It took longer than skeptics might’ve guessed, but Google Stadia is shutting down. On January 18, 2023, anyone who bought games on the streaming service will lose access to their library. To compensate people who invested in the ecosystem, Google will be giving Stadia users a full refund—quite an unprecedented move. If you bought a game on Stadia at any point since its launch, you might have questions. Here’s how it’s all going to play out.
Updated November 10, 2022: We’ve added new information about the first round of refunds.
Why Is Google Giving Refunds?Google has a reputation for killing products. But it doesn’t always leave users completely stranded. When Google “killed” YouTube Originals, it simply stopped producing new original content, but the old content is still there. Google is “killing” Hangouts, but users are being migrated to Google Chat. In many cases, people who used Google products that die often get redirected to something new.
Stadia is different. Stadia cost money, sometimes a lot of money. The kit that included a Chromecast Ultra and a Stadia controller cost $130. Users had to pay full price for games. There was a premium subscription for 4K streaming (which also came with a collection of games over time). It’s possible to have spent a significant amount of money on Stadia over the past three years.
Shutting down the service means taking away access to all those bought-and-paid-for games, which would go a touch beyond Google's usual shutdown routine. It’s rare to see a company offer full refunds for years worth of purchases on a platform—Microsoft paying users for ebook purchases is the closest that comes to mind—but it’s not hard to imagine the outrage (and possible lawsuits) if Google did otherwise here.
What Will Be Refunded?There are three big categories of services Stadia has charged for: hardware, game sales plus add-ons, and the Stadia Pro subscription. Only the first two will be eligible for refunds. Even then, only sales made through the Google Store or Stadia Store will qualify.
The Stadia Pro subscription included a rotation of free games you could claim (similar to Xbox and PlayStation game subscription services), but these titles won’t count toward refunds. If you paid for a game in the Stadia Store—as well as any downloadable content or add-on bundles—then those will qualify.
What If I Bought Stadia Hardware in a Store?
Google Stadia will launch with many of its key features not yet active. Photograph: Google If you bought a Stadia controller or Stadia kit at a retail store like Best Buy, unfortunately, you’re out of luck. Google will be offering refunds only for purchases made through the Google Store. There are two physical Google Stores in New York, so if you bought Stadia controllers there, you may qualify for a refund, but every other store will not.
