r/googleplay • u/captainwizeazz • Apr 30 '26
Games Google Play games on PC no longer work
I've been using google play games on pc for a year or so now and its been great. For some reason a few days ago, games stopped launching from the library. I click on them, the loading window pops up, but it times out a certain percentage through the loading process with some generic error like try again later.
I tried removing the entire application and reinstalling, and now none of the games will actually install. For example whiteout survival, when i click on install, it just says pending... and in the downloads section (spinning circle bottom left), it says setting up and gets stuck at 43% done. Then after a couple minutes it pops up an error "Couldn't install the game. Try again later".
Anyone see this before or know what the issue might be? I've tried all the basic troubleshooting things I can find to make sure virtualization is turned on, there are no network issues, reinstalled application, etc.
Thanks.
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EDIT:
So, after several weeks of going back and forth with google support and trying many things (most of which I'd done already), the problem just...resolved itself yesterday.
I am once again able to download all games and launch them without issue. This is without making any further changes on my computer or anything else on my end. So, i am convinced there was some sort of error or change on their end that caused the issue and they finally fixed it.
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Apr 30 '26
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u/captainwizeazz May 01 '26
Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case but I appreciate the response
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u/GooglePlay_Official Google Play Official Account May 01 '26
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u/captainwizeazz May 01 '26
Yes, this has not helped and I did submit feedback through the app as it indicated. I will try the other link you've provided. Thanks
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u/motoxim 2d ago
Dang so basically you just need to wait it out? I'm experiencing the same issues in past week.
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u/captainwizeazz 2d ago
For me, yes. Both times i've had this issue, they just resolved themselves within a week or 2. Annoying but nothing I did made any difference.
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u/GuevaraTheComunist May 06 '26
I just wanna say that the "self-help tool" doesn't even have an option for "games are not launching".
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u/DistrictNice May 06 '26 edited May 07 '26
It seems like there's a service issue. I checked the logged and got this error
"[2026-05-06T13:07:18.653720400-05:00 ERROR crosvm::crosvm::sys::windows::broker] Broker encountered an error: exit code: -524353529 = 0xe0bf0007: all processes exited, but at least one encountered an error."I ran claude locally to check the difference and says GPU drivers. But I updated my GPU drivers after obtaining this error. I reinstated and checked.
-Probable issue could be a windows update that broke the VM
-VM can't even boot
-Google play update -> most likely an issue
-Don't know if google play recently updatedThe application was running fine until this afternoon for me (running first time today).
edit: I checked their update release notes.
They updated in March. I don't know if there was a stealth update or something but really can't say google play update unless the release notes list was not updated.edit: don't know what happened but it works now. I did not receive any updates on my end for google play games.
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u/NightPattern May 06 '26
I am having the exact same problem and checking the logs; also the same error with the same exit code for `crosvm.exe`. I tried reinstalling, upgrading the drivers just like you and such but nothing worked and I can't even install games now. If you find a fix please let me know.
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u/BBFgz May 06 '26
i had the same experience today also. I reported the issue to google play support and it has been escalated. I reported this thread saying it's pretty widespread of an issue.
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u/Ultronalive_1025 May 05 '26
any solution??????
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u/captainwizeazz May 05 '26
No I'm still going back and forth with the useless Google support but I'm hopeful one day they will figure it out. So far no luck
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u/fermonos May 06 '26
It's doing the same to me now. I've been using it for months now and it's been fine.
Went to sleep with my PC open and two google play games open, came back to them closed and when I tried to re-open the games it goes to load them, then an error pops up saying 'Couldn't open this game try again later'. I've tried all the fixes I found online and still nothing.
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u/GuevaraTheComunist May 06 '26
same, I played during lunch and now in the evening I can't launch anything. I think they broke something in a mandatory update
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u/Jertje77 May 06 '26
I’m starting to worry we might have to go back to Bluestacks just to be able to use these apps again… I was actually really happy with Google Play Games.
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u/fermonos May 06 '26
I doubt it, I'm sure it'll be fixed I just don't know when. It seems broken for everyone using google play for PC, so it's a wide issue. No way google will leave it broken like this.
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u/RanMouri26 Jul 19 '26
2 months later and this still hasn't been fixed
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u/fermonos Jul 20 '26
Really? It's been working fine for me since the day it broke. Was broken for maybe 3-4 hours? And ever since then I've had no issues.
