Google Play Feature Graphic Guide: 1024x500 Specs and Design
The feature graphic is a horizontal image that exists only on Google Play, and you must upload one to finish your store listing. The spec is 1024 x 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG, with no transparency (alpha) allowed. Google advises keeping your key visuals toward the center and keeping your logo, app name, slogan and main UI out of the cutoff zones at the edges. The layout often presented as the standard, "text on the left, visuals on the right", can conflict with Google's center-focal guidance, so this post suggests something different. Everything below comes from what I confirmed directly in Play Console Help, and I left out any placement claims that the official documentation does not make.
The Spec at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Required? | Yes. Google states that you must provide a feature graphic to publish your store listing |
| Size | 1024 x 500 px |
| Format | JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha) |
| Maximum file size | Not stated in the help page |
| Alt text | Recommended for each image, 140 characters or fewer, and don't use phrases like "photo of" |
| Localization | Google recommends localizing the graphic and its branding text for each market |
Where the Official Docs Say It Appears
Many articles list places such as search results or the top of category pages, but the official documentation I read does not name those specific placements. The documented uses are these two.
- The cover image for the preview video. When the video does not autoplay, the feature graphic is shown with a play button overlaid. The video appears before the screenshots.
- Large-format recommendation collections. It is used in large-format collections for apps (including ads) and in recommended-games groups.
Claims like "the first image users see after the icon" or "it reaches users' eyes before the screenshots" are not officially confirmed. Still, the two uses above make it clear that the feature graphic sits in large, prominent spots on the store page, so it is not an asset to throw together.
Layout: Center Focal Point Is the Default
Google's guidance boils down to three points. First, put your eye-catching visuals and focal point toward the center of the image. Second, do not place your logo, app name, slogan or main UI in the cutoff zones that Google marks in red in its example. The documentation notes that some display formats overlay UI on top of the image, and that if you do not follow the guidance you may become ineligible for those formats. Third, restrict background elements to the edges, and use vibrant colors while avoiding pure white or dark gray, which blend into the Play background.
The exact placement of the cutoff zones is shown in an example image on the help page, not in the body text, and I could not confirm precise geometry. So before you design, keep that image from Play Console Help open and overlay it on your own canvas as you work.
| Area | Recommended placement | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Center | App name or a short slogan, and the key visual (a character or a hero screen) | Google: the focal point goes toward the center |
| Left and right edges | Only elements that are fine to lose, such as background graphics, color and pattern | Google: backgrounds at the edges, key elements outside cutoff zones |
| Overall color | Vibrant brand colors; avoid pure white and dark gray backgrounds | Google: don't blend into the Play background |
| Relation to the icon | Use complementary color and style instead of repeating the icon's branding | Google: don't duplicate the icon's prominent branding |
The layout "text in the left 40 to 50%, icon and character on the right" clashes with Google's guidance. When text hugs the left edge and the app icon hugs the right edge, both are likely to land in cutoff zones. Rather than splitting elements across the two sides just because the canvas is wide, it fits the guidance better to build one focal point in the center and fill the sides with background.
What Not to Include
The help page prohibits the following in a feature graphic.
- Anything implying Play performance, rankings, awards or user testimonials.
- Price or promotional words, for example "Best", "#1", "Top", "New", "Free", "Discount", "Sale", "Million Downloads".
- Third-party trademarks.
- Device imagery (phone mockups and the like).
- Badges from other stores.
- Fine detail that is unreadable once the image shrinks.
- Time-sensitive content that will quickly go out of date.
Google states that failing mandatory requirements may result in removal or suspension of your app, and it separates out "highly recommended" items as affecting only eligibility for promotion. Wording such as rankings or prices also falls under the misleading content that the Play Metadata policy prohibits. I could not confirm whether the Families policy or the Inappropriate Ads policy applies directly to this asset.
A Practical Production Workflow
- Create a 1024 x 500 px frame in your design tool and mark roughly the central 40% as your "core zone". That 40% is my own working rule, not an official number.
- Place one character or one game screen large in the center. Lining up several scenes in a single image turns into fine detail, which lands on the prohibited list.
- Set the app name short, in a bold typeface. If you add a slogan, avoid ranking and price language and make it one line that explains what the game is.
