Stadia finally implemented a free tier earlier this year, but one of the biggest drawbacks was that you still needed to buy games to try it out. That restriction will soon be gone, at least for players of Destiny 2.
Beginning on November 19, 2020, Destiny 2 is going free-to-play on the cloud gaming service. Every person with a Stadia account, whether free or the Pro subscription, will have access to the game. However, only the core game will be free, much like when Bungie made the game free-to-play earlier this year.
That’s not the only game you can play for free on Stadia at the moment. Last month, a free limited-time demo version of Immortals Fenyx Rising was made available on service. If you haven’t played it yet, there is still a chance to try out Ubisoft’s new IP until December 21.
That gives you plenty of time to decide whether you like it or not before the official release on December 3, 2020, where it will be available for purchase on Stadia or Amazon for most other platforms.
However, it’s important to note that Stadia’s free tier is limited to 1080p at 60fps with stereo sound. If you want to play in 4K HDR with surround sound, then you’ll need a Pro subscription. You’ll also need a Stadia controller and Chromecast Ultra if you want to play on your TV, which can be purchased in a bundle from Google. Otherwise, you’ll only be able to play on your phone, computer, or Chromebook.
When Google first launched Stadia last year it fell short of its lofty goals leaving many users underwhelmed with the service. Two of the biggest complaints at launch were the lack of games and the absence of a free tier.
Over the past year, Google has addressed these concerns and more by expanding its library of games, improving the service, and adding new features. Many of these were covered in my recent review of the cloud gaming service, including the addition of the free tier.