Google Play
Google Play is generally the simpler platform to start with. You create a Google account, go to the Play Console, pay the registration fee (25 USD, one-time) and fill in the developer details.
For organisation accounts, Google requires a D-U-N-S Number. It's used to verify the company's identity and must match the official details (legal name, address). Google requires the developer information to be correct and up to date.
What you need before you start
- a company Google account;
- the company's full legal name and address;
- a D-U-N-S Number;
- a website, a Privacy Policy URL and a Support URL;
- a contact email and phone;
- a Google Payments profile + a payment method for the fee;
- possibly verification documents, if Google asks for them.
How it goes, in short
The process has roughly six phases:
- Account, create/use a company Google account and open the Play Console.
- Account type, choose organisation/business (not personal), if you publish under the company.
- Company details, fill in the official details and enter the D-U-N-S.
- Payment, create/connect a Google Payments profile and pay the registration fee.
- Verifications, go through the verifications Google requires.
- The app, create the app, fill in the store listing, Data Safety, Privacy Policy, upload the build and submit for review.
The detailed steps (opening the account, verifications and releasing your first game) will be covered in the sub-pages GP - Opening Account, GP - Platform Verification and Agreements and GP - Releasing your first game.
Account verification
After you create the account and pay the fee, Google won't let you publish right away. First you go through a few verifications, which usually show up as a warning banner in the Play Console:
- Company details (CUI / identity), fill in the legal name, address and tax ID (CUI), plus the D-U-N-S for the organisation. They must match your official details.
- Website verification, Google asks you to confirm you own the company domain. The full steps are in Google site verification.
- Phone number verification, you confirm a contact number (see business phone number).
Only after you pass all of these verifications can you publish games.
Individual accounts are no longer accepted for new apps in many cases, for a company, choose Organization / Business from the start. Switching from Individual to Business later is much more complicated.
Registration starts directly at play.google.com/console/signup. Two external guides with steps and screenshots:
- Create Your Google Developer Account, Uscreen
- How to Create a Google Play Developer Account, BuddyBoss
The Play Console UI changes over time, so use them as guidance, not literally.
Commission (how much Google keeps)
- The standard commission is 30% of revenue.
- Through the small business program, you pay only 15% on the first one million dollars ($1,000,000) earned per year; above that threshold, 30% applies.
- Subscriptions are usually at 15%.
The reduced 15% on the first million matters a lot early on, effectively, up to $1M/year you keep double compared to the standard rate. The threshold and conditions change over time, so check your current rate in Play Console.
Privacy Policy, Data Safety and SDKs
On Google Play, the Privacy Policy isn't a decorative link. It must be consistent with what you fill in the Data Safety section and with the actual SDKs in the game.
If the game uses Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, RevenueCat, Meta, ads, attribution, login or purchases, these must be reflected correctly in the documents and in the Google Play forms.
A common mistake is a generic Privacy Policy while declaring something else in Data Safety. That can cause problems at review or in later verifications. See also the links required by the stores and Privacy Policy.
Keep your account details handy in My company details. For the other platform, see Apple App Store.