No, Google Stadia won’t have a beta ahead of November launch

Google Stadia’s November launch is coming up fast, with just a few short months until you can get your hands on Google’s cloud gaming service.

However, speaking to GamesRadar, Google’s Vice President and Stadia top dog Phil Harrison has plainly stated there won’t be a beta test for the service ahead of launch in the UK or Europe, outside of the Project Stream tests that have already happened. 

“We are not going to do another test in the UK or Europe,” says Harrison in the interview, explaining: “if we had time we probably would have done so, but we don’t need to.”

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Considering the only way you’ll be able to play Google Stadia in November is with the Google Stadia Founders Edition, which you can pre-order for £120, players are being asked to drop a serious chunk of cash without any solid indication of whether Stadia will work on your internet connection beforehand, which could cause nerves for some. 

Google Stadia needs 10Mbps for 720p gaming, with increasing amounts of speed for better quality visuals. Google has pushed out their own speedtest website for potential buyers, letting them see if they have fast enough internet to enjoy Stadia ahead of purchase. 

Players getting involved will be able to play a host of triple-A games, including Doom Eternal, Baldur’s Gate 3, and many others. Destiny 2 and Borderlands 3 will reportedly be on the service from launch, in addition to a host of older games, offering a video game buffet for those using the service.

In our hands-on at E3, gaming writer Jade King mentioned that Google Stadia struggled to hit 60 frames per second even in “optimal conditions” with her LA hands on occuring a short distance from the San Francisco data centre, with very few Stadia consoles taking advantage of it. 

“Although DOOM Eternal was perfectly playable in this way, I’d never choose it over native hardware that promised more consistent performance and lack of latency across the board,” added Jade.