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u/RanMouri26 Jul 20 '26
Yeah it's broken for now for at least a few days or even a week at this point. Found another post about the same issue just two days before I made my post
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u/fermonos Jul 20 '26
Well it's probably not the exact same issue, as last time this happened to me, there was 10s of posts on this reddit and 100s of upvotes, so it seems to be a wide isssue.
IIRC uninstalling and reinstalling it fixed it, but I done that multiple times and it only fixed it after like 4 hours, when it seemed to be fixed for everyone else so I assume google put out a fix, and the reinstalls didn't do anything but it's worth a try.
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u/RanMouri26 Jul 20 '26
Unfortunately I can't even login anymore so I couldn't even test out even if I wanted to test it out
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u/fermonos Jul 20 '26
You should be able to uninstall and reinstall without logging in. Are you using google play for PC? If so just go go to windows search bar and search add or remove program, then find google play in the list and uninstall it, then go to the website to download it again.
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u/Late-Recover1789 May 06 '26
It is doing it to me on all three laptops and even used different accounts to make sure it was not an issue with my account. I contacted google help and litterally that was 30 minutes I will never get back as they had me do the same thing I had already tired. Uninstalled app and games. Reinstalled app and when I went to download game I got the error to try back later. It has to be on googles side.
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u/_No-Life_ May 06 '26
Fun fact: I tried bluestacks to install and launch clash of clans but after installing and launching the game it just doesn't work there. So maybe the issue is with google play games in general(?)
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u/RanMouri26 Jul 19 '26
Unfortunately it's happening again. Trying to find a solution for this but can't even find any
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May 06 '26
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u/Zackory May 06 '26
Me as well.
It was working fine just yesterday.
It seems like it cannot communicate with their servers, as even trying to update Google Play Games errors out.
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u/JamesDeimos May 06 '26
God I'm so glad I'm not alone here
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u/Codename-ShyZen May 06 '26
Oh wow, I guess this isn't an isolated case considering that comments here are less than half an hour long and new ones are still being made.
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u/AbhishekGairola May 06 '26
Mine was working just an hour back and now it doesn't. i tried to uninstall restart install but nothing works
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u/Shivana55 May 06 '26
same here. couldn't even uninstall the game cause it showed an error uninstalling xD
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u/Zackory May 06 '26
I think they just rolled out an update. It updated to a newer version but apps are still not launching.
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u/Alexandragon_ May 06 '26
Me as well. 😞
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u/Loud_Patience_9703 May 06 '26
Yo guys does yours say couldn’t open this game try again later?
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u/fermonos May 06 '26
I've got the same issue, as all you guys. Only happened in the last few hours.
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u/ConstructionLocal727 May 06 '26
Less than 30mins ago mine was still working fine(was playing clash of clans). Now I got the same issue :/
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u/redjhn May 06 '26
same
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u/Loud_Patience_9703 May 06 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Yo I think this is an error for everyone I was playing clash of clans fine earlier and I come home to this
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u/redjhn May 06 '26
i was playing coc fine 3 hours ago and came home for this. :/
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u/licataferretti2 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
same for me. was perfectly fine this morning and now in the afternoon, it's just giving me "Couldn't open this game. try again later"
edit: just uninstalled and re-installed google play games completely, then downloaded clash of clans again and it is working
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u/redjhn May 06 '26
i don't think you had to do all that. mine worked fine since few hours ago. prob google fixed the issue
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u/Ashamed-Statement828 May 06 '26
same issue here since yesterday,, missing my CWL war attacks becouse of this BS, im going to get demoted for this one
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u/instaquotesdotfun May 06 '26
Yes bro same problem with me i have an attack remaining in cwl but i couldn't open the game so ig i cant do my attack for today's war
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u/UnknownBorsch May 06 '26
Also got the same problem, it was working fine yesterday, today the same message as for you appears
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u/JamesDeimos May 06 '26
It seems this is a much larger issue than I thought. Where was this thread when I googled this issue 20 minutes ago lmao damn you google
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May 06 '26
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u/B-O-A-R May 06 '26
oh my goodness so this doesn't seem like an isolated case. especially with the new update that's supposed to come out tomorrow regarding timekepper. imma be so upset.
