Google Play's New Fee Structure Reaches the Rest of the World by September 2027: What Indian Studios Should Prepare

In March 2026 Google announced a new fee structure for Google Play as part of its settlement with Epic Games. It is already live in the US, UK and European Economic Area, and Google's published schedule brings it to the rest of the world by 30 September 2027. India is not named in the announcement, so it falls under "rest of world". Here is what changes and what an Indian studio can do now.

What changed

The old single commission is now two charges. The first is a service fee. The second is a billing fee, charged only when you use Google Play Billing, and set per market (5% in the EEA, UK and US). Per Google's announcement, the service fee on in-app purchases is 20% for new installs, and subscriptions pay 10%. Third-party summaries add that purchases from installs made before the change can still carry a higher rate.

Level Up: a lower tier with conditions

Games that join the revamped Google Play Games Level Up program pay 15% on purchases from new installs and 20% on existing installs. Reporting at the time of the announcement said joining requires Google's achievements system, Play Games Sidekick, and cloud save, plus technical requirements such as large-screen support. Programme details have kept changing since March, so check Play Console for the current list rather than relying on any summary, including this one.

The rollout

By 30 June 2026: EEA, UK and US. By 30 September 2026: Australia. By 31 December 2026: Korea and Japan. By 30 September 2027: the rest of the world. Some third-party articles list slightly different dates for individual regions, so treat Google's own post as the reference.

Why this matters less for ad-funded studios, and where it still does

Most Indian casual studios earn mainly from ads, which do not pass through Google Play Billing. For them the fee change touches only the in-app purchase slice. It matters more if your game leans on purchases or subscriptions, or if you plan to grow into the US and EEA, where the new fees already apply. Separately, Tebex has reported that Google Play will make developers responsible for disputed purchase amounts and chargeback fees later in 2026. A fee of $15 to $20 per chargeback, a figure Tebex quotes, would hurt small purchases badly. That is a vendor's claim, so check Google's policy page for the final terms.

What we would do now

First, read the Level Up requirements today and see whether achievements and cloud save fit your game, because they are features players like anyway. Second, in your revenue reports, track service fee and billing fee separately, so the change is not a surprise in 2027. Third, keep your ad and purchase revenue split visible, since that split decides how much any fee change can touch you.

Sources: Android Developers Blog, a new era for choice and openness; Strataigize on Google Play fee changes; MobileGamer.biz on Level Up requirements; GamingonPhone on chargebacks.