Google is processing Stadia refunds: here’s what to do
Repayments are being beamed through the cloud (or more likely a wire transfer)
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Stadia refunds
💸 Google has started issuing refunds to Stadia customers
🤗 All hardware, games and subscriptions will be refunded, besides Pro subs
📅 Google hopes to complete the majority of repayments by January 18, 2023
⛔ It doesn’t want you to contact customer support for updates
Google is now processing Stadia refunds for anyone who purchased games, hardware or subscriptions for the soon-to-be shuttered cloud gaming platform.
After officially announcing the end of Stadia in September, Google promised to refund all purchases made through the Stadia store, except Pro subscriptions. It intends to process the majority of repayments by the time the service shuts down on January 18, 2023.
In a recently updated FAQ page, Google said those refunds have now started. Each transaction will be dealt with automatically and should be issued through the original form of payment used for the purchase. If that’s no longer available – if you’ve changed bank accounts, say – Google will email you instructions on how to set up an alternative refund method.
If you made 20 or fewer Stadia purchases, you’ll get an email for each transaction notifying you the refund has been issued. If you made any more than that, you’ll get a single email collating every refund that’s coming your way. And if you deleted the Google account you used to make the purchase? Google says it’ll still try to issue the refund but you should contact Stadia Customer Service if it hasn’t come through.
The company didn’t issue a timeline for individual refunds and it doesn’t look like one will be forthcoming. “Please refrain from contacting Customer Support as they will not be able to help expedite your refund during this time,” the FAQ page says.
So, in short, hang back and stay put. The refund should be made automatically.
The January deadline marks the final day of Stadia. After that date passes, the service will completely stop. You won’t be able to play any Stadia games or connect your Stadia controller to the service, but Google doesn’t want it back. The gamepad will still function as a wired controller, which is handy if you need an extra PC peripheral.
Many had expected Stadia’s demise before Google confirmed the service’s closure last month. The cloud gaming service, which launched only in November 2019, struggled to gain traction in the gaming community, offering little value for money. Users had to buy the Stadia hardware, buy digital games to play through the platform and take out an additional subscription to play them at the highest image quality.
With its limited library, Stadia couldn’t compete with traditional console manufacturers. The technical power and expansive libraries of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S made up for their high upfront costs.
Google looks to have gotten into cloud gaming at just the wrong time. The newly launched Logitech G Cloud shows there’s now a place for handheld game streaming, while Xbox Game Pass can be streamed directly to Samsung TVs.