Google changed how it charges games in 2026. In the US, EEA and UK, and in Australia and Japan from September 30, 2026, the Play service fee is split in two: a service fee plus a 5% billing fee when you use Google Play billing. There is also a separate, lower rate when a player buys through an external web link. Everything below comes from Google's own Play Console Help pages, checked October 25, 2026.
Create your store free to see what your game's web store looks like.
Google Play billing fees: US, EEA and UK
As printed in Google's service fee table:
| Tier | Auto-renewing subscriptions | Other in-app purchases, new installs | Other in-app purchases, existing installs |
|---|---|---|---|
| First $1M of annual earnings | 10% + 5% billing fee | 10% + 5% billing fee | 10% + 5% billing fee |
| Standard | 10% + 5% billing fee | 20% + 5% billing fee | 25% + 5% billing fee, or 20% for external web links |
| Play Games Level Up or Apps Experience programs | 10% + 5% billing fee | 15% + 5% billing fee | 20% + 5% billing fee, or 15% for external web links |
New or existing install? An install is "new" when the player's first install or first update from Google Play happened on or after June 30, 2026 (US, EEA, UK) or September 30, 2026 (Australia, Japan). Earlier installs are "existing".
Everywhere else, for now
Until the new fees roll out globally, Google lists the earlier model for other markets:
- 15% on the first $1M of revenue each year, 30% above $1M, for developers in the 15% tier.
- 15% for auto-renewing subscriptions, regardless of revenue.
- 15% or lower for eligible developers in programs such as the Play Media Experience Program.
Linking out from your game in the US
Google's external content links program lets enrolled developers link US players to purchases and downloads outside Google Play. What its help page says:
- Enrollment first. Complete the declaration, get approval, integrate the external links APIs and enroll your apps in Play Console.
- An information screen. Before linking out, the app shows Google's information screen and tells the player where the link goes and why.
- Google Play billing stays available. Google requires that all users can still access Google Play billing "in a consistent and reliable manner", so the web store is an addition, not a replacement.
- A 24-hour window. Fees apply to purchases made within 24 hours of the player following the link.
- Purchase fees. Lower than Google Play billing: "20% for external web links" on existing installs at the standard tier, and 15% in the Level Up program. The help page prints its own fee table, which we reproduce only as Google shows it, so check the current version before you model it.
- Install fees. When the link leads to an app download, a fixed fee applies instead: US$3.65 per game install, US$2.85 for other apps, "subject to periodic adjustments".
- Dates. Reporting and fees started October 1, 2026. The deadline to report downloads and pay the related fee is February 1, 2027.
- Players and refunds. US users only. You support the purchase and handle disputes, and you offer refunds unless the player was clearly told a purchase is non-refundable.
Google says the program follows a US District Court order and may change, so recheck the help page before every launch.
What a sale costs: Play billing vs your web store
For a $9.99 in-app purchase from an existing install on the standard tier, the table above works out as:
| Route | Google fee | Appside fee | You keep (before taxes and refunds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play billing (25% + 5%) | $3.00 | $6.99 | |
| External web link (20%) + Appside (3.9%) | $2.00 | $0.39 | $7.60 |
A purchase that doesn't follow a link from your app, for example from your website, newsletter or community, is outside the 24-hour link-out window that the program's fees describe. Check the program terms for your case. Appside's fee is 3.9% per successful payment, with no setup fee, no subscription and no minimum.
Model your own revenue mix in the app-store fee calculator.
Connecting a web store to your Android game
- Enroll in the program that applies to your markets and show Google's information screen.
- Open your store with
openStore(), or one pack withpurchase(sku), from the Android SDK. It uses Custom Tabs. - Grant items from Appside's signed webhook, exactly once per order, and handle the return link in the game.
The quickstart has the full flow. For Apple's rules, see can iOS games link to a web store?