Google Stadia: Subscription Cost, Games List, Free Games, Compatibility Requirements, And More

Stadia is Google’s cloud-based gaming platform that lets you play your favorite hit video games across screens instantly. Stadia gives you instant access to games on any compatible screen, with no waiting to download games, game patches, or platform updates.

As of this writing, Google’s cloud gaming platform is available in 14 countries, including both its premium and free versions.

Playing games on remote servers and streaming video to connected devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, desktops, and televisions is what the business calls “Stadia,” the “Netflix of games,” if you will.

The Stadia platform, on the other hand, does not offer anything. Why should you use this service instead of others that already exist?

What Is Google Stadia?

There is no need to download games to a console or PC using Google Stadia, which is a cloud gaming service.

The reason for this is that you play the game in real-time on a remote Stadia server via several connected devices, including smartphones, computers, and televisions. Your smartphone receives a video of the game action while sending and receiving control codes from a game controller.

Latency — the amount of time it takes between moving the controller thumbstick or pressing a button and seeing an effect on the screen – has proven to be the most difficult obstacle for other similar services over the years.

Nvidia GeForce Now and PlayStation Now, on the other hand, don’t have this advantage because their servers are located in fewer areas. So the distance between the player and the server where the stream will be received is reduced.

The Stadia controller, made by Google specifically for Stadia, uses Wi-Fi to connect to the internet instead of your device (when you are playing at home, at least). In other words, it transmits controller codes directly to your phone, tablet, or another connected device without requiring you to input them first. That reduces milliseconds of latency and, in gaming, that is extremely important.

After pressing a button, the signal must be delivered (most typically via Bluetooth) to the receiving device before being relayed over the internet on a cloud gaming platform. The source device reads it, sends it back to the receiver, and then transmits it to your television (if not using a smartphone or tablet screen). Milliseconds can be the difference between evading a bullet and being shot in the face, and each of these acts takes time.

In order to use the controller wirelessly, you will need to link it through Bluetooth to a mobile device, such as the Pixel phone, because Stadia will be using your mobile data to play. If you’d prefer, you can also use a cable to connect it, which will reduce latency. Indeed, until “early 2020” when wireless mobile connectivity will be activated, this is the only alternative accessible.

Google Stadia Compatible Devices

With the exception of a controller, Google Stadia may be played on any currently connected device.

Stadia can be accessed via the Google Chrome web browser on a computer. As a result, it may be used on both PCs and Macs without the need for any additional software or hardware.

In the future, it will also be available on TVs, further Android phones, and tablets, as well as the iPhone and iPad. However, at launch, it will only work with a Chromecast Ultra on a television.

The great majority of mobile devices can only be used to maintain your Stadia account, not to play games.

For the time being, the Stadia mobile software can only be used on Pixel smartphones and a few others from Samsung, Asus, and Razer.

Does Your Phone Support Google Stadia?

Asus ROG Phone
Asus ROG Phone II
Google Pixel 2
Google Pixel 2 XL
Google Pixel 3
Google Pixel 3 XL
Google Pixel 3A
Google Pixel 3A XL
Google Pixel 4
Razer Phone
Razer Phone 2
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8+
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Samsung Galaxy S10
Samsung Galaxy S10E
Samsung Galaxy S10+
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

As well as the dedicated Stadia controller, compatible phone users can link an Xbox One or DualShock 4 controller to their device via Bluetooth to play Stadia games.

How Much Does Google Stadia Cost?

Google Stadia Pro membership costs £8.99 per month in the UK and $9.99 per month in the US. That gives users up to 4K HDR gameplay. However, you still have to buy the majority of games on top.

That’s because, while Stadia Pro membership entitles users to add a couple of free games per month to their libraries – a bit like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold – it isn’t an all-you-can-eat service.

A Stadia Premiere Edition bundle is available as a kind-of starter pack. Priced at £119 ($129) it includes a Clearly White Stadia controller, a Chromecast Ultra capable of streaming 4K HDR gameplay to your TV, and three months of Stadia Pro.

During the current global crisis, however, Stadia Pro membership is completely free for two months. Both new subscribers and existing members will get full Stadia Pro membership at no cost. It will revert to £8.98/$9.99 after two months, but you can opt-out easily before then.

A final option coming soon is Stadia Base – a pay-as-you-go plan. As with Pro, Stadia Base membership means you have to buy games individually but don’t get any free games included. Stadia Base is also restricted to a maximum of 1080p. The benefit, however, is that you don’t have to pay any monthly subscription fees.

With both membership options, purchased games will forever be assigned to your Stadia account and you can play them as often as you like.

Pricing for new games is determined by developers and publishers. They are around the same price as console titles.

Separate Stadia controllers are available in Just Black, Clearly White, and Wasabi colorways at £59 ($69) each.