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Google Stadia goes free to encourage staying and playing at home.

Google Makes Stadia Free, Offers Stadia Pro Trial

Google Stadia goes free to encourage staying and playing at home.
This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Google Stadia didn’t exactly hit the ground running when it launched last year. But Google is doing its part to keep people staying home by making the base Stadia package completely free and offering a trial of the Stadia Pro subscription.

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All you need is a Gmail account, and you can download the app to your PC, Android, or iOS device. You’ll be signing up for two months of free Stadia Pro as well, which gives you access to nine full games. After that, you’ll be charged the usual $9.99 a month for Pro. Current subscribers will get the next two months of Stadia Pro for free.

The games included with Pro are:

  • Destiny 2: The Collection
  • Grid
  • Gylt
  • SteamWorld Dig 2
  • SteamWorld Quest: Hand Of Gilgamech
  • Serious Sam Collection, Spitlings, Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks)
  • Thumper.

The immediate catalyst for making Google Stadia free is a desire to keep people at home, though a free basic plan was always planned for some vague date. Google’s Phil Harrison said:

We’re facing some of the most challenging times in recent memory. Keeping social distance is vital, but staying home for long periods can be difficult and feel isolating.

Video games can be a valuable way to socialize with friends and family when you’re stuck at home, so we’re giving gamers in 14 countries free access to Stadia Pro for two months.

Note that Stadia Pro isn’t the same as the Premiere edition, so you won’t get a Stadia controller or a Chromecast.

We were pleasantly surprised by Stadia overall when we got our hands on it just after launch, even with its blemishes. And, as it stands now, you can’t beat free.

The full post is over on the Google Product page. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Google Stadia news as it develops.


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Author
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Josh Broadwell
Josh Broadwell started gaming in the early '90s. But it wasn't until 2017 he started writing about them, after finishing two history degrees and deciding a career in academia just wasn't the best way forward. You'll usually find him playing RPGs, strategy games, or platformers, but he's up for almost anything that seems interesting.