It’s been a year today since Google launched its new Stadia game streaming service, and the company is doing something special to celebrate its first anniversary. Destiny 2, a launch title for Google Stadia is going completely free-to-play today at 9 AM, no Stadia Pro subscription required.
While Destiny 2 went free-to-play on all platforms last year, only the premium Destiny 2: The Collection bundle, which includes the Forsaken and Shadowkeep addons was available for Stadia Pro subscribers, or to purchase separately for users of the free Stadia tier, but not anymore. Starting today, everyone with a free Stadia account will be able to play the base version of Destiny 2 on Google’s game streaming service, with cross-saves support.
“This play for free version of Destiny 2 begins your legend with a large variety of activities – from cooperative quests to competitive modes, challenging endgame activities, and more. Even if you’re not a Stadia Pro member, you’ll be able to take part in the core Destiny 2 experience, the Stadia team explained today.
As a reminder, Stadia’s free tier only supports up to 1080p gameplay at 60FPS, and you’ll need a $9.99/month Stadia Pro subscription to enjoy a better gameplay experience at up to 4K with HDR and 5.1 surround sound. If you already have a Google account, you can sign up for a one month free trial of Stadia Pro today and claim some free games, similar to Microsoft’s Games with Gold program.
Stadia Pro now has 31 games for you to play for free! All you have to do is log-in and claim them.
Not a subscriber yet, be sure to sign up for a one month free trial of #StadiaPro at https://t.co/v2jJTVdVQ7 pic.twitter.com/ytYDmZvV5j
— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) November 16, 2020
If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, Google is currently offering free Stadia Premiere bundles to members in select markets, which include a Stadia Controller plus a Chromecast 4K to play Stadia games on your TV. Stadia is also available on select Android phones and PCs via the web, and it’s compatible with Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge.
Stadia may not pose a serious threat to other gaming platforms right now, but Google deserves credit for making its game streaming service available on several platforms at launch. Microsoft has yet to do the same with its Cloud Gaming service (Project xCloud), which is currently only available on Android devices, though the Redmond giant is planning to bring it to Windows 10 PCs via a dedicated app, as well as iOS devices through the web.
