Google Stadia Review

Video gaming often demands a current-generation console or a beefy computer. However, cloud game streaming services now offer solutions for gaming on modest hardware such as underpowered PCs, phones, and Chromebooks. Google Stadia is a solid game streaming platform that lets you play tons of games without high-end hardware. But should you use it? Find out in our hands-on Google Stadia review!

Google Stadia is shutting down in January 2023! Here are the best Google Stadia indie games we’ve discovered and where to find them.

What is Google Stadia?

Google Stadia is a cloud game-streaming service. For game streaming, there are a few different options. One solution is to set up your own PC as a server with games you’ve purchased, then stream them to different client devices such as phones, tablets, and streaming devices using an app such as Steam Link or Moonlight.

Alternatively, you can run games on servers remotely for cloud game streaming. While some services such as Shadow require that you purchase titles and install them on rented servers, others like Amazon Luna take a Netflix-style approach with a subscription that nets you an all-you-can-play buffet of games.

Google Stadia is something of a hybrid. It features two plans, a free tier that lets you sign up and buy games, as well as a Pro plan which provides a smattering of titles you can add to your account. While the free plan is limited to 1080p resolution, 60 frames per second (FPS), and stereo audio, Stadia Pro ushers in 4K HDR gameplay with 5.1 surround sound. Because games run in the cloud, there’s no messing about with software installations, fiddling with drivers, or fussing with files. Simply fire up a game and you can begin playing instantly.

Google Stadia Plans and Pricing Options

There are two different plans for Google Stadia. The free Google Stadia base tier lets you sign up at no-cost. However, it’s not entirely free. In order to stream games, you’ll need to purchase those titles. For instance, you can sign up for Stadia and buy Cyberpunk 2077, then begin playing immediately. Typically, games cost their full retail price as you’d find on Steam or GOG. After you purchase a game, you can only play it in Stadia – there’s no option to snag a copy in Steam, GOG, or another digital PC game delivery service. While most games are paid, there are some free games such as Destiny 2, Hitman starter pack, Super Bomberman R Online, and Crayta: Starter Edition. The free version of Google Stadia allows for gameplay in up to 1080p 60 FPS with stereo dual-channel audio.

Alternatively, Stadia Pro provides a Netflix-esque subscription tier. For $9.99 a month, Google Stadia Pro lets you sign up and claim a selection of games for free. So long as you maintain your Stadia Pro subscription, you’ll be able to keep those titles and continue growing your Stadia collection with new games added each month. Once I logged into Stadia on the Pro plan, I was offered a handful of games including Resident Evil, Hitman, Enter the Gungeon, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. There were 27 different Pro games I was able to claim across a good mix of genres.

Google Stadia free tier:

• Completely free to sign up
• Games cost money (but there are some free-to-play titles such as Destiny 2, Hitman free starter pack, Crayta: Starter Edition, and Super Bomberman Online)
• Quality: 1080p, 60 FPS, stereo dual-channel audio

Google Stadia Pro tier:

• $9.99/month
• Can still buy games to play
• Includes dozens of games to claim each month that you get to keep as long as you maintain your Stadia Pro subscription
• Quality: Up to 4K HDR, 60 FPS, 5.1 surround sound

What Google Stadia Hardware Compatibility

You can run Google Stadia on a lot of different devices. Most Android phones and tablets run Stadia. It’s compatible with Chromebooks and runs in Chrome browsers on Windows PCs. iPhone and iPad users can play Stadia in the Safari web app. There is Linux compatibility as well, although you’ll need to use the Chromium Snapp app for stable performance.

Google Stadia device compatibility:

• Android phones and tablets
  • Pixel 2, 2XL, 3, 3XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4XL, 4a, 4a (5G), 5
  • Samsung S8, S8+, S8 Active, Note 8, Samsung S9, S9+, Note 9, Samsung S10, S10+, Note 10, Note 10+, Samsung S20, S20+, S20 Ultra
  • OnePlus 5, 6, 7, 7 Pro, 7 Pro 5G, 8, 8 Pro, OnePlus 5T, 6T, 7T, 7T Pro, 7T Pro 5G, 8T, OnePlus Nord, N10 5G, N100
  • Asus ROG Phones
  • Razer Phone, Razer Phone II
  • LG V50 ThinQ, V50S ThinQ, V60 ThinQ, G7 ThinQ, G8 ThinQ, Wing
• Chromebooks
• Windows PCs
• iPhone and iPad (using the Safari web app)
• Linux (via Chromium)

Google Stadia Games Library

Stadia features a massive library of games. There are dozens of titles spanning virtually every video game genre, from role-playing games (RPGs) and platformers to first-person shooters (FPSes), third-person shooters, and real-time strategy (RTS) games. The Google Stadia games library is large and accomodating to all types of players.