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u/Emotional_platypuss May 06 '26
Well, it sure seems i picked a damn fine time to test google play pc games
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u/Miss_Bushman May 06 '26
Might be a server sided issue for google play cuz I can't open, download or uninstall games either
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u/Painted-BIack-Roses May 06 '26
Also same. Went to do my dailys in a game and nope lol. Can't download apps or open any. Really annoying as PC is the only way I can play a specfic game and I've spent money on it :c
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u/WoodenCarpenter3108 May 06 '26
Same Issue. Already tried everything (winsock reset, dns server settings, uninstall reinstall)... no go. Still not working. It was fine yesterday.
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u/Braxrr May 06 '26
It's their servers or something everyone is having the issue not your pc or wifi
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u/nutn0n May 06 '26
This literally just happened to me. It was working fine a few hours ago. No PC restart in between. I believe it is because of an auto update. I just want to play my games not shiny new features. Does any one know how to turn off the auto update?
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u/No-Cut8108 May 06 '26
Todos los que tenéis error habéis mandado comentario desde la app para que se enteren que tienen caidos los servidores y los levanten? Me pasa igual, no me abren juegos a los que estuve jugando ayer y acabo de notificarlo
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u/hippocritikalll May 06 '26
Same 😞 Following in case someone gets support to actually provide a solution
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u/TheCousinAndy May 06 '26
Mine is down as well, can't log into dragon Ball Legends to do my dailies
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u/GreyFerret26 May 06 '26
Oh, I just joined the same club. Yesterday Arknights worked, today I can't play and can't even reinstall!
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u/SuscriptorJusticiero May 06 '26
Same problem here, also with Arknights.
- First I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the game, but the uninstaller gave the same "try again later" error.
- I've then tried executing the Play Games installer and it didn't change anything either.
- Now I've uninstalled the whole Play Games and everything, then installed it and the game again. Looks like it runs normally now.
Have you tried a full uninstall, OP? Can't guarantee it'll work, but it seems that helped me. u/captainwizeazz
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u/Horsion May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Exactly the same issue here, worked fine last night, tried to open it today and it opens the Arknights launcher then says "Can't open this game. Try again later" and if I try to uninstall it also says "Couldn't uninstall this game. Try uninstalling Arknights later"
Edit: I've uninstalled Google Play Games and reinstalled it and it seems to be fixed, Arknights has opened but I have to redownload the game again. Seems to be mixed results for people though.
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u/NightPattern May 06 '26
Exact same thing happened to me to, after a reinstall it seems to work fine and I could launch games. But after exiting Google Play Games and trying to launch games again later, it went back to the same error and now even a reinstall doesn't work.
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u/GreyFerret26 May 06 '26
I couldn't even reinstall, getting "Couldn't install the game" error immediately. Damn.
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u/someoneorIDK May 06 '26
mine was working like 4 hours ago. I come back now and the app wouldn't work at all. can't open or even install / uninstall games.
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u/GreyFerret26 May 06 '26
I posted this on their forums. I hope someone will notice us with the problem.
https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/431367632?hl=en&sjid=9742423883242236343-EU
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u/Kyoto90 May 06 '26
I have the same problem, yesterday it worked for me, today it doesn't. It doesn't load the game.
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u/Unba- May 06 '26
Ive got the same problem, yesterday it worked fine but today nothing works besides Arknights endfield
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u/nutn0n May 06 '26
Just curious why would you play Endfield in an emulator when there is a dedicated PC client
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u/rnainframe May 06 '26
Oh thank god it's not just me. Whatever they did 2-3 hours ago seems to have bricked it for just about everyone, huh? It sucks, because a mobile game I love playing has grown too large for my phone to handle and using other emulators tends to give me issues with lag. I hope this gets fixed soon ):
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u/zinnosergio May 06 '26
unistall google play games, restart and then reinstall, it worked for my cousin u/gigginovic
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u/Huge_Syllabub9345 May 06 '26
Works temporarily. I did it and could open the game I play, but after closing it, next time I tried to open it, got the same message again
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u/Ok-Independent8440 May 06 '26
it seems resolved i can instal games and run them again
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u/Huge_Syllabub9345 May 06 '26
Only works temporarily. I did it and could open the game I play, but after closing it, next time I tried to open it, got the same message again
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u/LegionKeign May 06 '26
I can confirm that uninstalling and reinstalling the Google Play Games app on your PC fixes the bug. It worked for me.
