Google Stadia launches on November 19

Google will launch cloud gaming service Stadia on November 19.

Initially, it will be available in 14 markets: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

To access Stadia this year, users will need to buy the $129/£119 Founder’s Edition, which includes a Chromecast Ultra, a limited edition controller and a three-month Stadia Pro subscription. Alternatively, they can buy the Premiere Edition, which comes with a white controller.

“Stadia Founder’s Editions and Stadia Premiere Editions will begin shipping in the same order that pre-orders were received,” said Google VP and Stadia head of product John Justice. “You’ll be able to buy and play your favorite games beginning at 9AM PST/5PM BST/6PM CET on November 19.”

The Pro subscription, which will normally cost $9.99/£8.99 per month, offers 4K/HDR streaming with 5.1 surround sound and approximately one free game per month.

A free version of the service, Stadia Base, will offer up to 1080p streaming with stereo sound when it launches in 2020.

It was previously confirmed that Google Stadia would launch in November 2019 with over 30 games available to purchase on day one, including Red Dead Redemption 2.

Google recently revealed plans to offer free Stadia platform trials “a few months” after launch, as well as its desire for all Stadia games to support cross-play and cross-progression.

Announcing the platform at GDC in March, Google VP and Stadia GM Phil Harrison said: “Our vision for Stadia is simple. One place for all the ways we play, where the worlds of watching and playing games converge into a new generation gaming platform, to connect game developers with players and YouTube creators in a way that only Google can.

“On Stadia, you just need to click on a YouTube video or link and you can be playing your game instantly with no download, no update, no patch and no install.”

Google VP of engineering Madj Bakar recently suggested Stadia will offer a superior gaming experience than PCs and other local hardware in the near future.