Free-of-charge trials for paid games allow users to install and experience your game's full functionality for a limited time before they decide to buy it. By offering a 'free-of-charge-to-install' experience, you can showcase your game's value to a wider audience, reduce entry friction and drive higher conversion rates.
With free-of-charge trials, Google Play manages the trial duration, in-game gating and the purchase flow. This feature requires no manual developer integration to your game.
How it works
Google Play's free-of-charge trials are added directly into your Android App Bundle.
Trial experience
Eligible users can install your paid game from Google Play at no upfront cost. The trial allows for 60 minutes of full gameplay. Google Play manages the timer, which starts when the user first launches to play the game.
Note: The trial timer continues to run even if the app is closed (elapsed time). A notification may be sent to the user during the trial to help them manage their session.
Trial management
When the trial period expires, Google Play automatically triggers a full-screen paywall within the game session. This blocks further gameplay until a purchase is made.
Benefits: This ensures a seamless transition from trial to purchase. Users can buy the full version instantly to keep playing and preserve their in-game progress.
Automatic protection
Free-of-charge trials are secured by Google Play's automatic protection, which is turned on by default. This prevents users from artificially extending the trial or bypassing the paywall.
Set up
The steps below describe what you need to do to start offering free-of-charge trials:
Prerequisites
To offer free-of-charge trials, you must:
- Use Play app signing.
- Publish with Android App Bundles (.aab).
- Target a minimum API level of 21 or higher.
Note: Free-of-charge trials are supported on mobile phones, tablets, ChromeOS and Android XR. They are not currently supported on Android TV, Wear OS or Android Auto.
Step 1: Turn on free-of-charge trials
For many developers, free-of-charge trials are enabled by default to maximise reach.
- For new games: When you create a new paid game, free-of-charge trials are automatically turned on during app creation.
- For existing games: If your game uses automatic protection, free-of-charge trials are turned on by default. If it does not, you can turn them on manually from the App pricing page (Monetise with Play > App pricing).
To manage your free-of-charge trial settings
- Open Play Console and go to the App pricing page (Monetise with Play > App pricing).
- Scroll to the 'Free-of-charge trial' section.
- Select On or Off.
- Click Save.
Note: If you are enabling free-of-charge trials for an existing game for the first time, you must re-upload and publish a new app bundle to ensure that the trial is added to your game.
Step 2: Review automatic protection
Because free-of-charge trials require the installer check, this feature will be enabled automatically when you turn on free-of-charge trials. We also recommend keeping anti-tamper protection enabled if your game is eligible for the feature to prevent trial abuse.
You can adjust these settings on the Automatic protection page (Test and release > App integrity).
Step 3: Test your trial
Google Play delivers the trial experience across all tracks: internal testing, closed, open and production. You should test your game thoroughly to ensure that the transition to the paywall is smooth:
- Test the game launch and look for any impact on start-up time.
- Verify that the in-game paywall appears correctly when the timer expires.
Consumer experience and refunds
Store listing
When a free-of-charge trial is active, your store listing is updated to include a 'Try' button. The trials module is added to the page to clearly explain the trial duration and terms to the user.
Pre-launch interstitial
Before the game launches for the first time, users see a system-level screen confirming the trial duration and informing them that their progress will carry over if they purchase the full version.
Refund policy
The standard Google Play refund policy applies after the purchase of the full game.