When Android 12 comes to Android phones later this year, it will offer an interesting new feature for gamers: games. They will be able to play games before they have completed downloading to the device.

The announcement, made at this week's Google for Games Developer Summit, effectively removes an obstacle from the Google Play gaming ecosystem. It also makes it easier for players to discover new games and start playing them (almost) immediately to see if they enjoy them.

For gamers, this means that downloading and playing games with large file sizes will be a little more fun with Android 12. To take advantage of this new feature, games must use Google's Play Asset Delivery System; if a game uses the Play Asset Delivery System, there is no additional developer If the game uses the Play Asset Delivery System, there is no need for the developer to do any additional work to enable the "play during download" feature.

In addition to the Play Game During Download feature, Google has confirmed that Android 12 will offer a new game dashboard on "select devices. This dashboard allows users to enable screen recording during gameplay, adjust brightness, and toggle between multiple optimization modes (such as prioritizing battery life and game performance). We have yet to hear any details about which devices will feature this new gaming dashboard, but Google's flagship hardware (such as the Pixel phones) will certainly be the first to get it. This is especially true for the Pixel 6, as it will likely ship with Android 12 installed this fall.

These are important improvements for Android as a gaming platform, and we expect to see further improvements before the final version of Android 12 debuts in late summer or early fall. The ability for players to play games mid-download should be a small boon for Android game developers.

We'll have to wait a few months to see what this feature looks like in the final version of Android 12, but beta versions of Google's next big Android release are already available, making Android 12 the biggest Android design since 2014 Revealing some stunning visual changes that make Android 12 feel like the biggest Android design overhaul since 2014, read our Android 12 beta hands-on to get a glimpse of Android's next big thing, and if you want to see it for yourself, the Android 12 beta right now Check out our guide on how to install, and stay tuned for our full review later this year.