Google Stadia Is Free for Two Months

You'll get access to nine games during your free period

Published April 8, 2020 05:02PM EDT

Google is giving everyone the chance to play nine Stadia games free for two months as we all hunker down at home.

Google Stadia controller and mobile app — Google

Google is giving away two months of free access to its new game streaming service, Stadia. The option is rolling out on the Google Stadia site to 14 countries over the next 48 hours.

What you get: You can access Stadia with your Google account, and you'll have two months of free access to nine different games, including GRID, Destiny 2: The Collection, and Thumper. You can play on the free Stadia app on your smartphone or on a computer with Chrome using any compatible USB controller.

Stadia lets you play any game its service offers, and keep any games you buy, whether you stay a Stadia subscriber ($10 per month) or not. The service just went live in November 2019, and Google has promised a free tier for a while now.

Google Stadia Review

What about bandwidth: Google is dropping the default screen resolution of its games from 4K to 1080p, which should help manage the increase in bandwidth on the internet. "The vast majority of people on a desktop or laptop won’t notice a significant drop in gameplay quality, but you can choose your data usage options in the Stadia app," Stadia GM Phil Harrison said in a statement.

Premium tier: You can still opt-in to the Stadia Premiere Edition, which, for $129, nets you three months of access, a Stadia controller, and a Chromecast Ultimate for your HDTV. Current paid members won't be charged for two months as a thank you from Google.

Bottom Line: If you've been waiting to hop into Stadia, now might be the time. You'll still need a controller and a compatible device, so make sure you have those before you dive in.

Via: The Verge