How to Get a Google Stadia Refund

With the news that Google will be shutting down its Stadia servers in January 2023, owners are eligible for refunds. Here's how to claim them.

Yesterday, Sept. 29, Google announced that it would be shutting down its cloud streaming console Stadia. In a blog post, Stadia Vice President and General Manager Phil Harrison said, "while Stadia's approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service."

The Stadia platform and game servers will remain online until Jan. 18, 2023. Google has said that they anticipate some gameplay issues during the period leading up to the end date but that the majority of games "should continue to work normally."

With the platform ceasing operations, owners of the system have been left feeling high and dry. Fortunately, Google has announced that they will be offering refunds for all Stadia hardware purchases. This includes: Stadia Controller, Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages.

How to Get a Google Stadia Refund

To be eligible for a refund, purchases will need to have been made through the Google Store or, for software transactions such as games and add-on purchases, through the Stadia store.

Google has yet to reveal their process for refunds, saying that they are currently working on it. They plan to update their help post as they "define the process for each of the countries and different situations." They have specified, however, that physical locations (Google Store, Best Buy, etc.) will not be able to process any returns or refunds.

"Our intent is to have the majority of refunds processed back to the original payment by January 18, 2023," Google has stated.

Most hardware purchases made directly from Google will not need to be returned, though more details are set to be revealed soon. Stadia Pro subscriptions will not be eligible for refunds, though players who held an active Stadia Pro subscription as of Sept. 29, 2022 will not be charged for access to their Pro library or other subscription entitlements during the shut-down period.