Free Google Stadia has arrived. The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost all of us to stay at home. Well, Google wants us to continue inside, so it comments uson its cloud gaming platform: Google Stadia, accessible to everyone for free.
It was rumored to be coming for the last couple of months and now that it's finally here, you can play loads of amazing games, from the browser on your PC, TV, mobile or tablet.
Google Stadia already has a free option, along with a two-month Pro trial
All you need to sign up for Stadia is a Gmail address (I bet everyone has one) and it may come as a surprise to some, but Google hopes. launch a two-month Stadia Pro trial free. You will have to pay $9.99/month if you choose to continue your Stadia Pro subscription.
Current Stadia Pro users also get two months at home and won't have to pay for their subscriptions for the next two months.
Google Stadia free (trial) and Pro free 2 months
Reading this, I know you must be eager to try this cloud gaming service. The only requirement is a Gmail account. That's easy, right? Well not really because there is a big caveat for the service in its current state.
Google Stadia, only available in these countries
It may interest you: ¿What is Google Stadia?
Many of you may not know this, but right now, Google Stadia is available in only 14 countries namely, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Anyone living outside of these countries (including Australia) will not be able to take advantage of this cloud gaming service.
There are currently only nine games (listed below) available for you to try in this free tier. But users can head over to the Stadia Store and buy other games they want to play on their TVs, browsers, or tablets. You will not lose access to the games you purchase when your subscription ends. You own the individual games you purchase and can play them whenever you want.
Wondering if you need a Stadia controller to play? The answer is no. You can play using a mouse + keyboard combo, the PS4 DualShock controller, or even the Xbox controller. It's great to see Google Stadia finally open to everyone. To date, the service has only been available to curious gamers who purchased the $129 Google Stadia Premiere Edition bundle. Some others were invited by their friends to join in the fun.
Additionally, the default streaming resolution for Stadia is now reduced to 1080p during the Coronavirus lockdown. Google is following the lead of other popular streaming giants to 'Reduce the load on the internet' according to the official blog post.
So if you are eager to check out Google's cloud gaming service, follow this link right now and sign up for Google Stadia for free. Free Pro trials are rolling out now and everyone in supported regions should have access by the end of this week.