Google will soon let users livestream games through mobile search results

Back in November Google announced a new way to test drive applications before installing them to your mobile device. All you need to do is perform a Google search for the app on your smartphone, click on the app listing in the search result, and you’ll be able to ‘stream’ it without having to install it. Today Google has announced it’s doing something similar for Android games.

Users will be able to test drive games from mobile search results through a new ad format called Search Trial Run Ads. If you’re on a steady Wi-Fi connection and perform a Google search for a certain Android game, you’ll be able to click on the try now button next to the install button. Once the game starts up, you can play it for up to 10 minutes just like you would if it were installed on your device. If you decide the game is worth a download, just click on the Google button in the lower left corner and install it from there. It’s really that easy.

This is beneficial to everyone involved for obvious reasons. Users will get to experience the game first-hand without having to install it, test it out and uninstall it if the game doesn’t interest them. This new method will also bring in more users to developers’ games that are more likely to stick around after installing the game. Check out the graphic below to see the new advertisement in action.

Google has also announced that thanks to the Video Recording API, users will soon be able to live stream gameplay in real time to YouTube. Back in October the company announced that Play Games would allow users to upload gameplay after the fact, but now a livestream option has been added. Google says this new live-streaming to YouTube feature will begin rolling out in the coming months.

In addition, Google will soon be introducing portrait video advertisements so users won’t have to rotate their phones to see an ad if they’re playing a game with their devices held vertically. Google will also be introducing a new method for deploying advertisements to users who have been playing games for a certain amount of time.

These new advertisement options should be rolling out within the next couple weeks. I’ve already been able to livestream Panda Pop (like in the gif shown above), so give it a try if you’re connected to Wi-Fi!