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gammas
Community Member

If I cancel my Pro Subscription can I still play games I've already bought?

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I've bought many games on Stadia, but with me on the edge of maybe being cut loose from my job, I have to cut unnecessary spending.

Thus my question, will I still be able to play games I've already bought on Stadia without the Pro subscription? I haven't heard news about the "free" tier releasing anytime, so I wasn't sure how that applies to me.

 

Thank you.

4 Kudos
Best Response
Mad_Dog_Bravo
Community Member

@gammas 

Yes, but only at 1080p resolution and in stereo.  To play any titles in 4K or 5.1 audio requires an active Pro subscription.

@ShaneAnderson : Unfortunately no special tier for founders or early adopters, same rules apply for everyone currently.

Kudos appreciated if deserved.

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13 Kudos
codesplice
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

@aPandasaurusRex Yes, if you cancel the Pro subscription you will not be able to play any of the claimed games until you subscribe again. Your game data will not be impacted; it will be available once you subscribe again or even if you purchased the games individually. 

And yes, you'll retain your Founder status and username since the account itself doesn't change. 

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11 Kudos
32 Replies

As far as i know you should be able to use only the games you bought. Games that were free will disappear. I think founders and early adopters are exempt from the free tier rule. I think that only applies to new accounts. 

0 Kudos
Mad_Dog_Bravo
Community Member

@gammas 

Yes, but only at 1080p resolution and in stereo.  To play any titles in 4K or 5.1 audio requires an active Pro subscription.

@ShaneAnderson : Unfortunately no special tier for founders or early adopters, same rules apply for everyone currently.

Kudos appreciated if deserved.
13 Kudos
FreemonLay123
Community Member

So let’s just say someone buys a gold edition game with stadia pro deals. If they cancel their subscription, can they still play that game with its DLCs? 

0 Kudos
codesplice
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

@FreemonLay123 Anything you buy is yours forever, even if you got it on a Pro-only discount.

4 Kudos

Oh really? My bad! I figured if my pro sub ran out I could only continue playing the titles i bought. But if that's the way it is. Anyone with a stadia is forced to keep paying for pro just to play the games they already bought until a free tier is opened. 

0 Kudos
Mad_Dog_Bravo
Community Member

@ShaneAnderson :

Crossed lines here.  If you let your Pro subscription lapse, then you can still play any of the titles that you have purchased.  But only in 1080p resolution and only in stereo.  If you want to play those titles in 4K or 5.1 then you have to renew your subscription.

Kudos appreciated if deserved.
6 Kudos

Okay so that's what I thought was the case. Good to know. So you would only see the games you bought in the store section of the app ? Or would you still be able to buy games to play at the lower resolution ? I'm not planning on giving up pro . But curious none the less. 

1 Kudo
codesplice
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

@ShaneAnderson I haven't tested myself, but my understanding is that you'll still be able to browse the store and purchase new games after your Pro subscription lapses - you just won't have access to any claimed free Pro games, and you won't be able to take advantage of Pro discounts on future purposes.

You'd effectively be on the free tier, Stadia Base, which is currently only available to users who started with a Pro subscription. 

1 Kudo

That's what i was hoping would be the case. 

0 Kudos
21stpil0tcBurp
Community Member

@codesplice  what about a bundle for free with the 1 month free trial?

0 Kudos
AhmazinSKM
Founder
Founder

Does anyone else see the fallacy in this business model like I do? I mean, why buy a game at all on Stadia, at the same price as all other platforms (sometimes more), and get limited to 1080p. I mean, I get the convenience of Stadia. I love the service, but looking at it from the perspective of a PC, XB1X and Pro owner, it's kind of bull that I'll be limited to 1080p if I don't cough the money up for Pro membership. Personally, I think Stadia needs to address this. In my opinion, buying the game you should be able to play it in the highest fidelity that the game can run. No matter what.

13 Kudos
dunaweezel
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

I agree 100 percent. I pay full price for the newest game, I should get the full game

2 Kudos
eugeant
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Agreed

1 Kudo
Matt1
Founder
Founder

@AhmazinSKM but with consoles you have to buy the game and console to play it, so to me it’s pretty reasonable to get access to Stadia at 1080p for free and pay £9 for extended access (4K etc.). If you say the latest console will be £500 then that’s 56 months of Stadia (almost 5 years) with all the free games and perks that Pro brings....Without that I’m not sure how it would be a workable business for Google since after all they have continuous hardware costs to keep the servers top spec and have to employ people to work on Stadia.

