Google Stadia is a cloud-based gaming service offered by Google that lets you play games without the need for actual hardware. You can play games on multiple devices such as phones, tablets, TVs, laptops, or PC. Launched back in late 2019, is it worth it now in 2021? We will also see how well it holds up against other streaming services such as Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now, Sony PlayStation Live, and others.

Stadia is a game service offered by Google which lets you play games by streaming to your devices. Unlike the traditional gaming platform such as Console or PC, Stadia doesn’t depend on the hardware, rather it has its own servers which do all the processing of the games and then streams it to your devices. It could be a go-to option especially at times where graphics card prices are skyrocketing.

With that being said, let’s discuss various aspects of Google Stadia and see if it’s still a good choice for you in 2021?

What is Google Stadia?

As discussed earlier, Google Stadia is a gaming platform that lets you play games by streaming to one of the compatible devices. Stadia doesn’t need users to have actual hardware to be able to play games. Since you don’t need hardware to be able to play games, you don’t have to go through the trouble of downloading the games, waiting for updates and installing them in the first place.

How does it work?

To be able to enjoy games on Google Stadia, all you need is a stable internet connection and a compatible device or screen. All the games are processed/ rendered in Google’s cloud servers and then streamed directly to your devices. Since Games are streamed from Google servers to your devices be it phones, PC or TVs, you don’t need to have any sort of hardware to render games. This eliminates the need of buying an expensive PC, or Console and one can still enjoy his favorite game.

You can start playing games instantly on Stadia without having to wait for the updates, installation of the games. There is also a growing collection of games, all can be accessed within a couple of seconds.

Google suggests having at least 10 MBPS speed to be able to smoothly experience games. The games you will play on Stadia will be streamed from the Google servers to your devices, so you will need to have a high-speed and stable internet connection. 

Also Keep in mind that you will not only just stream the video but all your actions, button presses will be transferred to the server and then received back to you. So you may experience latency issues. The faster the internet connection is, the better your experience will be.

How to Play Games on Stadia?

Stadia supports multiple devices such as Android phones, tablets, PC, laptops, and TV. So there are different requirements for different devices.

  • If you are playing Stadia games on the PC or Mac or Chromebooks, you need to play using the latest version of Google Chrome. Visit https://stadia.google.com/ and log in using your Google account. Choose any game you want to play from the list.

Stadia supports Mouse and Keyboard if you are playing on PC. You can also play games using compatible controllers. Here is the list of all compatible controllers and gamepads that can be connected to PC and Android devices.

  • If you are using an Android smartphone or tablet, you can install the Stadia app from Google Play Store. You can then play games using the Stadia app after logging into your Google account.

Here is the list of all compatible Android phones and tablets.

  • If you want to enjoy Stadia games on TV, you will need to buy a Stadia controller and Google Chromecast Ultra separately.

Compatible Devices

Google Stadia supports almost all the Android smartphones from brands like Google, LG, ROG, Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android manufacturers. 

Here is the list of all compatible Android devices

Google Stadia also rolled out support for Apple devices at the end of 2020. So almost all iPhone and iPad models can now be used as a streaming device to play Stadia Games. However, there is no special app for Google Stadia available on the Apple App Store. You will need to or create a shortcut and select add to home screen button inside the Safari browser to create a Safari web app for the Stadia website.

Stadia Supported Controllers

Stadia currently supports all major controllers and gamepads. These controllers may or may not support all the streaming devices you are using, so make sure to check out the list of officially compatible controllers from here.

Stadia Controller

PlayStation® DualShock 4 Controller

Xbox One Controller

Xbox One Elite Controller

Xbox® Adaptive Controller

Xbox 360® Controller

Switch Pro Controller

Cost

Now let’s talk about the plans and the pricing. Google Stadia currently has only one plan which is Stadia Pro. Stadia Pro costs users monthly US$9.99 monthly and offers some free games in the library. You still have to purchase the games you like to add to your Stadia library.

You can however purchase the Stadia Premiere Edition Bundle which costs US$80 if you want to play games on your TV at 4k resolution in HDR and support for 5.1 surround sound. The Stadia Premiere Edition includes a White Stadia controller and the Chromecast device capable of streaming games up to 4K to your TV. We recommend getting the Stadia Premiere Edition to those who want to play on their TVs, the rest of the people who want to play games on other devices can stick to the Stadia Pro plan.

Keep in mind that the price you are paying for Premiere Edition here is only for the hardware, with both the Stadia Pro and Stadia Premiere Edition plans, you get the first 1-month free access to the service. Afterward, it costs US$9.99 monthly. You can cancel the plan anytime before the trial period ends.

Games Included

There are about 32 Free games currently available in the library. You can also purchase your favorite games and add them to your Stadia library. Currently, there are about 310 games that you can purchase from the Stadia Store. You also get to choose some games each month to add to your collection if you have a Stadia Pro membership.