- Compare against the cutoff zone example in Play Console Help. Check that your logo, name, slogan and main UI sit outside those zones.
- Use your brand color deep and vibrant for the background, and avoid pure white and dark gray. Do not enlarge the icon artwork as-is; carry over only its color and style.
- Export as JPEG or 24-bit PNG. For PNG, fill the background so no alpha remains, and on macOS check size and alpha with
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight -g hasAlpha feature.png. - When you upload, write alt text of 140 characters or fewer. Just describe the image plainly, without phrases like "photo of".
- If your store is multilingual, prepare per-language images. Graphics that contain branding text should be localized for each market.
If the color and typeface differ from your screenshots, the page looks thrown together. Making the feature graphic in the same template set as your screenshots in StoreShot makes it easier to keep the tone consistent. For the overall page composition, see the store page checklist as well.
Three Composition Ideas
Here are typical compositions that keep to the center-focal principle while still letting each game do its own thing. All three stay within Google's guidance (center focus, background at the edges, no duplication of icon branding). There is no official data saying that one composition performs better than another.
| Composition | What goes in the center | What fills the sides | Works well for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character-led | One main character and a bold game name | A brand-color gradient and a simple pattern | Games where the character is the identity |
| Gameplay-led | One real game screen, large (without a device frame) | Background graphics from the same world as the screen | Puzzle and casual games whose rules are clear from the screen alone |
| Logo-led | The game name logo and a one-line description | A vivid, nearly flat-color background | Games whose name is easy to remember by itself |
Keep the text short in every case. Long sentences on a feature graphic will not be read, and they also run against the guidance to avoid fine detail.
A Pre-Upload Self-Check Table
| Check | Standard |
|---|---|
| Size | Exactly 1024 x 500 px |
| Format | JPEG or 24-bit PNG, no alpha |
| Placement of important elements | Logo, app name, slogan and main UI are outside the cutoff zones in Google's example |
| Prohibited wording | No rankings, prices, awards, testimonials, "Free", "#1" and so on |
| Prohibited imagery | No device mockups, other stores' badges or third-party trademarks |
| Background | Not pure white or dark gray, and elements limited to the edges |
| Relation to the icon | The icon's branding is not repeated as-is |
| Alt text | 140 characters or fewer, no "photo of" phrasing |
| Localization | Text checked for each supported language |
The feature graphic is one of the four assets required to publish, along with the icon, the short description and screenshots (at least 2 in total). If any one is missing, you cannot publish your store listing, so run your pre-launch review together with the app and game launch checklist.
Common Mistakes
- Pasting in a cropped screenshot. Cropping a portrait screenshot into landscape puts key UI in the cutoff zones.
- Placing text near the edges. It can vanish in a cutoff zone or be covered by UI.
- Small, fine text. Google also tells you to avoid fine detail. Build it around bold shapes and large type.
- Enlarging the icon and using it as-is. Repeating the icon's branding adds no information. Icon specs are in the app icon sizes post.
- Badges, device mockups and ranking wording. They fall squarely on the prohibited list.
- PNGs that still have alpha. The feature graphic only accepts formats without alpha.
- A tone that differs from the screenshots. If color and typeface are out of step, the page feels inconsistent. For screenshot specs, see the complete screenshot size guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the feature graphic required?
Yes. Google states that you must provide a feature graphic to publish your store listing.
What are the size and format?
1024 x 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG, with no alpha.
Where does it appear?
The official help page names the preview video's cover image and the large-format collections for apps and recommended games. I could not confirm any other specific placements in the documentation.
Can I put "Free" or "#1" on it?
No. Wording such as "Best", "Top", "New", "Discount", "Sale" and "Million Downloads" is also on the prohibited list.
Can I include a device frame?
Google advises avoiding device imagery.
Where should the logo go?
Toward the center focal area, and away from the cutoff zones in Google's example.
Do I need alt text?
It is recommended. Write 140 characters or fewer for each image, and do not use phrases like "photo of".
Should it duplicate my icon design?
No. Don't repeat the icon's branding as-is; extend its color and style in a complementary way.
Sources
Last verified: 2026-09-26. Google's guidance can change, so re-check the original page and its cutoff zone example image before you upload.