by RootSec
Stadia was a platform heavily criticized at launch. While the concept of eliminating downloads altogether and having the ability to pick up where someone left off across a number of devices certainly earned its praise, the execution left a lot to be desired. One concern shared by many was the lack of choice afforded to early Stadia adopters. At launch, Stadia only had 22 games, only 1 of which was an exclusive title.
However, Stadia’s game library is now looking fuller than ever, providing a great diversity of choice. Options now include everything from brand new releases, to free to play games, and a handful of Google Stadia exclusive games. Still, the third-party offerings are what stand out the most.
While it may be too late to claim Google’s offer of a free Stadia Premiere Kit, it isn’t too late to pick up Capcom’s latest entry into the Resident Evil franchise. Resident Evil Village launched recently to rave reviews, as it’s the talk of the town at the moment and for good reason. But for those on a budget or those who may not have played the previous game in the series, Stadia Pro subscribers are able to download Resident Evil 7 for free this month. Both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village are now available on Google Stadia.
Fans of the series have noticed a number of similarities between Village and Resident Evil 4, which can only be good news for RE Village as Resident Evil 4 is among the most loved entries in the series. Given the fanfare surrounding Resident Evil Village, it would be fair to class it as one of the must-have games on the platform. Stadia is able to run RE Village at 4K / 60FPS, putting it up there with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in terms of performance.
Gylt is one of a handful of Stadia exclusives or timed exclusives, which is seemingly what ‘First on Stadia’ means. As Stadia’s first attempt at a platform exclusive, it stands out as one of the more memorable experiences. Gylt is charming, creepy, and positively overflowing with puzzles, which comes across as a horror game for people who are afraid of horror games. The toned-down horror elements provide ample time to take in the environment of a small town beset by some other-worldly event.
While Gylt may not be the big-budget AAA experience that can be found in the likes of Resident Evil Village, it’s a fun title that can’t be found anywhere else. Gylt succeeds in providing a reason to visit Google’s game streaming platform. For those looking to dip into Stadia’s game library, Gylt is worth buying.
Like Resident Evil 7, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is also available to download free for Stadia Pro subscribers in the month of May. Fallen Order is one of the more critically acclaimed Star Wars games of late, receiving praise for its combat system as well as the ambition that was clearly on display. Fallen Order is an action-adventure game with a total of 8 planets that are explored and opened up in a way not too dissimilar to souls-type games.
Jedi: Fallen Order is the story-based, single-player experience fans had been crying out for. The combat is rewarding, and on higher difficulties, punishing, while the story is a worthwhile adventure. For die-hard Star Wars fans, Jedi Fallen Order is also considered canon. Fallen Order ranks among the best games available on Stadia and provides an incentive to sign up for Stadia’s Pro tier subscription.
Despite releasing in 2017, Destiny 2 has managed to remain in the limelight to this day. Through consistent updates and a switch to a free-to-play model in 2019, Destiny 2 has managed to outlast a number of its contemporaries. And with discussions already taking place over what will be included in Destiny 2 Season 14, it doesn’t seem that it will be slowing down any time soon.
What makes Destiny 2 such a good option for gamers looking to try out Stadia is that it is completely free to play. If there are any doubts remaining about whether Stadia can produce an experience similar to its console counterparts, Destiny 2 is the perfect risk-free test. With options for both PvE and PvP combat and a wealth of seasonal events, Destiny 2 offers a little something for everyone. When looking at a list of the games available on Stadia, Destiny 2 is bound to stand out among the rest.
Since the game’s release in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 has been hailed as one of Rockstar’s biggest achievements. From the most minuscule details to the monstrous size of the RDR2 map, almost everything about the game has been analyzed and commended. RDR2 appears on Stadia, offering 4K / 30fps on the Chromecast Ultra, and it even offers up a feature that gives it a slight edge over the PS4 / Xbox One versions of the game.
A common complaint among fans of the game is the amount of time it takes to load into RDR2, something Stadia goes some way to addressing. Due to the nature of the Stadia streaming platform (essentially, Google has some of the fastest SSD’s on the market at their data centers) games tend to load in faster when played on Stadia. This is noticeable when compared to last-gen consoles, but less so when compared with high-end PC’s and next-gen consoles. While it’s fairly minor in the grand scheme of things, this feature makes Stadia one of the better places to play Red Dead Redemption 2 and makes an already great game even better.
