Stadia launched back in November of 2019 with a few hiccups here and there. In the months since, Stadia has done a decent job of adding more features and games, though we still think there’s much work to be done. The platform currently feels like the best way to stream games from a general usability standpoint, but the lack of popular titles is still holding it back and giving current users pause when deciding what to do in the months moving forward.
As it stands now, users who signed up as Founders are beginning to get charged for the $9.99/month it actually costs to be a Stadia Pro subscriber. The initial package offered to early adopters included a Chromecast Ultra, a limited edition controller, and 3 months of Stadia Pro for free. Now that we’ve come up on the end of that 3 month period, there are some pretty good reasons to stay and some pretty good reasons to leave, but many are worried about what happens to their Stadia experience if they choose not to continue with Pro as the free-to-play Stadia Base has yet to launch.
Worry not, Pro users, as Stadia looks to be taking the high road with subscribers’ data and accounts if you choose to end your subscription. Doing so is simple in the app, just look under your profile in the subscriptions section. You’ll have the option to cancel and, according to the folks over at Stadia (via a statement to Android Police), you’ll be transferred over to Stadia Base and still be able to play all the games you purchased. Of course, this does not include games you claimed as Pro freebies. It will also take you down to 1080p with no option for 4K streaming.
More importantly, users won’t lose their claimed games or save states if/when they choose to reactivate Stadia Pro down the road. Speaking with a Stadia rep yesterday, we confirmed all the games that have successfully been claimed while a user is a Stadia Pro subscriber will remain in their library once Stadia Pro is reactivated. This was a big sticking point for me as I consider what to do next. I didn’t want to come back to my Pro subscription in a few months and find that I’d lost access to some of the free Pro games I enjoy playing if those titles were no longer ‘claimable’ when that time comes.
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The biggest thing you have potential of missing out on is the ability to claim free games while your Pro subscription is not active. Quite a few of the free-to-claim games on Stadia have only held that status for 30 days at a time, so if you are not a Pro subscriber for a few months, you may miss out on quite a few free titles. Additionally, Pro users get great discounts on purchases all the time, so there’s that to consider as well.
For me, I’m sticking with Pro for a bit longer in hopes that more games are on the way. Let’s face it: deals on games – free or discounted – are only good if there are some games you actually want. For many, that isn’t the case right now with Stadia. Here’s hoping that predicament changes swiftly over the next few months before Stadia loses most of its Pro-level player base.