Controller Compatibility With Google Stadia

Similar to Amazon Luna which offers a dedicated Luna Controller, Google Stadia offers its own controller. Like the Luna controller, the Stadia controller connects directly to Google Stadia gaming data centers for a low-latency connection. There’s an onboard capture hotkey for easily and quickly saving video clips or screenshots. You can use the Stadia controller on loads of devices including laptops, desktops, tablets, phones, TVs, and the Chromecast Ultra.

Additionally, several third-party game controllers work with Stadia including the Sony PlayStation DualShock 4, Xbox One controller, Xbox One Elite controller, Xbox 360 gamepad, Xbox adaptive controller, and the Nintendo Switch Pro controller. Additionally, a keyboard and mouse works via USB or Bluetooth on PCs running Google Chrome version 77 or greater.

Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch game controllers function over USB or Bluetooth depending on the model with Android and PCs running Chrome. What’s more, many third-party controllers work with Google Stadia. I was able to use my 8Bitdo SF30 Pro and, ironically, my Amazon Luna controller, just fine with Stadia.

Google Stadia compatibe controlers:

• Official Google Stadia controller (Chromecast Ultra, Google Chrome, Android 10.0+)
• Xbox One controller, Xbox One Elite, Xbox Adaptive Controller, Xbox 360 controller (Chrome, Android)
• DualShock 4 controller (Chrome, Android)
• Nintendo Switch Pro controller (Chrome)
• Keyboard and mouse (Chrome)

Audiovisual Quality on Google Stadia

Playing on my Hisense H8F 55-inch 4K UHD television, games on Stadia looked gorgeous. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light glistened with rich, detailed environments. Hitman was beautiful with vivid details. 5.1 audio tracks sounded crisp and clear thundering over my Vizio Sb36512-F6 Dolby Atmos soundbar. I hooked my laptop up to my Xgimi Halo projector for gaming on my 100-inch screen which proved incredibly immersive.

Similarly, in 1080p on my NVIDIA 1660 Ti, Intel i7-powered Razer Blade 15 gaming laptop and HP NVIDIA GTX 1060, AMD Ryzen 5-powered desktop, Stadia games looked great. My living room home theatre PC (HTPC) with its NVIDIA GT 1030 was able to churn out buttery smooth graphics with Stadia where it would have faltered with trying to run games locally. Whether in 4K with 5.1 surround sound audio or 1080p with dual-channel stereo, Google Stadia streaming games were both looked and sounded impressive. I would have been unable to tell the difference in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light streaming from Stadia versus locally installed on my PC and running in Steam.

Google Stadia Cloud Game-streaming Performance Review

With gaming, lag is incredibly important and streaming introduces some lag by default. Nevertheless, Google Stadia delivered extremely playable framerates with little to no perceptible lag. Visuals were pure eyecandy, equally as resplendent blown up on my 55-inch 4K UHD television and 100-inch projector screen as on my 15-inch 1080p laptop screen and 29-inch 2560 x 1080 21:9 ultrawide monitor.

Although games installed natively such as my Steam copy of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light may have run at higher frame rates than streamed versions from Stadia, what matters most is playability. To my naked eye, streaming titles appeared responsive. While I did notice the occasional minor stutter, slowdowns were virtually imperceptible and extremely rare. I really enjoyed the simplicity of gaming on Stadia. Instead of needing to download a game and slog through installation, instead I was able to simply select a game and begin playing immediately without any driver updates, patches, or file installs. It’s as seamless as selecting a movie or TV show in Netflix. Just click the play button and you’re gaming in an instant. There is, however, a caveat. You’ll need a pretty decent Internet connection. Stadia recommends a 20Mbps Internet connection for 1080p HDR 60 FPS video and 5.1 surround sound. To achieve 4K HDR at 60 FPS with 5.1 surround sound, you’ll need upwards of 35Mbps.

Still, some hardcore FPS fanatics may notice a difference in streaming games from Stadia versus running locally-installed titles. You won’t be able to achieve high frame rate gaming, and some twitchy first-person shooters, while playable, won’t quite have the response time required for competitive online play. But for most gamers, whether casual or hardcore, Stadia should offer an enjoyable experience.

