YouTube announced Tuesday (May 28) that it is expanding the Playables feature to all users. This feature provides users of video streaming services with a collection of games without downloading them. Playables first launched in November 2023, with 30 arcade games available and available exclusively to YouTube Premium subscribers in select markets until March 28. The Google-owned video streaming platform rolled out the feature to all users, offering a collection of free games. The game is available to all users without a premium subscription.
YouTube Playable launch begins
In a blog post, YouTube announced that Playables, “a collection of free games you can play directly on the platform,” is expanding to all users across multiple platforms. YouTube users can now access around 75 titles through the Playables section, which no longer requires an active YouTube Premium subscription.
However, the rollout appears likely to be a phased one, with the Gadgets 360 staff unable to load the Playables section and seeing errors when visiting the official URL on the site. Meanwhile, the tab does not yet appear in the navigation menu on websites, as well as on Android and iOS.
Games on YouTube Playables
YouTube Playables: How to Start Playing for Free
To play free games on YouTube, launch the app on your Android or iOS device or go to the YouTube website on the web. The Playables section is located in the navigation menu. According to YouTube, Playables currently contains more than 75 games, including “light yet fun games” like Angry Birds Showdown, Words of Wonders, Cut the Rope, Tomb of the Mask, and Trivia Crack.
YouTube is one of the many video streaming platforms releasing its own collection of games. In November 2021, Netflix introduced gaming as “a new way to experience entertainment on mobile.” Now available are products like Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, Stranger Things 3: The Game, and Football Manager 2024 Mobile.
YouTube cracks down on ad blockers
Meanwhile, YouTube is also known to be working to stop its ad blocking program. According to the report, using an ad blocker will now automatically skip the video to the end, making it unwatchable for users. Additionally, if a user finds a workaround for this issue, the audio will disappear and be reported.
The move is part of the video streaming service’s “global effort” to address ad blocking as ads “support a globally diverse ecosystem of creators and allow billions of people to access the content they love on YouTube,” the communication said. Manager Christopher Lawton said: youtube.
Affiliate links may be generated automatically. Please see our Ethics Statement for more information.
