These are the best Stadia games available to play right now in 2021
Google has some of the biggest AAA games out there on its platform, and the catalog keeps getting bigger and better. With more than a year on the market, dozens of games on Stadia are available to play instantly with no downloads, patches, or updates required. So whether you love shooters, RPGs, online multiplayer, platformers, indies, or something in between, there are undoubtedly games for you on Stadia right now. Here's our list of the best Google Stadia games available to you now!
Featured favorite
Cyberpunk 2077 for Stadia
CD Projekt RED's open-world epic may not be the genre-defining revolution a lot had hoped for, but the Stadia version plays great. While the PS4 and Xbox One editions currently suffer from horrible performance issues and tons of bugs, the Stadia version is comparable to playing on a gaming PC and is arguably the best way to play the game. I enjoyed it quite a lot in my review and am excited to see it get better.
Action horror at its finest
Resident Evil Village for Stadia
Resident Evil Village continues the story of Ethan Winters and his family dealing with the fallout from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. However, unlike Biohazard, Resident Evil Village focuses much more on the action-horror aspect of the classic franchise, giving players some incredible moments to play through as they explore a castle filled with terrifying (and tall) vampires, a village overrun by Lycans, and much more.
Gather your party
Baldur's Gate 3 (Early Access) for Stadia
Staff Pick
Even though it's still in Early Access, Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 is already shaping up to be another RPG masterpiece from one of the genre's greats. The developers behind the critically-acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin series have taken the reins of the iconic Dungeons & Dragons universe in this amazing feast of turn-based tactics and wonderful storytelling. It also plays great on Stadia via PC and has surprisingly good controller support. Unfortunately, it's not on consoles yet, so this is the only way to play the game right now without a gaming PC.
Dawn of the Dark Age
Assassin's Creed Valhalla for Stadia
There have been many great Assassin's Creed games, and a lot of them are on Stadia, but the recent Valhalla is excellent in its own right. It's an epic Viking story that puts you in the shoes of Eivor, a Viking warrior hellbent on revenge and conquering the lands of England. It continues the franchise's diversion into the open-world RPG genre and streamlines many elements to make it one of the best in the entire series. If you sign up for Ubisoft on Stadia, you can play a ton of Assassin's Creed games for one low subscription fee.
Silent assassin
Hitman 3 for Stadia
The Hitman games are must-plays for sure as the first games on Stadia to employ the innovative new State Share feature. They collectively offer incredible moments of espionage that make you feel like a master assassin, and they're some of the best-looking games on the platform. Hitman 3 is the latest and best, with Hitman 1-2 available at no extra cost with a Stadia Pro membership.
Game creation for all
Crayta for Stadia
Here's your family-friendly entry on the list. Think of Crayta as a combination of the world-building and game creation toolset of something like Roblox. Still, it's distilled down into an accessible and appealing format with Fortnite-style visuals. You can crack open the editor on PC to really get into the nuts and bolts or hop on for some quick and easy fun with friends. Crayta is whatever you want it to be, and now it's free for anyone and everyone on Stadia, not just Pro subscribers.
Hide and seek
Dead by Daylight for Stadia
Have you ever wanted to play hide and seek with a serial killer? Then have we got the game for you! Four survivors must stealthily repair generators to escape being trapped in a creepy arena with a deranged killer, who another player also controls. This unique, asymmetrical multiplayer format makes for one of the tensest and terrifying games out there. Crossplay means you'll always find matches with players across Stadia, PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox systems.
Guardians and glory
Destiny 2: New Light for Stadia
The ability to play Bungie's popular first-person shooter on your phone is one of the most exciting things about Stadia. The base game and its two expansions are currently free with your Stadia account, so you can test out the systems and explore the game's strange worlds on your own or with friends. Once you've honed your skills, you can start getting competitive with PvP or buy some of the expansions to keep the adventure going.
Hell to pay
DOOM Eternal for Stadia
Fight off demons with a shoulder-mounted flamethrower, retractable wrist-mounted blade, and other ridiculous weaponry in the latest version of the first-person shooter. You can also test your PvP skills by taking on two friends playing demons.
Tamriel traveller
The Elder Scrolls Online for Stadia
As the only true MMO on Stadia, Elder Scrolls Online doesn't have a lot of competition. Luckily, it's also one of the best MMOs on the market, period. With the Stadia version, you get ultimate flexibility and play on your TV, PC, or phone. Turning in dailies and completing quick quests on mobile is super simple and makes it a great game to play in short spurts and long all-night sessions. Of course, no mandatory subscription fee is nice too.
Pedal to the metal
GRID for Stadia
Every best games list needs a solid racing title, and GRID fits the bill perfectly. It has an excellent blend between arcade-style racing and simulation mechanics, offering something that's not too easy but not too complex. Visually it's stunning, and it even has a Stadia-exclusive mode that can cram up to 40-players into a single race. It gets very intense very quickly.
Tiny terrors
Little Nightmares 2 for Stadia
This latest endeavor from Tarsier Studios is a great improvement over its predecessor and delivers on its promises of a world full of "charming horror" perfectly. Little Nightmares 2 is unsettling, tense, and downright terrifying at times without ever losing the innocent exterior that draws you in. Definitely one of the first must-play games of 2021; it's got the benefit of being included at no extra charge in Stadia Pro for all subscribers. Of course, you do not need to have played the previous game before playing this one, but it will enhance the story's impact.
Fatality
Mortal Kombat 11 for Stadia
Play as characters from throughout the fighting game's long history or test your moves with some famous new challengers like the Joker and Spawn. This version also provides a new custom character variation system where the more you play, the more looks and moves you unlock.
Wild wild west
Red Dead Redemption 2 for Stadia
Play as an outlaw trying to survive in the waning days of the Wild West in this sprawling open-world game. Make your choices carefully as you try to keep your gang together while evading lawmen. Red Dead Redemption 2 is also like two games in one, thanks to Red Dead Online's massive success and popularity.
Evading death
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for Stadia
Stadia may not have any of the Dark Souls games just yet, but you can enjoy From Software's latest outing with Sekiro, which has refined the formula to a sharpened edge. This game really pushes Stadia to its limits as a platform due to how demanding the split-second timing requirements are for parrying and attacking. It's a great game, but not if your internet connection is anything but rock-solid.
Pixel-perfect crafting
Terraria for Stadia
At first glance, it's pretty easy to write off Terraria as just another Minecraft clone, but this time with 2D pixel art visuals. While true on the surface, there is actually much more to Terraria than initially meets the eye. The Stadia version is a perfect port of the excellent sandbox survival game with zero compromises than its dedicated console counterparts for all intents and purposes. But it still may not be right for you if you're not into extremely open-ended crafting games.
Stream on
Since Stadia launched, Google has gone to work bringing some of the best games out there to its platform. Every month users see a wide range of new releases from AAA classics to smaller indie games and everything in between. No matter what type of games you're into, you're bound to find something great on Stadia. At the top of that list is absolutely Cyberpunk 2077, which defies logic and actually plays best on Stadia compared to most other options.
Other massive open-world games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldur's Gate 3, even in Early Access, is shaping up to be one of the RPG greats.
Whether you're playing on mobile, on your TV, or in a web browser, there are dozens of great games on Stadia now. So, instead of trying to find something worth playing like in Stadia's first few months, now the question is, how do you find the time to play all of these great games? Also, what do you play with? There are plenty of great wireless game controllers for Stadia that you can get started with.
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