On September 29, 2022, Google announced it would be shutting down its Stadia streaming service and providing refunds to players who were affected by this decision. For those unsure about the shutdown process, here’s a guide to what date and time Google Stadia will shut down its servers and how to get refunds for your hardware and software.
When will the Google Stadia servers shut down?
Google Stadia will turn off its servers on January 18, 2023. An exact time for the shutdown has not been announced at the time of writing. Players can no longer purchase any more games as the Stadia Store and all in-game microtransactions were stopped on September 29, 2022. Players who had pre-ordered unreleased games will have those canceled, and those that have already been charged for their pre-orders will receive a refund.
Players can continue to play all of their owned games up until that date, although Google does anticipate “there will be some gameplay issues during this period”, especially with those games that include microtransactions. Unfortunately, unless the game allows for cross-progression on other platforms, which will certainly not be the case for any games released by Google Stadia’s shuttered internal studios, all in-game progress will be lost when the servers are closed.
How can I get a refund for Google Stadia?
Google will be offering refunds for all Google Stadia hardware purchases that were made through the Google Store, including controllers, the Founders Edition, the Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages. “Most” of this hardware will not need to be returned to Google, although they promise they will issue more details on how to obtain a refund for your Stadia hardware purchases in the coming weeks.
Players will also be able to get refunds for all games and add-on purchases made through the Google Store, but Stadia Pro subscriptions will not be refunded. Those who have an active Stadia Pro subscription will not incur any further charges until the shutdown date in January but will still be able to access their Pro library and other subscription entitlements.
As the refund process will likely vary between “each of the countries and different situations”, Google is still trying to work out the best way of issuing refunds. However, the intent is to automatically issue refunds back to the original method of payment by January 18, 2023. All customers who have purchased Google Stadia hardware and software will receive an email from Google. Customers who no longer have their original method of payment will be able to choose an alternative method of payment, so make sure not to ignore that email and follow its instructions closely to not miss out.
