Following a rocky launch, Google announced today that Stadia Pro members (which is everyone currently using Google Stadia right now) will receive two additional games next month. Given that two free games were given this month and two free games are being given next month, it’s safe to assume that Stadia Pro will follow a similar pattern to PlayStation Plus or Games With Gold, offering a pair of free games each month.
What Are December’s Free Stadia Pro Games?
Stadia Pro subscribers will be able to claim Farming Simulator 19 and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition completely free of charge when the Stadia store updates on December 1 at 9 AM PST. While these aren’t necessarily the most wanted or exciting Stadia games, it’s hard to top November’s offering of Destiny 2: The Collection and Samurai Showdown. Unlike services like PlayStation Plus, it appears that Stadia Pro games can still be claimed after the month is over. Google is saying that Destiny 2 and Samurai Showdown will still be free to claim in December, meaning Stadia Pro will hopefully offer a large back catalog of titles like Xbox Game Pass rather than just two free games each month.
Farming Simulator 19 and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition have both been available for purchase in the Stadia store since the service launched last week, but thankfully there’s a refund policy. Just like Steam, if you’ve played less than two hours of the game and haven’t owned it for more than 14 days, you get a full refund, no questions asked. If you’ve played a little over two hours of either game, it still can’t hurt to request a refund anyway.
It’s also worth noting that Farming Simulator is one of the few games on Stadia to actually hit the advertised 4k/60fps that so many other games are lacking. The developers confirmed that the game also has crossplay enabled with the PC version of the game, and that the Stadia version runs at the equivalent of PC max settings. Tomb Raider hits 4k, but only at 30fps. There is a performance mode that runs at 60fps, but only at 1080p.
If Google keeps up the pace of two free games a month for Stadia Pro, then they might run into issues in the future regarding which games to give out. With 22 games currently on the store, there isn’t a huge pool of older titles to fill those free slots. Yes, more games are coming to the service in the future, but those will be new multiplatform AAA releases that won’t be a part of a subscription service on day one. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the Pro subscription in the future.
