Google’s foray into the game cloud gaming space withStadiaofficially came to an end when the service was shut down in January 2023. The game streaming service launched publicly in 2019 and developed a dedicated base of players over time, with a solid number of players inpopular online games likeDestiny 2andRed Dead Online. However, with the recent shutdown of the streaming service, players and communities who relied on the platform for access to their favorite games will have to jump to alternative platforms to continue playing.
WhenStadiafirst launched in 2019, it was met with mixed reviews criticizing the small size of its library and missing features players were promised. Despite these criticisms, the platform garnered a handful of exclusive titles along with a good number of major releases to the point where a dedicated player base had formed. However, when the announcement was made in September 2022 that Stadia would be shutting down the following January, many communities braced for the hit they would take when Stadia players could no longer access these major multiplayer titles.
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The online multiplayer component to Rockstar’s western epicRed Dead Redemption 2was first released in May 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One and would make its way onto Stadia and PC in November of that year. Sold as a standalone title to the base game,Red Dead Onlineplayerscan explore the game’s open world, tackling quests as a user-created character, or simply hunting, fishing, and role-playing the frontier life they want to live. Thankfully, Rockstar has been generous in helping transfer data from Stadia players over to the alternative platform of their choice.
Destiny 2
Bungie’s popular sci-fi MMODestiny 2had a surprisingly sizable player base on Stadia prior to its shutdown. Given the game’s free-to-play status, it’s not too surprising Stadia owners would take the chance to check the game out cost-free. Luckily, Bungie offeredDestiny 2players the Cross-Save feature if they linked their Stadia Account to their Bungie Account, so progression made on the Stadia version of the game wouldn’t be lost when the service shut down and players could hop back into the game on another platform. However, additional content purchased on Stadia such as expansions could not be transferred between platforms via Cross-Save.
The Elder Scrolls Online
Bethesda’s fantasy MMORPGThe Elder Scrolls Onlineoffers players the ability toexplore the world of Tamriel, tackling a host of quests between the base game and its expansions. Despite the base game costing $19.99, its crossplay features were an attractive selling point and Stadia players were able to access the MMO without having to download large game files thanks to the cloud streaming offered by the service. When the service shut down in January, Bethesda made sure players were covered, offering free PC versions of the game with the ability to transfer player data without loss of progression from the Stadia version.
Theasymmetrical horror multiplayer gameDead by Daylight, which featured iconic characters from franchises likeResident Evil,Stranger Things, andThe Evil Dead,left players who had purchased its premium currency, Auric Cells, in a tough situation prior to Stadia’s shutdown. Although the game had cross-progression between Steam and Stadia, Auric Cells couldn’t be transferred, meaning players who had purchased the currency on the Google Play Store needed to spend any remaining before it would be lost when Stadia went offline. Players who did so would be able to access the content purchased if their account was linked with Steam, avoiding the headache of losing progression and premium content.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
One of the most popular strategicmultiplayer FPS games on the market,Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, was one title that Stadia players could access beginning in June 2021. Although this release came 2 years into Stadia’s life, the popularity of the game and its thriving online community, along with its crossplay capabilities, meant Stadia players could jump in and still get the fullRainbow Six Siegeexperience. Like many other publishers, Ubisoft allowed Stadia players to transfer their data via linked Ubisoft accounts to PC, offering them free PC versions of the games they owned on Stadia.
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Other Games Whose Online Components Were Affected by Stadia’s Shutdown
Additionally,Stadia’s storefront was disabledprior to the end of the streaming service. Players who purchased games for Stadia via the Google Play Store were automatically issued refunds.
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