[Updated] Stadia Pro free trial with no payment method goes live, but with one caveat

Update: The screenshot below was improperly attributed to ‘Cloudproto’. It’s’ been updated to credit Ben Schoon.

We received hints a few months ago about Stadia possibly offering a Pro trial to newcomers without asking for their credit or debit card in order to get started. A user on the official Stadia Discord channel who goes by the name ‘Cloudproto’ came across the new promotion that shows that this is now rolling out.

On top of already getting a 30-day free trial, you can now start using Google’s cloud gaming service in just a few simple clicks – no payment method necessary. Well, at least not for the first thirty minutes – that’s the caveat. It may not seem like a lot, but I’d wager it’s plenty of time to let those who have shied away from Stadia in the past or even those who have been vehemently against it to dip their toes in and possibly have their minds changed.

“Superhero” John Justice, Google’s Head of Product for Stadia has repeatedly stated that if people would simply try it before passing judgment, they may be pleasantly surprised at how well it works. He reiterated this point in his latest interview appearance on The Escapist. Every time I visit Reddit or other social outlets, I see that someone has actually taken this advice and has become a believer in what cloud gaming has to offer, and oftentimes, the ones who don’t just haven’t tried it yet.

It’s understandable that users with connection speeds that don’t meet Google’s requirements to run Stadia or who have data caps can’t make use of the service, but for the rest of the naysayers, I’m just saying – I used to absolutely hate spinach and mushrooms growing up, but that’s because I judged them on their look and smell – I never actually ate them! Now, they’re some of my absolute favorite foods and I eat them almost daily.

Keep in mind that if you do choose to try Stadia Pro, you’ll immediately be treated to 30+ free games with your trial. In addition to playing on your Chromebook, Android phone, or Chrome browser via Windows, you can now play on iOS devices too! Ben Schoon of 9to5Google has perfectly illustrated the payment-less sign-up process and how fast you can be in-game and playing in a video that he created of it.

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