Review Verdict – Is Google Stadia any Good?

The real question is whether Google Stadia is worth it. And that depends a lot on your play style as well as which plan you opt for. If you’ve got an older gaming rig or a PC with integrated graphics, Stadia will let you play many modern AAA and indie titles with ease. You won’t need to shell out for CPU or GPU upgrades. Notably, I found the Stadia Pro plan to be pretty cost-effective. Assuming you game regularly, it’s an affordable solution. I’d been wanting to play Hitman for a while and Stadia let me fire it up immediately. The $9.99 a month for Stadia was a lot cheaper than $60 for a copy.

Moreover, you’re rewarded for maintaining a Stadia Pro membership. New games are available to claim each month and those are yours to keep – so long as you stay on the Stadia Pro tier. Dropping down to the free Stadia plan means you’ll lose any claimed games for free using Stadia Pro, although you can still purchase games.

However, many titles retail on Stadia for the same price as you’d find on various retailers such as Steam, GOG, and Epic. And unlike GeForce Now, you won’t be able to link Steam and GOG with Stadia. For example, if you purchase Cyberpunk 2077 through GOG or Steam, you can download and install Cyberpunk on your PC, or stream it from the cloud using GeForce Now’s servers. Contrastingly, purchasing Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia limits you to a Stadia copy of the game. Granted, it’s yours to keep and there’s no monthly fee, so the only real difference is that you don’t have a downloadable version.

Yet, that’s the beauty of Stadia. It enables pretty much anyone with a decent Internet connection to play a bevy of different AAA and indie PC games without needing to hassle with hardware upgrades, game installs, or driver updates. Additionally, since Stadia is cloud-based, your game saves follow you from machine to machine. I was able to start a game of Hitman on my desktop, then switch over to living room HTPC for a bout of couch gaming. Sure, many games and services do now offer cloud saves, though it’s still not universal.

And for many demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Crysis: Remastered, Stadia might be the best way to run those games with playable frame rates for many gamers. Casual gamers looking to start playing PC games quickly will appreciate Stadia’s no-hassle set up that runs equally well on high-end hardware as Chromebooks and mid-range phones. More hardcore gamers can still benefit a lot from Stadia. The Pro tier gives you free games each month. Whether the free tier, which requires PC game purchases, is good sort of depends. If you’re not bothered by a 4K, 60 FPS limit on video quality or the fact that you can only play with Stadia, it’s a fantastic workaround for running demanding titles without having to upgrade your hardware. But for frame rate fiends, GeForce Now could be a better fit. Ultimately, Google Stadia is definitely worth it because of its solid audiovisual quality, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.

Google Stadia vs. Amazon Luna – Which Cloud Game-Streaming Service is Better?

So how does Google Stadia stack up against Amazon Luna? The two cloud game-streaming services are pretty similar in a lot of ways. Luna clocks in at $5.99 a month for a Netflix-style all-you-can-game subscription. While Luna is limited to 1080p 60 FPS, 4K is coming soon. You can stream on a ton of different devices and there’s a good games library. Similarly, Stadia offers a Pro tier that boasts unlimited gameplay and free titles to claim each month that are yours to keep as long as you maintain an active Stadia Pro membership. You can stream games in up to 4K at 60 frames per second.

Where things start to differ is Stadia’s free plan. While you can sign up for Stadia’s no-cost tier, games must be purchased, and these typically retail for about the same price as their Steam, GOG, and Epic store counterparts. However, there are some free-to-play games on Stadia’s base plan such as Destiny 2 and Hitman Starter Pack.

Stadia’s quality is a bit better at 4K, 60 FPS with 5.1 surround sound for some titles, though 4K is coming soon for Amazon Luna. While Amazon Luna is slightly cheaper and its game library is great, Stadia has a bigger library of games. Device support is about even between the two services with Luna offering Amazon Fire TV compatibility while Stadia sports Chromecast Ultra support. However, Stadia does run on Linux while Luna doesn’t. Both services are excellent options for casual gamers. Luna+ is a bit more affordable than Stadia Pro, though it does lack 4K at the time of writing. But Stadia’s library includes more AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Madden.

