as we’ll get a better idea of what that mystery game we found is really all about, but we wonder if it means more.

We remember the recent rumor refresh of the Nexus TV, and how gaming seemed to be such a central part. While we enjoy the idea of Android gaming in the living room, devices like Ouya have failed to catch mainstream appeal due to their fledgling game offerings. A Nexus TV would take advantage of the Play Store, and better categorizing of games would be much more approachable for users. That device is also set to come out next year sometime, so we’ll see what comes of it all.

2 COMMENTS

  1. This is definitely a step in the right direction for the Play Store, and it’s about time. If you haven’t tried Fetch – Apps You’ll Love yet, though, you’ll find that it already has categories for RPGs, Shooters, Casual Sims, Racing, Sports, and more. You can also customize your search with traits like 2D, 3D, Multiplayer, and hundreds more. The Play Store has some catching up to do, but you can get these search features now in Fetch!

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