The free-to-play version of Destiny 2 can be played for free on Google Stadia. This makes the loot shooter the first truly free game on the game streaming platform.
What is Destiny 2 on Stadia all about? Destiny 2, the quirky loot shooter from Bungie, was included as a launch title in the Pro offer at the start of Google Stadia.
However, to play it, you had to be a Pro member or buy it separately to play it with the later available free version of Stadia. The free-to-play version called Destiny 2: New Light, available since October 2019, was not available for Stadia customers.
Destiny 2 becomes the first real free-to-play title on Google Stadia
How can I play Destiny 2 for free? From November 19, you can play the free version of Destiny 2 on Stadia. This explicitly works with the free version of Stadia. So you can try out Destiny 2 without any issues. You just need to have a Google account and log in to the Stadia website.
More info about Stadia can be found here:
What should I pay attention to? As is usual with Stadia, you do not have to download the game or endure hours of update marathons. You only need an internet connection that provides at least 10 Mbit/s for downloads. That should be sufficient for a resolution of 720p.
For HD with 1080p, at least 20 Mbit/s is required. This is also the maximum resolution that the free version of Stadia offers. 4K is still only available for subscribers, who can get the full version of Destiny 2 at no additional cost until November 19.
Who is the Stadia version optimal for? If you have never played Destiny 2, you now have the perfect opportunity to test the game without any stress. Because if your connection works, you can play the game immediately without download and expensive hardware, and then decide for yourself whether to buy the full version or if the game is not for you.
What is the catch? The free-to-play offer from Stadia would have been even better a few months ago. Because Bungie has significantly cut back on Destiny 2: New Light, and with the release of the new expansion Beyond Light, many old contents have been removed. Unfortunately, this mainly affected content from the free-to-play version, most of which are now disappearing without replacement and significantly reducing the previously abundant free version.
Nevertheless, you can still have a lot of fun in New Light, and it is still enough to get a thorough understanding of the game. However, what is missing and what you can still do is explained in detail here.
What about crossplay? Unfortunately, you cannot play with friends who play Destiny 2 on consoles or PC. However, there is a cross-save function that at least synchronizes your progress across different platforms. Proper crossplay is at least planned.
This is why it is so important for Stadia: Google’s Stadia business model is not particularly customer-friendly, as you only get free games with a monthly subscription and as a user of the free version, you have to buy games extra expensive and then cannot play them at the highest graphics settings.
True free-to-play games, like on PC and consoles, have simply not existed before. However, since Stadia is now offering a game that you can immediately play without download with a suitable Internet connection, it opens up entirely new possibilities.
So there may be more free-to-play titles that you can play quickly and easily via Stadia in the coming weeks and months. You can find a list of great MMORPGs that you can play completely for free as free-to-play games here. Perhaps there will soon be some of these available on Stadia for streaming.
