Articles by David Jagneaux

Nine new games all got dates and launch windows for Stadia today with the promise of over 100 more still coming this year.

What you need to know

Google says over 100 more games are coming to Stadia this year.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge both release on Stadia Feb. 23.
FIFA, Kaze and the Wild Masks, Killer Queen Black, and more all coming soon as well.

Today Google announced a slew of new Stadia games coming very soon and that there will be more than 100 games coming to the service this year. Headlining the selections this week are two Shantae games.

For those unaware, Shantae is a classic, sidescrolling platformer series that recently got a very successful revival and redesign by Wayforward. For comparison, they’re similar to Monster Boy, which is already out on Stadia.

Going in order of release, both Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut are slated for Feb. 23. They’re gorgeous sidescrolling acti…

With a Stadia Pro subscription you can now play the newly released Little Nightmares 2 at no extra charge.

What you need to know

Little Nightmares 2 just launched and is now included for free with a Stadia Pro subscription.
Pikuniku is out now on Stadia at $10.39 for a limited time, typically will cost $12.99.
Crayta is now free-to-play for everyone on Stadia.

There’s some good stuff in this week’s Stadia Community blog. My favorite types of Stadia Pro games are the ones that no one expected to be free. This week, just before Little Nightmares 2 released, Google announced the anticipated stealth horror title would be included at no extra charge for all Stadia Pro subscribers. That’s great news! In their Little Nightmares 2 review, our friends at Windows Central called it a “masterpiece.” I haven’t played it yet, but I’m definitely eager to dive in with my eyes partially closed. From the looks of it this could be one of the best Stadia games.

Pikuniku is about as different of a …

One of Stadia’s most unique timed exclusives is now free for anyone to play on any device.

What you need to know

Crayta is now free-to-play for everyone on Stadia, even without a Pro subscription.
Pro subscribers will continue to receive Premium Edition benefits.
When Crayta launches on PC on March 10th it will also include cross-play and cross-progression with Stadia.
Crayta is also getting a Battle Pass system on March 10th with ‘Creator Challenges’ for XP.

Today, Google is announcing that Crayta is now 100% free-to-play for everyone on Stadia across any device. Previously, Crayta was a buy-to-play title, although it’s remained one of several free Stadia Pro games included with the optional subscription ever since it launched nearly a year ago. Crayta is also one of the best Stadia games in my opinion.

The new Starter Edition (free) includes the entire base game with all playing and creating tools and a set of starter cosmetics; the Premium Edition ($40) includes everything i…

It’s a relief to finally have a date for FIFA 21, but Stadia will need more big AAA third-party titles like this to remain relevant.

What you need to know

FIFA 21 is releasing on Stadia March 17.
Madden NFL 21 is still on sale for half-off until Feb. 9.
New Stadia Pro games are available for February.
Epistory – Typing Chronicles is a new typing-themed RPG, out today.

Today, EA announced that FIFA 21 is finally coming to Stadia on March 17. The game was originally announced several months ago for Google’s cloud-based gaming platform, so it’s good to see it coming to fruition.

A couple of other EA titles recently released on Stadia as well, such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order late last year and Madden NFL 21 just last week. You can still grab the entire Madden NFL 21 Superstar Edition for just $30 until Feb. 9.

Like Madden, FIFA is highly anticipated as a core game to drive interest in the platform. The flexibility of being able to play anywhere at any time is a huge bonus for…

Best answer: State Share allows players to share a link so that others can experience the game being played at a specific moment, exactly as the players are. It was one of the announced features for Staida, but has only recently become available in some games.

Play on your TV: Stadia Premiere Edition ($100 at Best Buy)

How does State Share work?

In order to create a game state in a supported title, simply press the capture button to take a screenshot or video clip. In your Capture gallery, when you select a capture, it will also give you the option to copy or share the URL for State Share. It’s that simple.

The game’s state will be encoded in a link that tells Stadia where to pick up the game at a specific moment in time. This link can then be sent to any number of players who can click on it and instantly hop into the game at the point it was shared.