As long as you have an active membership going on, you can play all the Free and purchased games as much as you want. All the purchased games will be kept and bound to your Stadia account and you can choose to play whenever you wish to.

Just like every service, Google Stadia also has some Pros and Cons. Let’s talk about some pros and cons of Google Stadia.

Pros

Instant Access to Games- One of the best things about Google Stadia is that you can start playing your favorite games instantly. All you need is a screen or a device where you can play the games. No more waiting for downloads and no more updates. Just click and play.

No Hardware required

To play your favorite games on Stadia, you don’t need to buy an expensive PC or a console. For the price of US$10, you can experience PC-like gaming without spending thousands of dollars on physical hardware. All your games are saved and streamed from the servers of the Google data center.

Can Play on multiple devices

Want to play games in your living room with your family? Want to enjoy your favorite title on the phone? Google Stadia has got you. Stadia offers you a seamless experience across all your devices from mobile phones to tablets, and from PC, Mac to your TV. Connect the mouse and keyboard or use any of the supported controllers and you are good to go.

Cons

Collection of Games

Stadia library currently has around 300+ games. But to keep users coming back and continue using the service, Google really needs to add more titles frequently. There are other Cloud gaming platforms where competitors are already providing better service and they have access to more games as well.

Even though Stadia offers you some free games to play on, you still have to pay for the exclusive titles to play. So it’s not like you are paying US$10 per month to enjoy all the exclusive games in the Stadia library. You still have to pay for your favorite titles on top of paying US$10 per month.

Limited Availability

Google Stadia is only available to 22 countries so far. Most of the countries where Stadia is available to cover most of the European continent. There are other potential markets that can be proved very important such as the Asian subcontinent and Australia. To compete against the big players in the market, Google needs to work on building more servers in other areas of the world.

Google Stadia service is currently available in only these countries. 

Gameplay Limited to 60 FPS

This is a common issue in most cloud-based gaming services. The way Stadia or any other cloud-based gaming service work has inherent latency issues. This is due to obvious reasons, the games are not directly rendered on the users’ machine, instead, the gameplay is rendered and then streamed to the users’ device.

And this is why the Stadia is currently restricted to 60 FPS gaming. 60 FPS could be fine for casual games or single-player story games but there is no point in playing online multiplayer games on Stadia. To be able to compete fairly against online games you at least need to play on 144 hertz. Which unfortunately isn’t possible with Google Stadia.

Requires a fast and stable Internet connection

As we know already, Stadia is a cloud-based service and requires a stable internet connection to be able to have fun playing games. This could prove to be a big letdown for the users who don’t have access to a fast and reliable internet connection.

Shutdown of Google SG&E, Google’s in-house Production Studio for Stadia

Google also announced in Feb 2021, that it’s going to shut down its internal studio which was intended to produce exclusive games for Stadia. 

“Creating best-in-class games from the ground up takes many years and significant investment, and the cost is going up exponentially. Given our focus on building on the proven technology of Stadia as well as deepening our business partnerships, we’ve decided that we will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team SG&E (Stadia Games and Entertainment), beyond any near-term planned games. Said Phil Harrison, Vice President and General Manager at Google Stadia.

Further, Phil said that “With the increased focus on using our technology platform for industry partners, Jade Raymond has decided to leave Google to pursue other opportunities. We greatly appreciate Jade’s contribution to Stadia and wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Over the coming months, most of the SG&E team will be moving on to new roles. We’re committed to working with this talented team to find new roles and support them. ”

Phil Harrison further announced that Jade Raymond will be leaving Google to pursue new opportunities. And other SG&E team members will be given new roles in the company.

Future Plans

Phil continued talking about the company’s further goals. He said that all the current services will be resumed and Stadia subscribers will continue to enjoy games on Stadia. The company will also put effort into bringing future titles from third-party studios to Stadia rather than producing their in-house games. Phil also assured that the team is committed to the Cloud gaming service and will invest to offer the best cloud gaming experience to the end-users. 

Is Google Stadia worth it in 2021?

We can call Google Stadia a mixed bag. It lets you play on multiple devices with a monthly US$10 fee. It’s great for someone who doesn’t own a gaming PC or a console. But someone who already has a gaming PC or Console might not find Stadia worthy.

There are other cloud-based gaming platforms such as Xbox Live Gold Pass, Sony PlayStation, Geforce Experience, and Amazon Luna that offer overall a good package. Some of these services offer games for PC Users and they have a huge collection of popular titles that users can enjoy as a part of a subscription without having to purchase games separately.

On the other hand, Stadia allows flexibility and ease of access to the users. You can get started within a second and enjoy your favorite games no matter what device you are playing them on.