Stadia: Everything you need to know about Google’s cloud gaming service

The world of gaming is changing, thanks in part to new cloud gaming platforms like Google Stadia. Rather than coming to market with another console or PC competitor, Google employed its powerful cloud-streaming tech to allow anyone with a fast internet connection to play AAA games on their phones, tablets, Chromebooks, Macbooks, and other underpowered devices. While we’re big fans of Stadia, it’s undeniable that the service is going through some serious issues lately.

Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in.

Stadia is the name of Google’s game streaming service. Similar to NVIDIA GeForce Now and Amazon Luna, it’s a platform that allows you to play video games on virtually any device by streaming games that are hosted on cloud servers. You don’t download any games; instead, you can stream them directly to your devices, so long as your internet is fast enough to support Stadia.

The benefit of Stadia is that you don’t need an expensive PC or powerful next-gen console to play new games with beautiful graphics and high framerates. Instead, you can play on the devices you own already. There’s a huge list of Stadia-compatible phones and devices, including iPhones, Macbooks, Chromebooks, Chrome OS tablets, and Android TV or Google TV devices for televisions.

Unlike GeForce Now, which lets you stream games you purchased on Steam, you’ll need to purchase Stadia ports to play them. But you get access to a growing library of games by subscribing to Stadia Pro.

Stadia: Plans and global availability

One of the most common questions about Stadia is whether or not you need to subscribe to it to use it. The answer is no. Like any other gaming library, you can buy and play any game you’d like without a membership. However, a Stadia Pro membership gives you certain perks worth seriously considering if you plan to use Stadia regularly.

The first difference when comparing Stadia versus Stadia Pro is the quality of the game stream. The free Stadia tier only lets you stream at 1080p with stereo sound, though you can at least hit 60 FPS. Stadia Pro unlocks the option to stream games in up to 4K quality and 60 frames per second (FPS), plus generate 5.1 surround sound audio. Google also stated that it would eventually bring 8K gaming at 120 FPS to Pro members.

The second difference is that Stadia Pro members get access to a Stadia Pro library of games that can be added to your library for free — though they’ll be removed if you unsubscribe. Unlike other gaming memberships that limit free games to a two-week or one-month window, Pro games can all be downloaded at once; however, Stadia can also remove them from your library once their Pro period ends.

Finally, Stadia Pro gives you access to exclusive discounts on select game purchases.

Whether you choose the free or paid tier, you can only stream Stadia games in countries where the service is available. Below are the 22 countries where Google offers the service (so far):

• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

While Stadia is available in Puerto Rico and Alaska, it’s worth noting that it is not available to residents of Hawaii or Guam. The Stadia controller currently can’t be bought in The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, or Slovakia. The Stadia controller, official Google TV or Android TV device, or Chromecast Ultra will still work in those countries if purchased from a European country where it is available.

Stadia: Reviews, history, and recent news

We’ve been following the development of Stadia for a long time (since its beta-testing days when it was known as Project Stream), and at GDC 2019, we were able to go hands-on with Stadia for the first time. While that experience was limited to just one game (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey), we came away cautiously optimistic. Then, at Google I/O 2019, we were allowed to use the official Stadia controller, which we loved.

Google shipped the first Stadia Founder’s Edition bundles out in November 2019, and our own Russell Holly wrote our first Stadia review. During his time with Stadia, Russell loved the controller. He opined that the service worked like magic — not having to wait for games to download and update is an exciting proposition for the future for gaming. Unfortunately, the overall Stadia experience felt incomplete with missing features and lacking compatibility for non-Google devices. We then reviewed Google Stadia three months later and found that not enough had changed. It still felt like an expensive beta.

In hindsight, we know from various reports that this was an avoidable problem. The Stadia leadership team was reportedly pressured to launch the platform early, even though the developers thought it should remain in beta until they could fully deliver the cloud gaming concept. So instead, Stadia launched, and the execs tried to compensate for missing features by spending tens of millions of dollars per game to get exclusives like Red Dead Redemption 2 on the platform.

Stadia has seriously evolved since its premature launch. It now has a much larger library of games, with more AAA launch titles and regular sales, so you don’t feel like you’re always paying extra for old games. In fact, in our most recent Stadia 2021 review, we praised the service for realizing its potential as a “legitimate gaming platform” that streams games at consistently high quality if you have fast internet.

Unfortunately, that review was almost immediately followed by the news that Stadia Games and Entertainment, Google’s first-party development studio for exclusive games, was shutting down. According to Bloomberg sources, SG&E had been working on games “that could only work on a cloud platform” with AI-driven mechanics, including a prototype “cross between a Google Assistant and a Tamagotchi pet” for interacting with smart NPC creatures.

Since then, the buzz around Stadia has only gotten worse. We learned that Stadia leadership praised its development teams’ “great progress” one week before shutting them down; that Google had trouble patching game-breaking bugs out of Journey to the Savage Planet because it had fired or reassigned the SG&E developers; and that Stadia is facing a class-action lawsuit for not delivering on marketing promises to stream some of its games in 4K.

