PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is now available on Google's Stadia streaming platform, and is free for Stadia Pro members.
Today Google confirmed it's not playing around with Stadia. The service is getting some of the biggest games on the market today, and Google secured billion-dollar titans like EA's FIFA, Madden, and Star Wars, along with the massive battle royale sensation PUBG.
Right now PUBG is available for free as a bundle for all Stadia Pro members, which is good news if you haven't signed up. Google is offering a free two-month Stadia Pro trial for all new members, but you have to use a credit card to sign up. If you forget to cancel, Google will charge you $10 a month.
PUBG costs $30 for non-Stadia Pro members, but you'll lose access after your subscription lapses. The Pioneer Edition bundle includes access to a battle pass as well as a special set of cosmetics.
"This is Battle Royale. Land, loot and outwit your opponents to become the last player standing in a thrilling game experience full of unexpected, adrenaline-pumping moments. This bundle includes Playerunknown's Battlegrounds basegame, Survivor Pass: Cold Front and Stadia Premiere set."
PUBG represents a huge boon for Stadia. The battle royale has consistently made hundreds of millions in revenue, and in 2018, it made nearly $1 billion in earnings via full game sales and microtransactions.
The lack of games was one of my biggest gripes with Stadia, but Google seems to be taking its storefront very seriously. Now there's just the matter of destroying your monthly data cap (if you have one, of course) and latency issues to contend with.
Bear in mind there's no other way to access Stadia outside of Stadia Pro. Current subscribers also get 2 free months. Stadia Pro is the only entry point to the service, and the free version hasn't launched yet. So you'll have to enter some credit card info and potentially be obligated to pay up unless you cancel in the two-month period. After you cancel you're not locked out of Stadia, though, and can stay on as a free member. So the free version isn't accessible right away and you have to first go through the Pro trial.