Free games for a limited time

Google Stadia may not have seen the massive success that the company was hoping for, but almost three years after its launch, the streaming service is still holding on. Now it seems that Google has a plan to get more players onboard, because they’ve just announced that they have over 120 game trials (and more on the way) that you can hop in and try out right now, no payment or Stadia account required. The catalog includes hit games like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Little Nightmares, Saints Row: The Third, Terraria, Spiritfarer, and many more. Of course, this deal isn’t without its stipulations.

The trials may in fact be free, but players’ time with each game is limited from anywhere between 120 minutes to 30 minutes, which is pretty insubstantial depending on which game you’re playing.

So, it’s looking like this is a better deal if you’re already looking to try Stadia — as one Reddit user points out, playing the trials of games like Hotline Miami is actually a great way to see if Stadia’s streaming will work with your network and hardware.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwb6d2wK3Qw

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to drop a ton of money on a console or PC gaming rig, Stadia is a nice option, in theory, assuming that it works for you. Okay so maybe there are a lot of “ifs” at play here, but that never stopped Google, clearly.

Regardless of the logistics, others on Reddit praised the trial model, and said they wished Steam would do the same thing. Games are expensive, and only raising in price, so it makes sense that players would want to try out a game before they commit to dropping some major cash for the full thing. If you’ve ever looked at Google Stadia and thought, “it’s a good idea, but…” this is a good no-risk opportunity to give it the ol’ college try.