Our most recent Stadia status report is tentatively optimistic, thanks to the news that over 100 new Stadia games will arrive in 2021. But it’s hard not to be pessimistic about Stadia’s chances when Google leadership doesn’t seem invested in the service’s longevity.

Google has consistently added more games to the Stadia catalog throughout 2021 with a small number of games taking advantage of Stadia exclusive features like Crowd Choice, Crowd Play, State Share, and Stream Connect. The company even started experimenting with free, timed trials of certain games.

Despite the welcomed additions, Google has also started to lend its Stadia technology to other companies to use for their own games without requiring the Stadia ecosystem. The first example is AT&T Wireless users being able to stream and play Batman: Arkham Knight, a game not available on Stadia, by logging into their AT&T accounts. While there are games slated to come directly to Stadia in 2022, Google has seemingly kickstarted its backup plan for when the Stadia platform is not worth supporting beyond its tech.

Stadia: Is Stadia shutting down?

Ever since the news was released about Stadia Games and Entertainment shutting down and that studio head Jade Raymond was leaving the company without even releasing or announcing a game, the question quickly became whether this meant Google would shut down Stadia entirely. Not to mention what this all means for Stadia customers who purchased games on its platform. Considering Google regularly kills some of its most high-profile projects, these fears aren’t unwarranted.

For now, rest assured that Stadia is not shutting down. Google has decided not to develop games, but still has a dedicated team of Stadia engineers. The cloud gaming service will continue to host third-party games from developers who have partnered with the platform.

The question will be how game studios react to this news. Our Stadia writer David Jagneaux argued that Google is sending a terrible message to developers: If Google won’t invest money into developing games for Stadia, why should they make a Stadia port or sign an exclusive deal with the platform? Stadia started with few games but has built a respectable catalog in recent months; we hope this development won’t stop new third-party games from arriving on Stadia.

The fact is, Stadia Games’ death shows that Google has commitment issues when it comes to hardware. Google tends to scuttle projects that don’t see immediate results, but game studios take years to release a new IP and usually need a few tries before they launch a breakaway hit. Based on the studio’s premature closing, some experts believe that Google will sell Stadia to a games publisher as an exclusive cloud streaming platform. That could mean Stadia as a consumer-based service could end, which would mean customers are losing access to cloud games that they purchased.

What happens to my games and save data if Stadia shuts down?

Stadia’s TOS doesn’t say one way or the other, except to say that your purchases are permanently tied to your Google account.

When asked this question during a Reddit AMA, a Stadia director said, “The games you buy on Stadia are yours to play. From day one we’ll support Takeout so that you can download your game metadata, including saves if you want to”. However, he didn’t specifically refute the idea that you could lose access, only assured that Google was totally invested in Stadia — a statement which has not aged well.

If Stadia shuts down, it’s safe to say that you’ll lose access to your games and will have to repurchase them elsewhere. Before then, you can download and save playtime statistics, screenshots, and videos from your Stadia games before you lose access.

As for save data, whether or not you can transfer your campaign to another version of the game on Steam, GOG, or elsewhere varies from game to game. Bungie, for example, supports cloud-based cross-saves for Destiny 2, and Ubisoft+ gives you cloud save access. But you’ll need to set up an account with that specific developer, and some will charge you for it. By themselves, Stadia saves can’t be downloaded and repurposed to work for another platform.

Can I use my Stadia controller with other platforms?

Yes! Whether Stadia shuts down or not, it’s helpful to know what else you can do with your Stadia controller. It’s compatible with Steam, Epic, Origin, EA Desktop, or Xbox Cloud Gaming for Android. However, it only works if you connect it to your PC via a USB-C to USB-A cable or your phone with a USB-C to USB-C cable. The Stadia controller was updated to connect wirelessly to devices, but this functionality only works for Stadia.

Once it’s plugged in, you’ll need to make sure the service recognizes it. For example, you also need to enable Big Picture Mode in Steam settings to let the Steam client detect the controller. Then, you’ll need to choose a controller configuration or map buttons to the controller for it to work.

While the Stadia controller generally works for other platforms, the Stadia-specific buttons (Google Assistant and Share button) won’t work for their intended purpose. Also, users report that the rumble feature doesn’t work for non-Stadia games.

Stadia: Supported devices

Stadia has grown significantly since its launch, expanding to a wider range of phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and televisions. Even if your device isn’t on the official list of supported Stadia devices, there are several ways to get around that and still use the service. Let’s dive into your options.

How to play Stadia on a TV

Since launch, a Chromecast Ultra and Stadia controller was required to play on television. The Ultra is no longer sold by itself. However, it’s still included in the Stadia Premiere Edition, replaced by Play and Watch with Google TV Package. The new bundle includes a Chromecast with Google TV and a Stadia controller. Google also allowed more Android TV and Google TV devices to support Stadia