5 Kudos
vice350z
Community Member

So if I buy a game from Stadia...i'm limited to 1080p if I cancel my Stadia account? It doesn't let you download the game so you can choose what resolution you want to play at? Why would I pay 59.99 for a game on Stadia only to be limited to 1080p if I cancel instead of buying off Steam?

5 Kudos
ChrisFromGoogle
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi vice350z, to clear up any confusion, any game you purchase, whether you are a Stadia Pro subscriber or not, will be available to play forever. Only Stadia Pro subscribers will retain access to 4K, surround sound audio, and the other benefits associated with Stadia Pro. Any games claimed for free while a Stadia Pro member will only be available while a Stadia Pro subscription is active.

 

If there are any lingering questions, check out our handy support article on the topic.

3 Kudos
aPandasaurusRex
Community Member

I am in the same boat as the original post, where I am considering cutting monthly expenses as much as possible once school starts and work ends. I am a Stadia founder and have claimed almost all of the free games. If I do decide to cancel Stadia until my life stabilizes, I understand that I would lose access to all of the free games I have claimed (correct?), but will I be able to reclaim them once I renew my subscription? And if so, would my game data be restored as well?

All of the local multiplayer games I use are Pro claims, and not having access to them makes my 4 controllers virtually useless until I reactivate.

Additionally, would I retain my "founding member" status and username upon resubscribing? Less important, but do enjoy the status a wee bit.

Thank you!

Tags (1)
1 Kudo
codesplice
Gold Stadia Guide
Gold Stadia Guide

@aPandasaurusRex Yes, if you cancel the Pro subscription you will not be able to play any of the claimed games until you subscribe again. Your game data will not be impacted; it will be available once you subscribe again or even if you purchased the games individually. 

And yes, you'll retain your Founder status and username since the account itself doesn't change. 

11 Kudos
aPandasaurusRex
Community Member

That is awesome news! Thank you @codesplice 

1 Kudo
Soevildead
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

I'm afraid to spend money and purchase games on stadia fearing that they might go out of business in the next few years can you instill any confidence in me?

1 Kudo
AtomicHaggis
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

You do realise Stadia is a Google service?  Google isn't likely to go out of business, and if they renege on people who've spent money on purchasing games they'll be in all sorts of trouble.

0 Kudos
Archon
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

And as a Google service, could be cancelled at any time.

4 Kudos
pokaprophet
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Stadia isn’t really for ppl with a PC good enough to play the latest games already. I use it because I don’t own any console and my PC and Mac are ancient. That’s why. 

5 Kudos
Catch33
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Im curious, if i buy through Stadia an Ubisoft game (which requires an ubisoft account as well), and stop my subscription, can i (download and) play it still on Ubisoft or do i still need a stadia connection/subscription?
(and a possibility to transfer the saved play history ?)

0 Kudos
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @Catch33,

If you buy games on Stadia you can always play those games.
A Pro subscription is not needed to play games you bought on Stadia.

Stadia Pro Subscription:

  • 4K stream
  • Surround sound
  • Claim and play claimed Pro games
  • Play games that you have bought
  • Play free games likes Destiny 2, Bomberman & Hitman (free pack)

Stadia Free Subscription:

  • HD stream
  • Stereo sound
  • Play games you have bought  
  • Play free games likes Destiny 2, Bomberman & Hitman (free pack)

So either way you can play games you buy in the Stadia store.

Please note it is not possible to export your games from Stadia to Ubisoft store or other way around.
Stadia is just like every other console, you buy games for Stadia.

About the save games, this is only possible if the game support cross platform saves. :winking_face:

4 Kudos
Catch33
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Indeed, well i did check Ubisoft forums, and they did say save games can be transferred... Not easy, but it can.

But there's not much use if you have to buy it a second time...i might have said that before }:‑)

But ok it can still be played on the free stadia.n that's a plus

1 Kudo
MLU
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Do you know if we purchase a game on Stadia, cancel Pro subscription, will the game we bought allow us to play online against others?

Ex... NBA 2K or Madden - play against others live people without a Stadia Pro account

0 Kudos
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @MLU,

Yes you have access to the full game. There is no need to pay for online play like PlayStation+ or such. Once you bought the game you are having the full online features even without Stadia Pro. :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

1 Kudo
MLU
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Excellent!  NBA 2K anyone? 

0 Kudos