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Players will have to pay $129.99 up front and $9.99 a month, on top of individual game purchase costs, when Google's previously announced Stadia game-streaming service launches in November. A free tier will be available some time in 2020, as will a paid subscription tier that doesn't require the upfront purchase.

The Stadia Founder's Edition and its contingent Stadia Pro subscription will be the only way to get access to the Stadia service when it launches, Google announced today. That $129.99 package, available for pre-order on the Google Store right now, will include:

A Stadia controller in "limited-edition night blue"

A Chromecast Ultra

Three months of Stadia Pro service and a three-month "buddy pass" to give to a friend

First dibs on claiming a "Stadia Name"

After the first three months, Stadia Pro users will have to pay $9.99 a month to maintain their membership. For that price, they will get access to Google's highest-quality streams, at up to 4K/60fps with high-dynamic range (HDR) and 5.1 surround sound. In 2019, users will not be able to sign up for Stadia Pro without investing in the Founder's Edition hardware package, and Founder's Edition packages will only be available "in limited quantities and for a limited time."

Stadia side-by-side Stadia Pro/Founder's Edition Stadia Base Available November (only option at launch) "2020" Upfront cost $129.99 None Included up front Chromecast Ultra, Stadia controller, three-month subscription + three-month "buddy pass," Destiny 2 Nothing Monthly cost $9.99 None Maximum stream quality 4K resolution, 60 fps, 5.1 surround sound, HDR color 1080p resolution, 60fps, stereo sound Supported devices (at launch) Chromecast Ultra; Computer w/ Chrome browser; Google Pixel 3/3a Additional games Purchase a la carte on either tier Other Benefits Discounts on game purchases; free games at "regular cadence"; early reservation of "Stadia name" None

Countries At launch, Stadia streaming will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Additional regions will be added in 2020.



Pro subscribers will also receive PlayStation Plus/Xbox Live Gold-style benefits, including discounts on game purchases and free games released at a "regular cadence." The first of these freebies, Destiny 2, will be available to Pro subscribers at launch in a package including all current and future expansions plus the ability to transfer an existing Guardian from the PC or Xbox edition (PS4 transfers are currently "pending approval by Sony"). These free titles will remain accessible as long as users maintain their monthly subscription.

Sometime next year, Google says it plans to roll out a free tier of Stadia service, called Stadia Base. Users on this tier will be limited to 1080p, 60fps streams with stereo sound.

Games and hardware support





















Alongside its pricing announcement, Google announced a lineup of 21 publishers and 31 games that will be available on Stadia in the "launch window" (see sidebar). It's a list that includes yet-to-release titles like Borderlands 3 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint as well as the newly announced Darksiders: Genesis and Baldur's Gate III. That list will grow as new announcements are made leading up to the November rollout, the company said.

Stadia launch window games/publishers Announced as of June 6, here are the titles early Stadia users can expect: Bandai Namco: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Bethesda: Doom Eternal+, Doom (2016), Rage 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: Youngblood+

Doom Eternal+, Doom (2016), Rage 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: Youngblood+ Bungie: Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Capcom*

Coatsink: Get Packed+

Get Packed+ Codemasters: GRID

GRID Deep Silver: Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus Drool: Thumper

Thumper Electronic Arts*

Giants Software: Farming Simulator 19

Farming Simulator 19 Larian Studios: Baldur’s Gate III+

Baldur’s Gate III+ nWay Games: Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Rockstar*

Sega: Football Manager

Football Manager SNK: Samurai Shodown+

Samurai Shodown+ Square Enix: Final Fantasy XV, Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Final Fantasy XV, Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider 2K: NBA 2K, Borderlands 3+

NBA 2K, Borderlands 3+ Tequila Works: Gylt+

Gylt+ Warner Bros: Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11 THQ: Darksiders: Genesis+

Darksiders: Genesis+ Ubisoft: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint+, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Trials Rising, The Crew 2 Announced as of June 6, here are the titles early Stadia users can expect: * - No specific games announced yet

+ - Games not yet launched on any platform.



Aside from free titles on the Pro tier, all Stadia games will be purchased on an a la carte basis. Google was not ready to discuss individual game pricing, but Stadia VP of Product John Justice told Ars those prices will be set by the publishers themselves. "We're working with them to make sure it's competitive pricing to what you would see on other platforms," Justice said.

While there are no free-to-play titles amid the first round of announced Stadia titles, "you will see us start to include some on the platform" as time goes on, Justice said. Google also didn't show off the Stadia system or store interface, but Justice said the latter would be "as frictionless as possible, [needing] as few seconds as possible from finding out about a game to be[ing] able to jump in." Justice would not discuss revenue sharing arrangements between Google and its publishing partners.

Google is now recommending users have at least a 10mbps Internet connection to use Stadia. With that connection, users can expect to run games "at least" at 720p and 60 frames per second. Pro users who want the highest-end streaming experience should have a connection of at least 35mbps, Justice said, though streaming quality will scale seamlessly below that level.

While any any desktop, laptop, or tablet running a desktop version of Chrome will be able to use Stadia (with a required Pro subscription, at launch), mobile support will be limited to the Pixel 3 and 3a line at launch. Google says service will be "expanding to other phones over time."

Stadia users will also be able to stream games through a Chromecast Ultra connected to a TV if they use Google's proprietary Stadia controller. Extra Stadia controllers, beyond the one included in the Founder's Edition, will cost $69 in the US and be available in three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Wasabi.

As previously announced, Stadia games run on custom Linux-based server hardware maintained by Google, promising "10.7 teraflops of power in each instance." Game audio and video is streamed from those servers to a user's device, and inputs are streamed from the user to the server over a network of what Google says are "7,500 edge nodes" around the world. Users will be able to immediately jump into supported games without having to wait for downloads or installs, and they will be able to carry gameplay from device to device seamlessly, Google says.

Today's announcement does not mention any possible "first party" games produced by Google's internal gaming studios. Google's Phil Harrison has previously hinted to future Stadia games leveraging platform-specific perks like "distributed physics" processing in the cloud or the official Stadia controller's built-in microphone.

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