Relashionship between Google Apps & Game services

Question

I honestly cannot understand the correlation between Google Apps & Game services.

I am trying to test Google play services on my Unity game. I configured everything as in documentations. I created a "Game service" in the Google Play console for the game and copied all the resources XML into Unity. But still my account doesn't have any applications. When I create an "Application", I can't find any relationship in that application with the game services or my game.

Do I need to have an "Application" to test an Unity game? If so, where does it connect to any of the "Game services" or my game?

Answer 1

Conceptually the two are almost completely separate.

• All applications is Android apps or Games you have published on Google Play (the biggest Android App store)
• Games services is an API which provides services for sign-in, leaderboards, acheivements etc.

You can have a game with Game Services without publishing it on Google Play, and publish a games without using Game services.

Google Play Games Services when launched was not just compatible with Android, it was compatible with Web and iOS (though recently iOS was deprecated). Which meant you could use it for an entirely iOS or Web game if you wanted.

So for your case:

• if you want to use sign-in, leaderboards or achievements you need an entry under Games servcies
• if you want the app/game to be available on Google Play and have a store listing then you need the app under All Applications as well. So you probably want both.