Google Stadia pros:

• Up to 4K HDR @ 60 FPS, 5.1 surround sound
• Free tier and Pro plan
• Great integrations – YouTube, friends lists, and more
• Excellent library of games including AAA and indie titles
• Lots of social features including Stream Connect and Crowd Play/Share
• Good hardware compatibility

Google Stadia cons:

• Many games must be purchased at about their full retail price and are limited to Stadia
• Somewhat limited selection of Stadia Pro games

Amazon Luna pros:

• Great hardware compatibility
• Up to 2 x simultaneous streams
• Twitch integration
• Cost-effective: tons of games at one monthly price

Amazon Luna cons:

• Limited to 1080p @ 60 FPS at the moment
• No free tier
• Not as many AAA titles

Google Stadia Review – Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Google Stadia is a fantastic cloud game streaming service that should satisfy everyone from casual to hardcore gamers. There are two plans available, the free tier and Pro plan, the latter of which provides an all-you-can-game subscription. Visual quality is impressive and looks stunning. Performance is top-notch with low-lag, low-latency connections. Plus, there’s solid hardware and software support. The game library is excellent with a stellar lineup of AAA titles and indie games alike. Although the Pro plan doesn’t quite have the roster as found on Luna+, it’s still quite good and rewards subscribers for maintaining an active subscription by letting you keep games you’ve claimed so long as you keep paying for the Pro tier. The prices for some of the games not included in Stadia Pro may be a bit high at the same as or close to their retail on Steam, GOG, or Epic with the free. But Stadia maybe the best way to play demanding games without upgrading your rig, and is an awesome cloud game streaming service.