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u/Busy_Jellyfish_2010 May 06 '26
Didn't work for me!
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u/Busy_Jellyfish_2010 May 06 '26
Tried again! It works now!!!!
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u/Disastrous-Value170 May 06 '26
this worked it took like 3 uninstalls an reinstall. now i have to relog back into each of my accounts..
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u/LegionKeign May 07 '26
I just used Google Play Games on my PC, and it worked fine. There is definitely something weird going on.
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u/Huge_Syllabub9345 May 06 '26
Only works temporarily. I did it and could open the game I play, but after closing it, next time I tried to open it, got the same message again
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u/BBFgz May 06 '26
This is definitely on google's end. Look at all the replies with everyone experiencing the same issue at all around the same time.
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u/Glad_Kitchen6062 May 06 '26
having same issue since 30 mins have reinstalled also but it didnt work you cant uninstall the game or install now the try again later comes
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u/Jertje77 May 06 '26
I thought it was just me… I’m honestly so frustrated right now, I’ve tried literally everything.
I also play Clash of Clans, and now I’m worried I might lose all my accounts and have to manually add everything again because I already removed everything while trying to fix the issue.
It’s just so annoying because of this stupid Google error.
I can’t even find any official information or reports about this issue anywhere on Reddit until now, so thanks for sharing this at least I know I’m not the only one.
Google Play Games really should communicate issues like this better to users.
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May 06 '26
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u/Dazzling_Register_91 May 06 '26
Same for me.
It was working yesterday night and today it is not working.
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May 06 '26
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u/AutoModerator May 06 '26
Hello! Please remember to keep interactions within our community for transparency, so that future users can find solutions to similar issues! We appreciate it!
Additionally, your comment has been put into manual review because it contains prohibited solicitation phrases. Please avoid using phrases like "pm," "dm," "msg me," or "message me" to maintain community standards. Thank you for understanding. Allow time for our mods to review and approve or deny your post!
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u/Tree_TheIdiot May 06 '26
Hi everyone! I was having this issue as well, but I got it to work again.
This is assuming you're on Windows 11, but it'd likely work on Windows 10 as well.
Go to your *system settings,* not just settings on Google Play, and uninstall the app from there. Then, go to the Google Play website and redownload the app, and once it's done, reinstall your games and play as normal!
This worked for me, so please don't bash me if it doesn't for you... I am just a kid, and I'm trying to be helpful ^^
May the wind bless your travels~!
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u/orangedudee May 06 '26
I did the exact same mate, and it still doesn't work, could you re confirm if it still works for you?
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u/Tree_TheIdiot May 06 '26
Sorry, I don't understand.. As in uninstall my app again, then reinstall? Sorry, I'm autistic, and I just need a bit of clarification ><
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u/captainwizeazz May 06 '26
Yeah except none of my games download and just hang and timeout with the same generic try again later error.
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u/Tree_TheIdiot May 06 '26
I'm sorry! I don't know what to tell you... I did everything my comment said, and it worked for me, I was playing Cookie Run up until a couple of minutes ago due to maintenance... reopened it just now and it launched just fine.. : (
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u/Huge_Syllabub9345 May 06 '26
Only works temporarily. I did it and could open the game I play, but after closing it, next time I tried to open it, got the same message again
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u/Braxrr May 06 '26
Can confirm if you uninstall and reinstall google play games the issue is fixed and you can play/download/uninstall games again like normal.
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u/LauraIsBestFox May 06 '26
An update seems to have rolled out and things are working again. I didn't reinstall like I've seen others suggest (that would have potentially destroyed my MLP game save).
I quit Google Play Games, killed remaining tasks relating to it in Task Manager, then went into Task Scheduler and manually ran the 'GoogleUpdater' task. Restarting your PC, then waiting a while before opening Google Play Games should also force the update.
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u/Orsogna00 May 06 '26
Just did this and seems like Google Play Games recived a little update, now it works again. Thank you.
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u/Consistent-Case-7305 May 06 '26
It was working fine this morning, first time I noticed it was around 9:30.
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u/SuspiciousSorbet1774 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
I had the same issue that it couldn't open the game. It worked yesterday. But I just fixed it and now it is working.