A State can include things like the specific level you’re on, which items you’ve unlocked and equipped, and your difficulty set…

Now that Ubisoft+ is officially available in beta form for Google Stadia users, you have access to a large list of Ubisoft titles that you can play at your convenience on any of your devices that support Stadia for one low monthly subscription fee. From the latest Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs games to several Far Cry releases there are several of the best Stadia games included. A Stadia Pro subscription is not required. Signing up and linking your accounts is simple, so let’s go over how to do it right here.

How to Link Ubisoft+ to your Stadia account

The great thing about Stadia is that you’re not locked down to a single device to enjoy your games. Whether you’re at home in the comfort of your living room, away from home on a trip, or even just not near your primary gaming area, Stadia can come with you. Across your TV, computer, and phone you always have access to your entire library without ever needing to download a game or install an update. And now with Ubisoft+ as an opti…

So many people are playing Cyberpunk 2077 on Google Stadia some users are unable to access 4K quality streams.

What you need to know

Some Stadia Pro users are not able to reach 4K quality in Cyberpunk 2077.
Even after restarting the game it may get stuck in 1080p quality.
Google explains this is due to “extraordinarily high usage” numbers.

Tides have turned dramatically in Stadia’s favor over the last week. Leading up to CD Projekt Red’s release of Cyberpunk 2077, the Google Stadia version seemed like an afterthought, but it has since risen as one of the best ways to play Cyberpunk 2077. Such a great way to play, in fact, that it seems like an unexpected number of people are accessing the game through Stadia.

If you subscribe to Stadia Pro, one of the main perks, in addition to bonus games provided at no-cost and discounts in the Stadia Store, is the ability to play games at 4K resolution. However, as first reported by Mobile Syrup, Google’s servers are apparently getting slamm…

Another big week of new releases for Stadia

What you need to know

Destroy All Humans! is out now on Google Stadia.
Cyberpunk 2077 launches on Dec. 9th at 4PM PT for Stadia.
SpongeBob, Valkyria Chronicles 4, and four more games all releasing this week.

Last week was noteworthy for Google Stadia users with two new platform exclusives and a free-play week for Elder Scrolls Online, but now this week is even bigger. Long-awaited titles like Destroy All Humans! are finally here, legacy titles such as Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2 round out the list that’s due to bolster the growing library of Stadia games nicely, and an assortment of surprise drops such as SpongeBob help top off the list.

Oh, and a little old game called Cyberpunk 2077 hits Stadia on the exact same day as other platforms like PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s nice to not have to wait weeks or months later for a game to come to Stadia for once.

Here’s the full rundown of what’s new this week on Stadia:

Valkyria Ch…

For one of the few Stadia-exclusive titles out right now, it should be more boundary-pushing.

Not all games need to be complicated. In fact, some of the most critically acclaimed and highly-regarded games of all-time are born from small concepts with relatively simple execution. Journey is a great example of this; it’s more than just the sum of its parts. But not all simple games are great either. Without depth, you need nuance and creative mechanics to engage players — or at least a captivating story. Submerged: Hidden Depths, unfortunately, has neither.

Submerged: Hidden Depths feels mostly lost at sea amidst the growing swarm of excellent games on Stadia on its course to deliver a compelling adventure. It’s instead arriving at a ho-hum amalgamation of loose ideas. It’s not a game, but it falls somewhere in the middle of the pack.

At a glance

Submerged: Hidden Depths

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Connect with your friends and play on!

Google Stadia has been out in the wild for over a year now following its November 2019 launch. In that time, a long list of games has been added to the service, and feature updates like Family Sharing, improved latency, enhanced visuals such as 4K HDR, and more have rounded out the first year of life. One feature that has eluded Stadia gamers this entire time, though, is the ability to directly message other Stadia users.

Thankfully, just this month, Google has finally rolled out messaging for Stadia. With this update, users can message each other directly inside the mobile app, on the browser-based website, or using a Chromecast device. This quick how-to guide will cover exactly how to send friends and other Stadia users messages using all three formats.

Everything you need

Stadia Premiere Edition

$100 at Google

A great way to start

This bundle includes everything you need to get started with Stadia. It includes the controller, a Stadi…