Google announced today that it's making its Stradia Pro video game streaming service free to everyone over the next two months, as people stay home to limit the distribution of Covid-19.
"Video games can be a great way to entertain friends and family when you're home-bound, so we provide consumers in 14 countries with free access to Stadia for two months," Philip Harrison, head of Google Stadia, wrote on the Google blog. The service is free to start today, with emails within the next two days to anyone signing up. Unlike before you have to order a Stadia controller and a Chromecast to subscribe, now it's all for you the need it's a Gmail account.
While many games available for streaming via Google Stadia require a purchase, the Pro subscription comes with some free. Currently, it includes nine games, the most notable of which Conclusion 2, GRID, SteamWorld Demand: Gilgamech's Hand, again Six.
Stadia Pro normally subscribes every month for $ 10. Subscribers will already be unpaid for the next two months, while first-time subscribers will start charging after that unless they cancel their membership.
During this time Google will be adjusting the bandwidth usage to address new user entry and the increasing popularity of online distributors. As a result, games will reach 1080p rather than 4k.
While all you need to sign up for Google Stadia is currently a Gmail address, this current offer looks different from Stadia's free Google app announced last year which would allow anyone to use the service to buy and stream games at low cost. We found Google for more information.