Google has started rolling out refunds for Stadia

When Google announced it was shutting down Stadia — its cloud gaming platform — back in September, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. But something that did come as a surprise was the company announcing it would give refunds to its users. Today, Google has started the process of delivering those refunds.

Starting today, Google says it will start automatically processing refunds for all purchases of games, add-on content, hardware, and subscription fees made through the Stadia Store. According to its announcement, the company expects that a majority of the payments will be processed by January 18, 2023, the same time when the service is scheduled to shut down.

As for how the process will work, Google says that customers who have made less than 20 purchases will receive an email for each transaction made. Imagine getting 19 emails from Google. Conversely, those who have made 21 or more purchases will receive one email that summarizes all refund attempts.

In order to get a refund for your hardware — which includes the Stadia Controller, Founder’s Edition, Premiere Edition, and Play and Watch with Google TV packages — there’s no need to return anything. However, the Mountain View-based organization says you may have to show proof that you have the device. And for those who received a controller as a gift, the refund will be issued to the gifter.

“We ask for your patience as we work through each transaction and ask that you refrain from contacting Customer Support as they will not be able to expedite your refund during this time,” the company wrote.

While a majority of purchases will be refunded, not everything will. Google states that there won’t be refunds for Stadia Pro subscriptions, except for Pro subscription charges that occurred on or after September 29, 2022. There also won’t be refunds for Google’s Power Support Claw, which allows you to clip your phone onto your controller.

In addition to this news, the FAQ stated that players will be able to transfer their game data to other platforms. However, that won’t be the case for every game. Google notes that some “publishers have already shared plans for transferring game progress, including Ubisoft, Bungie, I/O Interactive, CD Projekt Red, Rockstar Games, and Bethesda.”

With Stadia coming to an end, there are likely a number of gamers who are looking for a viable alternative. If that includes you, check out our list of Stadia alternatives.