Today’s Google Stadia Connect livestream revealed a ton of details we were curious about with the platform, including how much it’ll cost. One thing that wasn’t highlighted, though, is the free “Stadia Base” option that will be launching sometime in 2020.
Details are fairly minimal on Stadia Base, but Google has confirmed that it will be free of any monthly fees. There will be some sacrifices to ditch the $10/month price of Stadia Pro, though. For one, gameplay is limited to 1080p at 60 frames per second. That means players can’t get the 4K HDR or 5.1 Surround Sound of the Pro tier.
Further, there are no free games with this tier. Google will still sell games at a cost and they’ll be available in a player’s Stadia library. However, Stadia Pro buyers will get free games release “regularly.” At launch, that includes Destiny 2: The Collection and will probably include many others over time.
For the long haul, Stadia Pro is definitely a much better value, but for the casual gamer who just wants their fix on a couple of titles, this free Google Stadia Base tier is going to be a welcome addition. Hopefully, Google will reveal more details on game pricing soon.
And if you don’t need 4K quality resolution, you can still play your favorite games on virtually any screen with instant access and no downloads, updates, or patches. Coming in 2020, Stadia Base is how you will play games you purchase in up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second without an active subscription to Stadia Pro.
More on Google Stadia:
- Google Stadia pricing: $9.99/mo with library, new titles extra, launching November
- Google Stadia pre-orders live now, Founder’s edition pricing starts at $129
- ‘Get Packed’ is Google Stadia’s first exclusive, coming in 2020 w/ multiplayer
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