Google Stadia Games List

• A Place for the Unwilling – $14.99
• Ary and the Secret of Seasons – $39.99
• Assassin’s Creed Origins – $29.99
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – $29.99
• Assassin’s Creed Unity – $29.99
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $59.99 (November 19, 2019)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Stadia Ultimate Edition — $119
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – $59.99
• Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle — $59.99 (November 19, 2020)
• Baldur’s Gate 3 (Early Access) — $59.99
• Borderlands 3 — $59.99 (December 17, 2019)
• Borderlands 3 Deluxe Edition — $79.99
• Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition — $99.99
• Cake Bash – $19.99
• Celeste — $19.99
• Cthulhu Saves Christmas – Free
• Crayta – Free (Stadia Exclusive)
• Crayta Premium Edition – $39.99 (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Crayta Deluxe Edition – $54.99 
• Chronos: Before The Ashes – $39.99
• Cosmic Star Heroine – $14.99
• The Crew 2 – $49.99, $15 with Stadia Pro discount
• The Crew 2 Deluxe Edition –  $69.99, $18 with Stadia Pro discount
• The Crew 2 Gold Edition – $99.99, $27 with Stadia Pro discount
• The Crew 2 Season Pass: – $39.99, $20 with Stadia Pro discount
• Cyberpunk 2077 – $59.99
• Darksiders Genesis — $39.99
• Dead by Daylight — (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Destroy All Humans – $31.99
• DIRT 5 – $59.99
• Disco Elysium – $39.99
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 — $49.99
• Destiny 2 – (Free for all Stadia users)
• Destiny 2: The Collection – $39.99
• Destiny 2: Beyond Light – $39.99
• Doom  – $19.99
• Doom Eternal Standard Edition + Rip and Tear Pack – $59.99
• DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition + Rip and Tear Pack – $89.99
• Doom 64 – $4.99
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – $31.99 
• El Hijo – $19.99
• Elder Scrolls Online Standard Edition – $19.99
• Elder Scrolls Online Greymoor Edition – $59.99
• Elder Scrolls Online Greymoor Collector’s Edition – $79.99
• Embr — $19.99
• Enter the Gungeon – $19.99
• Epistory – Typing Chronicles – $14.99
• Everspace – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Family Feud – $19.99
• Far Cry 5 – $23.99
• Far Cry: New Dawn – $17.99
• Farming Simulator 19 — $39.99
• Farming Simulator 19 Platinum Edition — $49.99
• FIFA 21 – $24.59
• Figment – $11.99
• Final Fantasy XV — $39.99
• Get Packed – $49.99
• GRID — $59.99
• GRID Ultimate Edition — $84.99
• Gods Will Fall –  $24.99
• Gunsport – $19.99 (Free with Stadia Pro)
• GYLT — $29.99
• Hello Neighbor – $29.99 (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Hellpoint – $34.99
• Hitman – Game of the Year Edition – $59.99 
• Hitman 2 – $35.99 ($29.99 with Stadia Pro)
• Hitman 3 – $59.99
• Hotline Miami – $9.99
• Hotline Miami 2 – $14.99
• Human Fall Flat — (free with Stadia Pro)
• Immortals: Fenyx Rising – $59.99
• It came from space and ate our brains – $14.99
• Jotun: Valhalla Edition — $14.99
• Just Dance 2020 — $49.99
• Just Dance 2021 – $49.99
• Just Shapes & Beat – $19.99
• Kaze and the Wild Masks – $29.99
• Kemono Heroes – $14.99
• Killer Queen Black – $13.99
• Kine — $19.99
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – $19.99 (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 – $59.99
• Little Big Workshop – $19.99
• Little Nightmares – $29.99 
• Little Nightmares Secrets of The Maw Expansion Pass – $9.99
• Little Nightmares II – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Lost Words: Beyond the Page – $14.99
• Madden NFL 2021 – $29.99
• Marvel’s Avengers – $59.99
• Marvel’s Avengers Deluxe Edition – $79.99
• Metro 2033 Redux – $19.99
• Metro Exodus — $39.99
• Metro Exodus Gold Edition — $64.99
• Metro: Last Light Redux – $19.99
• Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom — $29.99
• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 3 — $59.99
• Monster Jam Steel Titans – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Monster Jam Titans 2 – $39.99
• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 4 – $59.99
• Mortal Kombat 11 — $49.99
• Mortal Kombat 11 Premium Edition — $89.99
• Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath Edition – $59.99
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition – $59.99
• MotoGP 20 — $49.99
• Murder by Numbers – $7.49
• Nanotale – Typing Chronicles –  $19.99
• NBA 2K20 — $59.99
• NBA 2K20 Digital Deluxe — $79.99
• NBA 2K20 Legend Edition — $99.99
• NBA 2K21 — $59.99
• NBA 2K21 – Mamba Forever Edition Bundle – $99.99
• One Hand Clapping – $29.99
• Octopath Traveler – $59.99
• Orcs Must Die 3 – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Outriders – $59.99
• Outcasters – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Outward – $39.99
• Pac-Mac Mega Tunnel Battle – $19.99
• Phoenix Point – $59.99
• Phogs! – $29.99
• Panzer Dragoon Remake – $24.99
• PixelJunk Raiders – Free with Stadia Pro
• Pikuniku – $12.99
• Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid – $19.99
• Rage 2 — $59.99 (November 19, 2019)
• Rage 2: Deluxe Edition — $79.99
• PUBG: Pioneer Edition — $39.99 (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — $59.99
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition — $79.99
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Ultimate Edition — $99.99
• Reigns – $19.99
• Relicta — $19.99 
• République – $9.99
• Rise of the Tomb Raider — $29.99
• Risk of Rain 2 – $19.99
• Rock of Ages 3: Make and Break — $29.99 (Free for Stadia Pro subscribers)
• Samurai Shodown — $59.99
• Saints Row: The Third Remastered – $39.99
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition – $14.99
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – $39.99
• Secret Neighbor – (Free with stadia Pro)
• Serious Sam Collection — $29.99
• Serious Sam 4 – $39.99
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider — $59.99
• Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition – $29.99
• Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – $9.99
• Spitlings — $14.99
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated  — $23.99
• Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) –
• Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order – $59.99
• Steamworld Dig — $9.99
• SteamWorld Dig 2 –
• Steamworld Heist — $19.99
• SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamesh
• Submerged: Hidden Depths – (Free with Stadia Pro)
• Sundered: Eldritch Edition — $19.99
• Supercross 4 –$49.99
• Super Bomberman R Online — (Free)
• Superhot – $24.99
• Superhot: Mind Control Delete – $24.99
• Terraria – $9.99
• Thumper — $19.99
• TOHU – $14.99
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – $29.99
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Warlords of New York Edition – $59.99
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Warlords of New Ultimate Edition – $79.99
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $59.99
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint – Gold Edition — $99.99
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint – Ultimate Edition — $119.99
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands – $49.99
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition — $19.99
• Trials Rising — $24.99
• Trials Rising – Digital Gold Edition — $29.99
• Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince –  $29.99
• UNO – $9.99
• Unto The End – $19.99
• Valkyria Chronicles 4: Complete Edition – $49.99
• Watch Dogs – $19.99
• Watch Dogs 2 – $17.49
• Watch Dogs: Legion – $59.99
• Wave Break – $29.99
• Welcome to Elk – $14.99
• West of Loathing – $10.99
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood — $29.99
• WWE Battlegrounds – $39.99