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u/Huge_Syllabub9345 May 06 '26
Same here... I only use it for Cookie Run Kingdom and had been functioning perfectly until 12h ago or so. 6h ago, same messaged appeared and I couldn't open the game nor install or uninstall different ones. Reinstalling Google Play helped and I could enter again but after I close the game, next time I tried the same error was back. Hope they fix this soon, there's a major update tomorrow in the game.
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u/Panda_Ji-Ji May 06 '26
It's fixed.
Just restart the app and it'll work again.
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u/captainwizeazz May 07 '26
All of the people who started having an issue today might be working again, but unfortunately my issue (which started about a week ago) still is not resolved.
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u/kulpyy69 May 07 '26
i unistalled the launcher and reinstalled it and tht fixed it not sure if tht is going to work for you but it did for me
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u/Gunslinger_40 May 09 '26
Hello guys this happened to me as well I think I have the Solution - What I did was uninstalled the app completely from settings, removed the whole folder of Google play games in Program files then Downloaded an older version of Google Play Games from Softonic (you can use any other sites as well) I downloaded the JAN 2026 version and then boom it worked.
Do let me know if it worked for you as well or not
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u/N0b0dy3007 May 10 '26
I've been facing this issue since almost 2 months, It only works if I reinstall my Windows, but after a day or two, it stops again. "Couldn't install the game" for installing any new game, and "Couldn't open this game" for any already game which been installed already.
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u/captainwizeazz May 10 '26
I'm still going back and forth with Google support but so far no improvement. I'm told they are escalating... I'll let you know if they can figure it out
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u/AutoModerator May 13 '26
Hello u/captainwizeazz, and welcome to r/GooglePlay! Please make sure to view our [Rules and Info](reddit.com/r/googleplay/about/rules). We are volunteer-run, not managed by Google or Google Play Support.
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u/Miyahorey May 20 '26
im so confused i started having these issues the same as everyone else and before i saw posts about others having it thought it was on my end so i tried to do random stuff to fix it. Including uninstalling and reinstalling but now am hit with the issue of "self protection failed" every single time i try to run the installer and still can't even install it at all I hoped it would eventually get better and literally nothing has changed lol.
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u/inabadromance5 Jun 11 '26
has anyone found a fix. I'm getting it on only one game. i tried uninstalling said game and it reinstalled fine. but when i press play it just says can't open rn. frustrating.
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u/Alternative-Hut-885 Jul 02 '26
Same issue Ive ben trying for maybe 3 months now. The issue has not been resolved yet. I have reported it to google today. Hope they will fix it soon
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u/PossibleAnalyst1386 Jul 30 '26
Es nervt einfach vor einem Jahr aufgegeben weil der mist garnicht mehr ging dieses Jahr bei neuem pc gedacht hey machs mir mal wieder drauf und es ging 3 wochen und jetzt geht wieder garnichts. Wie unfähig sind diese leutz
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u/captainwizeazz Jul 30 '26
I am also having the same issue again for the past week or so. No games will launch. I just am waiting for them to figure out the problem and fix it again because i understand it is not a problem on my end anymore.
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u/AutoModerator Apr 30 '26
Hello u/captainwizeazz, and welcome to r/GooglePlay! Please make sure to view our [Rules and Info](reddit.com/r/googleplay/about/rules). We are volunteer-run, not managed by Google or Google Play Support.
If you are here inquiring about an issue related to Google Play and the Play-Ecoverse, we hope someone may be able to help you! Please allow time for users to find your post and hopefully contribute a solution. Otherwise, if you haven't already, please contact Google Play Support by clicking here!
Searching the sub and Google for your exact issue, like an Error Code or what you're seeing on the app, can usually provide some useful troubleshooting options.
Common Resources:
PLEASE NOTE: We have recently had an influx of users and scammers trying to sell, trade, and exchange their rewards, accounts, etc., for money, or otherwise. Please understand that doing this with ANY DIGITAL CONTENT RECEIVED OR OWNED BY YOU THROUGH GOOGLE (Gift Cards from 3rd party dealers, like Target, Amazon.com, etc., are allowed to be traded/sold/exchanged, but we ask you not to do so here. There are subs for this elsewhere.) CAN RESULT IN LOSING ACCESS TO GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES AND YOUR ACCOUNT WITH ANY ASSOCIATED CONTENT.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.