Google Stadia Won't Have a Beta

If you're unsure whether or not you'd be able to successfully use Google Stadia and make the most of the game streaming platform, it looks like you'll have to keep being unsure right up until the moment the service launches. Google has confirmed that its new streaming product won't be getting a beta before it launches in November of this year, though if you're still tentatively planning on getting it around the time it launches, there are as till a few ways that you can avoid jumping in blind.

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Google vice president and head of Stadia Phil Harrison confirmed that there'd be no beta for Stadia. If it were only a new game or something similar that didn't get a beta, that'd be one thing, but the fact that Stadia won't have a beta as a new streaming platform may deter those who were already on the fence about it. The service looks promising enough for those who want to try out a digital-only streaming lifestyle when it comes to their games, but the biggest question for many is how well it'll stream those titles on Internet connections of various stabilities depending on each individual's situation.

For those who aren't planning on buying Google Stadia fresh off its launch because you're unsure of how it'll handle, the easiest option is to do what you might already be doing with some games you're iffy on: Just wait for the reviews. Other people with similar Internet connections will probably be jumping at the release of Google Stadia in November, so we'll hear then whether or not it can run games well on Internet connections which fall on the lower end of the spectrum.

November's release is just for the paid version as well, so if you've just got a passing interest in Stadia, it shouldn't hurt you too much to just wait it out until early 2020 when a free version is released. This base version of Stadia will stream games up to 1080p at 60 FPS and comes with many of the same perks as the Stadia Pro edition.

When asked about the possibility of more tests, Harrison said that if Google had more time, there was the possibility of more tests being conducted in regions like the UK or other parts of Europe.

"Geographically, the US is the most complex place to test; just because of the size of the country," Harrison said. "And actually, Europe – and particularly the UK – are much... relatively, they are relatively easier to launch. So we are not going to do another test in the UK or Europe. If we had time we probably would have done so, but we don't need to."

Google Stadia's Founders edition launches some time in November.